The Swell Season to release their first album in 16 years
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have been through a lot together. First, they were musical partners, releasing their first album as the duo The Swell Season in 2006.
Then, they were co-stars in Once, the Irish film about two musicians who fall in love. During the filming of that movie, Hansard and Irglová fell in love. Then, they were Oscar winners, sharing their award for best original song for “Falling Slowly.”
This all happened in the span of about two years. It was intense. Their romantic relationship ended not long after, and The Swell Season released their album Strict Joy in 2009.
It may have seemed like that was it, but the bond Hansard and Irglová have as songwriters never went away. Now, they’re back with a new album, out June 13. It’s the first in 16 years from The Swell Season, and it’s called Forward.
In this session, they talk about moving forward as artists; about their experiences together; and they’ll perform songs both new and old.
This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod. The web story was created by Miguel Perez. Our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.
Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor, capping historic rise
Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office in New York City after midnight Thursday. The city's first Muslim mayor, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has promised to focus on affordability and fairness.
Rising from the ashes, a symbol of hope at the Rose Parade
Survivors of the Eaton and Palisades Fires find healing and community working on a Rose Parade float to honor the lives and communities lost in last year's wildfires.
The history behind the NYC subway station chosen for Mamdani’s swearing-in
The city shut down the station in 1945 on New Year's Eve. Eighty years later, it's a symbolic venue choice for the incoming mayor's private swearing-in ceremony.
U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8
The U.S. military says it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days. The attacks killed eight people, while others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command did not reveal where the attacks occurred.
Capitol riot ‘does not happen’ without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee.
Trump will drop push for National Guard deployments in Chicago, LA and Portland, Ore.
Courts blocked troops from deploying in Chicago and Portland, Ore., and the Los Angeles deployment effectively ended after a judge blocked it earlier this month.
