Padraig Cooney & Bedtime Now

After seven years in experimental rock band Autre Monde, “legendary Dublin songwriter” (The Bad Arts) and Popical Island co-founder Pádraig Cooney has returned to his classic songwriting roots with the new project Bedtime Now, in the shape of the richly acclaimed album ‘Wet Work’.

The LP was released on 8th April and has been lauded as “such a confident work, the storytelling and songwriting have humour, empathy and compassion” on RTE Arena in a 4.5 stars review. “The songs here are so good… unconventional but adroit... sublime”, ran the 4-star review in The Irish Times. To celebrate the release, Cooney, Bedtime Now and collaborators David Tapley (Tandem Felix, pedal steel) and Daniel Fitzpatrick (Badhands, piano) thrilled a sold-out Curveball in Dublin on 11th April.

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Formed in late 2024, the quartet features Irish indie veterans Ross Hamer (bass), Danny Carroll (guitar) and Dónal Walsh (drums). Following a string of singles last year, featured on RTÉ Radio 1, Radio Nova and Red FM, they accompanied US songwriter B.C. Camplight and band on the Irish leg of their winter tour.

The 12-track LP was recorded in Sonic Studios with esteemed producers Daniel Fox (Gilla Band) and David Tapley (Tandem Felix). After nearly 20 years releasing music, Pádraig Cooney’s latest offering showcases the best of his songwriting. Sharp and idiosyncratic, with a confident command of his craft, ‘Wet Work’ sees Cooney play with characters and genre with ease. The first song from the record, ‘The Hardest Thing’, was released in July 2025 - a country song awash with pedal steel, piano, and twangy guitar, weighted by an ambivalent lyric. It was followed by the spikier John Cale-inspired ‘Emperor Of Japan’ where an imposter posing as the eponymous figurehead tries to coax a victim onto his boat in the Dublin docks. The string-laden ballad ‘Songs of My Low Spirits’ was released in late ‘25.

To precede the album, a fourth and final single came out on Friday, 20th March. ‘I’ll Never Disappoint You Again’ is a galloping two-minute rush that makes the most of Cooney’s busy backing band. Aided by Dan Fitzpatrick (Badhands) on piano, it’s an effervescent offering.

Speaking of the album, Cooney says “This record feels like the end of the road, but I’ve felt that way before. I put absolutely everything into making this a really complete expression of my craft. I emptied the tank, to coin a phrase, and I’m not sure I have much more, musically.

My method was to write songs to completion on acoustic guitar, lyrically and structurally, before involving anyone else. Previously I had been as concerned with the layers, the textures, establishing a rhythmic pattern, etc. This was like approaching songwriting from the other end, which is, in fairness, the traditional end.

Being happy with the material, I made sure to recruit the best band I could put together and I succeeded, happily. The album became a band’s album, a real organic thing worked up in the rehearsal room. Then, the satisfying addition of some top-drawer musical talent from among people I was friendly with through years of Dublin music scene activity elevated things again. We got from zero to the end in a great rush of creative effort.”