LISTEN: Cranberries debut single of last album to mark singer Dolores O’Riordan’s death

LONDON, United Kingdom – Irish band The Cranberries released the first song of its final album Tuesday, January 15 exactly one year after lead singer Dolores O’Riordan was found drowned in a London hotel bathtub.

The band dropped the new track ahead of the April release of their 8th and last album In the End, after which the rock group  – best known for 90s-era hits including “Zombie,” “Linger”, and “Dreams”  – will split after 3 decades together. (READ: Cranberries to release album despite Dolores O’Riordan death)

Band members Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler finished the new 11-song album using demo vocals O’Riordan completed in December 2017, they said on Instagram.

“We remembered how Dolores had been so energized by the prospect of making this record and getting back out on the road to play the songs live, and realized that the most meaningful thing to do was to finish the album we had started with her,” the group said. 

“It was a very emotional process for us,” they said. “Knowing that we would never get to play these songs live made it even more difficult.”

But, they concluded, “we felt that this is what she would want.”

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A Message from the band about their new album ‘In The End’ In early 2017, the four of us got together to rehearse for the ‘Something Else’ Tour. During rehearsals, we discussed many times how great it would be to write and work on new material for a new album… And the prospect of writing and working on new material for a new album was very exciting. By December 2017, Dolores had completed and recorded the vocals to final demo stage on the eleven songs which feature on this recording, and we had planned to go into the studio to complete the album in early 2018. After Dolores’ devastating and unexpected passing in January 2018, we took some time out and put all plans on hold. As time passed, we began to think about how we might best honour our close friend and bandmate. This was a very painful process. We remembered how Dolores had been so energised by the prospect of making this record and getting back out on the road to play the songs live, and realised that the most meaningful thing to do was to finish the album we had started with her. We felt that this is what she would want. We spoke with Dolores’ family and they agreed. It was a very emotional process for us. Knowing that we would never get to play these songs live made it even more difficult. There was also an overwhelming sense of finality knowing that this was the last time that we would be in the same studio together working on a Cranberries album. We would like to take the chance to thank all our families and friends as well as Dolores’ family and friends, and all those work worked with the band over the years. And to our fans, who have stood by us for almost thirty years; thank you, without you, none of this would have been possible. It has been an incredible journey. We dedicate this album to our dear friend and bandmate Dolores. She will always be with us in her music. Noel  Mike  Fergal To mark the first anniversary of Dolores’s passing The Cranberries will be releasing the first song from the new album, ‘All Over Now’ on the 15th of January.

A post shared by The Cranberries (@thecranberries) on Jan 11, 2019 at 8:36am PST

The lead single has an unmistakable Cranberries vibe, a sorrowful but moving track that features O’Riordan repeating the eerily prescient lyric “It’s all over now.”

The group is releasing the music with approval from the family of O’Riordan, who died aged 46.

A London coroner ruled that she had died from accidental drowning due to intoxication, but found no evidence of injuries or self harm.

“I can’t think of a more fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary of Dolores’ passing and to celebrate her life than to announce to the world the release of her final album with the band,” the singer’s mother Eileen O’Riordan said in a statement.

“I have no doubt that she is happy now and would be delighted with today’s announcement.”  – Rappler.com