With their first new track since 2023, The Swell Season is kicking off a new creative chapter while paying homage to their past. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová joined forces with producer Sturla Mio Thorisson at Iceland’s Masterkey Studios to craft their haunting new single, “People We Used to Be.”
“It’s a song about trying to reconcile with what feels like an end of an era and allowing one’s self to mourn the People We Used To Be while choosing to fight for the person we love and the life we built with them,” Irglová says of the song in a statement. “It is a song of defiance and determination as much as heart-aching nostalgia.”
“I will not stand by and watch this fire / Burn down everything we worked so hard to build,” they declare harmoniously in the track’s sweeping chorus. “If you keep willing those flames to go higher / You know they will.”
In the track’s music video, viewers are shown a collage of clips capturing an array of moments shared between the two, from a street busking session to intimate live performances. It’s a bittersweet and nostalgic callback to Once, the acclaimed 2007 film starring Hansard and Irglová as struggling musicians who form a special connection through song.
While fans await confirmation of more new music in the works, Hansard and Irglová will spend the coming months on the road, traveling across the U.K. and Europe before kicking off the North American leg of their tour in Vienna, Va. on July 11. A complete list of the duo’s upcoming live shows can be found below. You can find more information on the tour and ticketing options by visiting The Swell Season’s official website.
Watch the official music video for “People We Used to Be,” directed by Radim Vanous and produced by Little Greta in collaboration with The Swell Season, below:
The Swell Season’s 2025 Tour Dates:
May 13 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Koninklijk Theater Carré
May 14 – Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma
May 16 – Cologne, Germany @ Stadthalle Köln-Mülheim Jülich GmbH
May 17 – Hamburg, Germany @ CCH – Congress Center Hamburg
May 19 – Berlin, Germany @ Admiralspalast
May 20 – Vienna, Austria @ Wiener Konzerthaus
May 21 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Forum Karlín
May 23 – Kraków, Poland @ Klub Studio
May 24 – Warsaw, Poland @ Klub Stodoła
May 25 – Brno, Czech Republic @ Sono Centrum
May 28 – London, England @ Royal Festival Hall
May 29 – Gateshead, England @ The Glasshouse
May 31 – Dublin, Ireland @ National Concert Hall
June 1 – Dublin, Ireland @ National Concert Hall
July 11 – Vienna, Va. @ Wolf Trap
July 12 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Taft Theatre
July 13 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Murat Theatre
July 15 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Riverside Theater
July 16 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Orpheum Theatre
July 18 – Chicago, Ill. @ Auditorium Theatre
July 19 – Detroit, Mich. @ The Fillmore Detroit
July 21 – Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall
July 23 – Rochester, N.Y. @ Kodak Center
July 25 – Northampton, Mass. @ The Pines Theater
July 26 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Kings Theatre
July 29 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Met
July 31 – Greenville, S.C. @ Peace Center
Aug. 1 – Durham, N.C. @ Durham Performing Arts Center
Aug. 2 – Atlanta, Ga. @ The Woodruff Arts Center
Sept. 9 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Factory
Sept. 10 – Kansas City, Mo. @ The Midland Theatre
Sept. 12 – Dallas, Texas @ The Majestic Theater
Sept. 13 – Austin, Texas @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
Sept. 15 – Santa Fe, N.M. @ Lensic Performing Arts Center
Sept. 16 – Mesa, Ariz. @ Mesa Arts Center (Ikeda Theater)
Sept. 19 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Greek Theatre
Sept. 20 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Masonic
Sept. 22 – Portland, Ore. @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Sept. 23 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ The Orpheum Theatre
Sept. 24 – Seattle, Wash. @ The Paramount Theatre
