POST-BURNOUT
If you’re in the Dublin metal scene, a name you might have come across over the past few years is Desperity. Since their formation in 2022, the band have spent all their time and effort signing up for as many gigs as possible to be seen and heard by anyone who may like them. The members believe that performing live is the most authentic way to experience an artist’s music, yet their origins somewhat betray that notion.
“I was the one that was looking for the band members,” their bassist and co-vocalist, Seán Cox, explained of their formation, when they spoke with Post-Burnout. “I met [their drummer] Cian [Nolan O’Brien] first. Originally, he was looking for a bass player for a pop-punk band, and I joined, and then the band just, instantly, fell apart!
“I just absolutely bullshitted! I went, ‘I found a new band near me, so I’m just going to leave now!’ [Laughs] That was a total lie! Then, I went on Facebook to look for band members, and Cian reached back out to me and joined as the drummer!
“The maddest part was when I met up with [their guitarist and co-vocalist] Oisín [Lynch], because I didn’t find him on Facebook or anything like that; it was actually on TikTok, and it was just on my For You page. So, it was just by complete chance!” Unable to DM Oisín on TikTok, Seán shot him a message on Instagram. “He stalked me, he did!” laughs Oisín.
At the time, the three lads had mutual interests in genres like grunge, hardcore, punk, indie, and pop-punk. “We don’t really limit ourselves,” Seán says. “And that’s the thing that I think is great; we don’t limit ourselves for what we want to do. We just call ourselves ‘alternative metal.’ Basically, we just do whatever the fuck we want! [Laughs]”
Describing their collaboration as “lightning in a bottle,” the three had instant chemistry without much need to converse before, between, or after the sessions. Their output was so expedient that, only mere weeks after forming, they began playing shows and, six months later, they released their first EP.
Recorded in a single seven-hour session at Trackmix Recording Studios in Blanchardstown, their five-song debut EP, Beyond Recognition, dropped in July 2023. While it helped them gain traction, the band retrospectively don’t feel like it’s the best representation of them.
“We don’t think it’s how we sound now, at all,” Oisín says of the EP. “No,” agrees Cian. “We’ve changed a lot in our sound,” continues Oisín. “I think the biggest issue we have is how it sounds. We’re obviously not bashing on [the producer] or anything like that, but, just for our personal taste, I think we were a bit afraid to say anything, because we were just starting out.
“So, we were just going with the flow on it. But we think the EP sounds a bit too digital, if you get me. Like, the guitars sound a bit digital. We wanted it to be recorded from the amp, and have that raw sound, but, obviously, it didn’t pan out that way because we didn’t say anything! [Laughs]”
Despite this, the band continued performing up and into 2024, until, over what Seán describes as “a stupid argument” that he attributes to youthful immaturity, Desperity went on a year-long hiatus.
During that break, Seán began a solo career, focusing on “the softer side of music” with indie and shoegaze inspirations, upping his production game, and having a bit of a hit with his track “VAMPIRE.” Meanwhile, Oisín and Cian began a hardcore band called Duct Tape, which Cian claims, “[L]asted all of about five minutes!”
But the boys yearned for Desperity. “I think we all missed the band,” says Seán. “It was rough,” agrees Cian. “I feel like us three, together, we just work so well,” adds Oisín. “Me and Cian, we can do our thing together, and that’s fine, but when other people get involved, it’s not right. It’s not the same thing.”
Towards the end of last year, the members made amends, and Desperity moved straight away. Like the cycle for their EP, the band spent no time returning to the stage, and, last month, they released their debut live album.
Recorded at The Lantern venue in Navan earlier in the year, Live at The Lantern was unplanned. “This year, we had been talking about recording,” Oisín explains of how the album came about. “And when we played at The Lantern, they said that they’d let us record the set, and we were like, ‘Oh, that’s actually great,’ because the studios are so expensive.”
Recorded directly through the venue’s soundboard, and with very little additional production work from Seán to equalise it without losing its authenticity, the band viewed it as a vehicle for getting back on people’s radar after their sabbatical.
“We were like, ‘Right, we can just put out a live album, and keep people entertained,’ because we haven’t released anything in a while,” Oisín says of their intention. “It’s not that we felt pressured to release anything new, but we wanted to release something new. We were dying to get something new out, because of how old the old stuff was. [Laughs] It’s like three years ago!”
The band have spent all of 2026 performing (including several upcoming shows. See below for details!), and they plan on returning to the studio again soon. “We want to still keep it raw,” Oisín says of their aim.
“But kind of have the professionalism as well. Obviously, we’re very happy with the live album, but live albums sound different than the studio. We want that proper studio sound.”
Desperity’s new album, Live at The Lantern, is out now. You can keep up with the band through their Linktree.
You can see Desperity live at:
July 24th – Dublin – Upstairs at Fibber Magees (supporting Rated R and SonoVox) (Free show!)
August 1st – Drogheda – The Watchtower (w/ Lucy Cigarettes and Amplifi) (Free show!)
August 13th – Dublin – The Sound House (supporting Nxb0dies and Boyracer)
September 2nd – Dublin – The Sound House (w/ Afterthought and Anal Lobotomy)
Tune into POSTBURNOUT.COM Interviews… tonight at midnight (IST) to hear this interview in full. Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music Podcasts.
Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO, Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRD and more.