Torpey
Born in Tulla, Co. Clare, Torpey grew up surrounded by music due to his mother, Kate Purcell, singer with the Grammy-nominated band Cherish The Ladies. He started learning the piano at age five and, in his early teens, began learning how to play his favourite pop songs by ear. At 15, he picked up the guitar having listened to bands such as The Beatles, Oasis, and The Arctic Monkeys. Over time, his taste in music expanded to include folk acts like Bon Iver and Bob Dylan. These influences combine to give Torpeys music the grounded elements of Folk along with some of the more catchy, upbeat qualities of Rock and Pop.
"I like to think of ‘Only The Good Die Young’ as falling into the camp of ‘optimistic nihilism’. It’s a song that is lyrically about feeling nihilistic about the state of the world but with music that uplifts and offers catharsis to that feeling. It was self-produced in my bedroom studio over the course of two weeks in October/November of last year and is the first single of my upcoming EP." - Torpey.
With his hooky new single 'Only The Good Die Young' out now, Torpey builds momentum for himself and plans an exciting 2025 ahead full of fresh striking music. Don't miss 'Only The Good Die Young' that dropped on March 28th, it's bound to take Torpey to new heights, this is just the beginning!
Blue - Mai Yamane
The first one that comes to mind, because it’s one of the most recent to have influenced me. It’s a song that plays on the closing shot of a 90s anime called Cowboy Bebop. At the time, I was in the middle of a heavy spell of writer's block, I knew that I wanted to evolve my writing style but couldn’t nail exactly how. Something about the writing in the song seemed to burst through, though. It’s written so well.
Clocks - Coldplay
When I was younger, I learned piano by going to lessons and, later on, being in the local underage Céilí band. But I never really clicked with the lessons; I would never practice over the week. I’d spend more time trying to figure out how to play the Harry Potter or Pokemon themes than the exercise or songs I was meant to be learning. So at 14, I quit going to lessons and started spending my time playing the pop songs I wanted to play. I ended up actually playing for fun, and Clocks was the first song I learned.
Carry That Weight - The Beatles
Abbey Road is my favourite album, and the moment in Carry That Weight where the horns play the refrain from You Never Give Me Your Money was what cemented that for me. I’ll never forget where I was when I first heard it (in the back of an empty bus on the way home from work, trying to hold back the tears). This song (and album) made me realise the heights music could reach.
Fluorescent Adolescence - The Arctic Monkeys
I’m a huge fan of Alex Turner's writing, and Flourescent Adolescence is the best example of what I love about it. I love what he chooses to describe; the woman at the centre of the song is described by her nuances, and he lets the listener fill in the gaps. I love that style of writing wherever I see it.
Day One (Interstellar) - Hans Zimmer
I think, like most guys my age, Interstellar was the first “deep” movie that I became obsessed with when it came out. For me, what really got to me was the music. I became obsessed with Hans Zimmer and went back and realised how many of his movies I grew up on. I could write an entire list filled with his music. His melodies are incredible. (My actual favourite of his is Now We Are Free from Gladiator.)
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You - Ed Sheeran
Obligatory uncool pick. But this is genuinely the song that made 14-year-old me want to write music.
Slide Away - Oasis
Another melody kick, not one for technicality, but the chorus is just so good. Any tickets?
29 #Strafford APTS - Bon Iver
Maybe one of my favourite songs ever. The production is unbelievable and so full, there’s always something new coming in to catch you. In terms of writing, I think it’s near perfect. I have no idea what the lyrics are, but I still feel like I know what the song is about. It feels so cathartically written, every line hits right when you want it to. It’s so satisfying. That’s how I try to write.
The Times They Are A-Changin - Bob Dylan
I think this is the best song ever written. To write a political song that was topical in the 60s, is topical now and will be topical for a very long time in the future blows my mind. Bob Dylan's ability to cut past the surface of any topic and hit right at the heart is something I really want to be able to do. (I can’t)
Your Eyes - Tatsuro Yamashita
Another recent influence. So far, it has only influenced one song that I’ve written, but I can’t stop listening. His choice of chords seems so specific, and I always find his music hits a very nostalgic feeling, even though I’d never heard them before. This song, in particular, is one that I learned a lot from, especially regarding the chords. I have a song that I haven’t released yet, which I was struggling to get right for a long time. After listening to this song, I sat at the piano and chords just fell out of the air. They aren’t as good, but I’m reminded of Your Eyes every time I play it.