John of the Apocalypse (JotA) are singer/guitarist Patrick Hallinan and drummer/bassist Steve Dwane, both from Mayo, Ireland. While their sound can loosely be termed alt-folk, Hallinan also draws on his love of ambient and experimental sounds, weaving a mercurial web of tones, from raw and wild rockers to more complex and prayerful meditations. Inspired by Grandaddy, Nick Cave, Wilco and Sparklehorse, the themes revolve around the human condition and the journey of transformation which is alive in the world today.
JotA have released two singles (Take That Technology & Newborn) from their excellent debut EP The Sacred Animal, both of which have received widespread local, national and international coverage on radio, blogs, newspapers and playlists, from RTE Raidió Na Gaeltachta to Come Here Floyd Blog in New York.
We were lucky to get the drums recorded before everything shut down in 2020. We were then able to self-record and mix the rest of the tracks remotely during lockdown. I wanted to capture something changeable, a little volatile, even playful but ultimately heartfelt. Something I was thinking a lot about during the writing and recording is the loss of our connection to both our animal and our spiritual selves in modern culture and how this has caused a great wounding that we see everywhere. The Sacred Animal seems to be exploring various strands of this
Patrick Hallinan
