The Orielles have today shared ‘Tears Are’, the latest track to be taken from their 4th studio album, ‘Only You Left’, a meticulous yet exploratory record which sees them emerge anew from their 7-year cycle where they began with Silver Dollar Moment (2018).
Recorded between Hamburg and the car-free Greek Island of Hydra, and produced by long-time collaborator, Joel Anthony Patchett, the album is out on 13th March on Heavenly Recordings.
The title of ‘Tears Are’ is an unanswered question, a half-phrase, according to Esmé: “You could think of something deeply human. But you could also answer it in a completely linguistic sense and think of a tear as a symbol or an image.” The lyrical uncertainty is mirrored in the music: initially catchy and anthemic, the track gradually dissolves towards the end, culminating in a darker, more minor take on the original motif.
“ We had this vague imagery of wood versus metal,” says Esmé. “Hamburg was metal and Hydra was wood. Everything fell naturally into either category.” Her lyrics are a similar exploration of paradoxes, inversions and wordplay, left ambiguous for the listener to make their own interpretations.
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• ‘Only You Left’ •
• TRACK-LIST • PRE-ORDER THE VINYL & CD • DINKED EDITION • RELEASED ON MARCH 13TH, 2026 •
“You’ve got to die and be reborn between albums,” begins Henry Wade, guitarist for The Orielles, describing the foundations of the band’s fourth studio album, Only You Left. “It comes naturally,” adds singer and bassist Esmé Hand-Halford, “it’s not something we consciously do.”
Through this process of creative renewal, the Manchester-based trio – completed by drummer Sidonie Hand-Halford – have managed to weather a pandemic, defy the fickleness of a trend-led music industry, and emerge, phoenix-like, with something familiarly Orielles, yet altogether different.
Recorded in two locations – Hydra and Hamburg – over the summer of 2024, the 11 tracks of Only You Left sees the band consolidate the bold experimentation of their previous LP, Tableau (2022), with a return to the more stripped-back, song-led approach of their early origins.
“There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio. Originally from Halifax, the Orielles first came to recognition in 2018 with their debut album, the indie-rock Silver Dollar Moment, which is approaching its eighth birthday in February 2026. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we’ve come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people.”
By exploring binaries and contrasts, the Orielles are finding shapes in the chaos and confusion of the world around us – it’s an undertaking that benefits from more than 15 years of close collaboration, driven by friendship and the artistic compulsion to find meaning in music.
• READ MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM HERE •
The album artwork features a specially commissioned triptych built by Louie Morris, continuing the themes within ’Three Halves’. The band describes the process of its creation below.
Building the album artwork as a physical object, a sculptural form to photograph, made on hinged wooden board and constructed to look like a modernised replica of the 14th century originals, we hope that our triptych will continue to wear and decay, and as we keep it, highlight imperfections and passing of time.
The DINKED edition features a bonus CD, composed by Academy Award winner Eiko Ishibashi, using the field recordings the band picked up during their time in Hydra and Hamburg.
To start 2026 the band will be playing a series of intimate shows as part of Independent Venue Week.
And, to co-inside with the album release the band will be playing a run of in-store events:
“We’ll be playing some of our favourite record shops across the UK to celebrate the release of ‘Only You Left’. The show will feature the Wood versions of our tracks, presented to you in the same way they were originally written and formed.”
• IN-STORE EVENT DETAILS AND TICKETS •
Finally, The Orielles and Chef Helen Graham (ex-Bubala) will be celebrating the launch of the ‘Only You Left’ over lunch at Bar Levan, London on 22nd March.
Hosted by Pears For Lunch, the event will comprise of a slow Sunday afternoon listening to the new album alongside the band, who will be pouring wine and floating in the room. Whilst working in Hydra, Greece, food sat at the heart of the writing and recording process for the band and has informed a collaborative menu, driven by Helen’s signature vegetable forward. There will be two sessions, an early and a late afternoon, and tickets will cover entry and generous multi course lunch.
Talking about the event, The Orielles said:
“Writing music together and cooking for each other is connected through the sharing of creative processes and the nourishing of both soul and body. Making food in the studio is as much a ritual for us as making the music is, and as artists we are givers. During early recording sessions we had the idea to reimagine one of our studio menus, and with the help of Helen Graham and Pears for Lunch, we can now share this with you.“
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