Luke O’Hanlon Interview: The River Only Flows One Way – Memory, Grief & Lo-Fi Storytelling

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That’s a really hard question! It was a long process. At first it was laborious and slow. In the end it was quick and easy. At first I thought I was making something upbeat and poppy. In the end I wasn’t. I wrote the song “Einstein’s Twin” towards the end of the process, and it was only then that I knew what I wanted it to be and how I wanted it to sound. After that, a bunch of the other songs just came straight after. I found myself looking back at old versions of myself — the messy ones, the hopeful ones — and realising how much of them I still carry. The songs became like fragments of memory, pieced together into something that made emotional sense, even if it wasn’t linear.

Singer-songwriter Luke O’Hanlon opens up about his album The River Only Flows One Way, a haunting collection shaped by grief, memory, and intimacy. In this interview, he reflects on lo-fi storytelling, personal influences, and the honesty behind imperfection. Discover the cinematic world of his music and what comes next.

“The River Only Flows One Way” feels deeply personal and cinematic. What was the emotional starting point for this album?

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Grief and memory are central themes throughout the record. Were there specific moments or stories from your life that shaped these songs?

Absolutely. Some of the songs deal directly with people I love, and real situations. That was new for me. I’ve always tended to keep my writing and my private life at arm’s length from each other. I never thought my life was interesting enough to write about. I felt very vulnerable making this. Making this I found I couldn’t just be the observer and there were some things I needed to talk about. A lot of the record is rooted in places, where I grew up, and in the strange ways that places hold emotion. "Our Salad Days" and "Parrots of Lark Lane," for instance, both came out of very specific memories that I couldn’t shake. Others, like "Middle Fingers Held High," are sketches of people I love. “Henrietta” was about Walls Vienetta Ice Cream initially. That took a dark turn!

You wrote, recorded, and performed the entire album yourself over two years. What was that process like creatively and emotionally?

It was intense. Solitary, mostly — but not lonely. I worked in snatched hours between teaching, parenting, and life, so it became this private world I could step into. I’d layer things slowly, often rewriting songs after months away from them. That distance was useful — it gave me clarity. Emotionally, it was a bit like therapy. But there was also joy in the process — in finding the right sound, in the surprise of a song becoming more than I expected.

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The production carries a lo-fi warmth that feels incredibly intimate. Was that a conscious decision, or did it evolve naturally?

Ha! If you think this is lo-fi, you should hear the music I used to make! The answer is a bit of both. Necessity is the mother of invention and this was recorded in my garage using a cocktail drum kit and cheap mics. The danger, is that if you set out to be lo-fi you make something pretentious, covered in digital tape hiss. I wanted to make the best sounding record I could make, but I did want to occupy a different space to big production artists I couldn’t compete with and don’t listen to. I prioritsed honesty. I wanted it to feel like a conversation — close-mic’d, raw around the edges. I’m not interested in polishing things to the point where the humanity gets lost. The imperfections are baked in. But I leaned into that. I think there’s honesty in the mistakes, in the breath between lines. It makes it feel lived-in.

How has your time with The Bottletop Millionaires and The Loose Moose String Band influenced your solo work?

I’ve been around a long time and the truth is I’m very old and have played in a lot of bands and met a lot of musicians and had a lot of experiences and read a lot of good books and read a lot of bad books and been to a lot of places and done a lot of things. I think all of it has been like a dialectic. I can see my craft improving and I look back at the music I used to make and know that the music I make now is better and I’m grateful for everything that got me here. Even if no one hears this record. I know.

There are echoes of artists like Adrienne Lenker and Phoebe Bridgers in your writing, but your voice feels uniquely your own. Who have been some key influences on your songwriting over the years?

Thank you — that’s a lovely comparison. I’ve always been drawn to writers who explore the cracks in things. John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats was a huge influence — that mix of emotional intensity and specificity. Leonard Cohen, of course, for his restraint. More recently, MJ Lenderman’s blend of humour and heartbreak has really inspired me. And then there’s the folk tradition , gospel, country, blues— ballads that carry sorrow and beauty in equal measure. I like songs that feel like they’ve lived a life before they got to you.

Each track on the album feels like a scene from an indie film. Are you influenced by visual storytelling or cinema when writing music?

Definitely. I often picture the song as a film before I write a single line. Not in a flashy way — more like a still image or a colour palette. I think in terms of mood and setting, and I try to leave enough space for the listener to fill in their own story. I’ve always been fascinated by that intersection between sound and image — how a certain chord can feel like the evening, or how a lyric can open up a whole world in your head.

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How do you hope listeners will feel after experiencing this album from start to finish?

I hope they feel seen. I hope it gives them space to sit with whatever they’re carrying, and maybe feel a little less alone in it.

What’s next for you following this release — are there any performances, collaborations, or new projects in the works?

I’ve got a few small live shows this summer. I’ll be playing both the new material and a handful of older songs. I’m not used to playing solo, so it will be a learning curve. I’m also toying with a stripped-back EP — something even more skeletal than this record. But for now, I’m letting this album breathe and seeing where it takes me.

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