Interview with Rofi James: ‘Our next single is about fighting with isolation and wanting to go somewhere else’

Galway-based band Rofi James brought out their single, ‘Sorry’, about anxiety and uncertainty earlier this month and are gearing up to release a track about the difficulties of life in isolation.

The band comprises Rónán O Flaithearta (vocals), Joseph Flaherty (bass) Jamie Murray (drums) and Derek Ellard (lead guitar). Their name is a mixture of Rónán’s nickname – Rofi – and James as in Jamie Murray, who formed the band when they were 15 and started playing covers together before going on to write their own songs. Initially, they called themselves Third Wheels before rebranding themselves as Rofi James in 2016.

‘Sorry’, which was recorded just before the first lockdown, is written through the lens of someone discussing the best and worst sides of their personality. The song tackles the themes of anxiety, uncertainty, internal battles and mental health, feelings that will be familiar to everyone this year.

‘The suicides of young people in Galway, it’s a serious issue that needs to be talked about a lot more’

‘There are a lot of discussions about mental health in the West of Ireland,’ O Flaithearta said. ‘The suicides of young people in Galway, it’s a serious issue that needs to be talked about a lot more. It’s our opportunity to say it’s ok to talk about it. A lot of young people jump into the bay because of unemployment, depression or maybe fighting.’

The anxiety comes across strongly in the lyrics: ‘Try to breath, feel the weight again, try to leave but these doors won’t give, the walls are closing in. I said I’m sorry, I wouldn’t do this to you, I said I’m sorry, I wouldn’t do this to you, wouldn’t do this to you.’

The track was written by O Flaithearta, Murray and Flaherty, and was mixed and produced by Dave Skelton. It was then mastered by Fergal Davis (Muse, Republic of Loose, The Divine Comedy). For the band, the track is about ‘the uncertainty about asking for help and ultimately coming to the realisation that those darker moments will pass and it’s possible to overcome them’.

Next up is a track that they finished last week about lockdown, which will likely be released in January. ‘Our next single is about fighting with isolation and wanting to go somewhere else,’ O Flaithearta said. ‘I wrote it when we could only travel 5km, it’s mental. I went on holiday to Disneyland, Paris, with my girlfriend and we were there when the first lockdown was announced. It felt very surreal, that feeling of being away but wanting to get home.’

Earlier this year, they brought out a track ‘Every Time I Make You Hate Me’, which O Flaithearta laughingly says is about disappointing his girlfriend: ‘I wrote it one morning, very hungover, after a string of events where I’d disappointed my girlfriend by showing up late. I felt very guilty. She loves the song. It’s a weird apology letter!’ I tell him that as apologies go, I reckon it’s a pretty good one and he laughs. ‘It’s a crowd favourite, it’s melodic. We first played it live just before lockdown.’

His contriteness comes across in the lyrics: ‘Well I don’t mind, when you tell me that you need me and I know that I let you down. I don’t know what to say to you, I know I’ll miss you every time that I make you hate me.’

An older track, ‘Open Eyes’ (2017), was written by him and Murray a few years ago: ‘It’s a song about seeing someone else’s point of view. Before, we did it with an acoustic guitar and a cajón (a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru) with an Irish jig in the middle but our producer said no, let’s move along with that,’ he laughed. The version we eventually got is rockier but still has a faint Irish dancing feel to it.

Their new – as of yet untitled – album will come out next summer and will likely comprise 10 tracks, although O Flaithearta laughs that he is still writing new music. They will probably release another three singles before then.

‘It was the first time we could see that our song could be someone else’s song’

Of all his songs to date, he is happiest with ‘Sorry’ and ‘Reason’, which he wrote when he was just 15: ‘I didn’t record it until I was 22. It’s about the death of people I knew. It was the first time we could see that our song could be someone else’s song but when you’re that age you want to have upbeat songs.’

They’ve made the best of lockdown, sending a lot of MP3s back and forth and buying interfaces so that they could all record from home but he says, understandably, that you can’t beat ‘all being in a room together and jamming’: ‘We rented a house in Clare in the middle of lockdown and spent a week there,’ he said. ‘We wrote six or seven songs in that week. We’d never done that before, I think it was the desperation!’

O Flaithearta got into music at an early age. His father was a bass player and singer who introduced him to bands such as The Eagles, U2, Bryan Adams and Stereophonics.

Since releasing their debut single in 2016, Rofi James have opened for established acts including Picture This, Wild Youth and The Riptide Movement. Other notable appearances include performances at Electric Picnic, Fever Pitch and Riverfest, which Rofi James co-headlined alongside LE GALAXIE and Hermitage Green.

Earlier this year, they headlined the Galway 2020 capital of culture Fire Festival Tour, spanning seven nights across the county of Galway, with outdoor shows in Clifden, Spiddal, Tuam, Balliansloe, Portumna and Athenry, performing to approximately 15,000 people over the tour. They were due to wrap up the week of shows at the grand opening ceremony in front of a 50,000 strong crowd, with the event falling foul of the unpredictable weather of Galway.

These days, he is a massive fan of Imagine Dragons: ‘Your brain melts, it’s that good that stadium sound,’ he said. ‘The Coronas, I love them, they had a big influence on my songwriting. I really like The Academic, Picture This and The Clockworks (indie band from Galway now based in London) as well.’ He acknowledges that for a lot of young bands, it’s hard to break out of the covers circuit: ‘There are a lot of cover pubs in town, it’s easier, you get paid,’ he said.

If he could tour with anyone, he picks Imagine Dragons, The Beatles and U2 as well as Nothing but Thieves. ‘It could be fun to tour with Billie Eilish,’ he muses. ‘Her brother FINNEAS has got a great voice, great songwriting. They’ve got such different voices but it’s really nice to see a brother and sister doing so well.’

(Photo from left to right: Rónán, Joseph, Jamie and Derek)