how r u is the Belfast based slowcore side project of Irish singer-songwriter and producer Thom Southern. Though formally launched in late April 2024, the project has swiftly carved out its own quiet space.
Drawing from over a year of lo-fi, DIY exploration, how r u has already shared stages with Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, celebrated a sold-out hometown headline show in Belfast, and seen its introspective soundscapes resonate on streaming platforms with hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners, amassing millions of streams.
With how r u, Thom Southern channels a markedly slower, softer dimension of his writing and production, taking cues from artists like Duster, Elliott Smith, and (Sandy) Alex G, as well as the rising contemporary sounds of fellow Irish slowcore artist Liam McCay (Sign Crushes Motorist). Strum Magazine captured this essence, noting: ‘how r u is an Irish musician who weaves some of the most delicate, enchanting slowcore lullabies in the scene. His soft voice, delicate guitar lines and introspective lyrics will linger in your mind long after the final note fades.’
This quiet momentum leads to how r u’s third album, ‘come back to me,’ set for release on June 20th, 2025, via Mighty Good Leader. The first glimpse into this new body of work is the single ‘slipping away,’ arriving on June 6th, 2025. This new song sees the project delve deeper into the instrumental soundscapes previously explored on ‘save me,’ an album released by Dark Ambient / Slowcore label 24seven Records.
This continued focus on wordless narratives is a deliberate choice. Thom explains, “I wanted to explore further how to create a feeling without singing lyrics, to go on a journey of self-reflection with just sounds and melodies that draw your mind to a nostalgic place that doesn’t quite exist. I’ve become a bit obsessed with finding comfort in the idea of liminal spaces, or music that creates an uneasy liminal feeling, making us feel between two different places or states – the in-between of waking and sleeping.”
The new upcoming album ‘come back to me’ embodies this philosophy, tracing an intimate, instrumental passage through the aftermath of a breakup. The music doesn’t shy away from the initial raw ache of grief and loss but gently navigates towards a fragile sense of growth, even hope. The album’s sparse, atmospheric instrumentation and intentionally unpolished production aim to create a soundscape that is both disorientating and captivating, inviting listeners to sit with their own feelings, question them, and explore the quieter, often contradictory landscapes of their own minds.
Watch ‘slipping away’ Music Video BELOW:
The album will be accompanied by a series of visual interpretations from Irish director/writer John Christopher. For the single, ‘slipping away,’ John sidesteps explicit narrative. Instead, the music video follows the relationship of a couple, depicted solely through their shadows, as he experiments with this visual language of shadows, stillness, and the stark presence of what’s missing. The aim is to offer images that echo the music’s subtle unfolding of that familiar, hollow feeling, allowing sound and picture to exist in delicate harmony.
how r u will be performing at this year’s GazeFest in Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre 30th of August 2025 supporting English shoegaze band Whitelands. Tickets available here
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