ROE is an Irish singer songwriter who has been appearing on this blog since 2020, but she’s had a bit of a hiatus recently. Returning with her first release in over a year, it’s been worth the wait.

By Graeme Smith

You don’t need me to tell you what a special talent ROE is. She was playing the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury at eighteen-years-old, and her music has featured in The Only Way Is Essex, Made in Chelsea and Netflix’s Terrace House.

Her new track Cinema plays like a bittersweet love letter to her hometown of Derry, sharing its lights and its shadows. At the forefront of the Troubles, it’s a city, as ROE explains, that never fully healed, and is still full of pain and loss. She brings it to life in a way no other could, with beautifully poetic lyrics, as always, and a raw, memorable acoustic instrumental.

You can give Cinema a listen below.