Music meteorology: predicting the next wave of megahits and earworms with the tracks they’re teasing and releasing now.
The first taster of Inhaler’s upcoming third album, ‘Open Wide’ (due 7th February 2025), suggests a band less interested in following paths than forging their own.
Words: Dan Harrison.
Sometimes evolution happens in quiet moments – a rehearsal room revelation, a late-night studio breakthrough, an unexpected chord change that leads somewhere new. For Inhaler, though, that moment arrives in technicolour, backed by a gospel choir and wrapped in production that gleams like a diamond-encrusted hilt of a scarily sharp sword. ‘Your House’, their latest single, doesn’t just politely tap on the door of their next era – it blows it clean off its hinges.
Currently, towards the end of a North American tour (apparently, the best time to drop new music is when you’re trying to remember which city has the best coffee and also which city you’re currently in), the Dublin quartet radiate the kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly where you’re heading. The first taster of their upcoming third album, ‘Open Wide’ (due 7th February 2025), suggests a band less interested in following paths than forging their own.
“We’re an ambitious band that wants to create anthemic music, particularly when things feel so destructive,” explains frontman Elijah Hewson, discussing ‘Your House’ – a 70s rock-inspired anthem that arrives complete with the House Gospel Choir (if you’re going to reach for the stars, you might as well bring backup). “The verse is blasé, but the chorus feels spiritual. I love that contrast.”
The road to this point has been paved with the kind of numbers that make industry suits weak at the knees – over a quarter of a million records sold globally, streaming figures that would make your Spotify Wrapped look like a shopping list, and a steady climb through venue sizes that’s culminated in a casual 13,000-capacity homecoming show at Dublin’s 3Arena. But numbers only tell part of the story.
Watch them on stage now – Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, drummer Ryan McMahon, and guitarist Josh Jenkinson – and you’ll see a band that’s learned its craft in the best possible way: by doing the work. Support slots with Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, and Harry Styles (a connection that becomes more relevant when you learn their new album is produced by Styles collaborator Kid Harpoon) have shaped them into something formidable.
‘Open Wide’ represents more than just album number three. Working with Kid Harpoon already sounds like it has pushed them to take more creative control than ever before. Early writing sessions saw them absorbing influences from techno to Nick Cave (a combination that probably sounds like a warehouse party in purgatory, and we mean that in the best possible way). The hints are all there that Inhaler are firmly stood on their own two feet now, ready to make that next step up.
It’s a long way from their early days, back when the music industry still remembered what offices looked like and most of the chatter around the band was more concerned with heritage than sound. Their debut ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ crashed into the UK and Irish charts at number one, while sophomore effort ‘Cuts & Bruises’ proved they weren’t just a one-album wonder. But where that record was praised for its uncomplicated, hook-laden approach, ‘Your House’ suggests a band pushing at the boundaries of what got them here.
The visual evolution matches the musical one – out go the black and white aesthetics, in come bold blues and reds. As they finish up their current run through North America, they have seemingly made their choice at an interesting crossroads. The easy path would be to repeat what’s worked before. Instead, they’re choosing to ‘Open Wide’ (sorry, etc) and reach further. Six years in, Inhaler have mastered the art of evolution without revolution. ‘Your House’ might be their most ambitious statement yet, but it still feels uniquely them – just viewed through a wider lens. One thing’s certain: whatever door this album opens, it won’t be closing anytime soon.
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