INTRODUCING: OF IYRN

London-based, Black Country-born outfit Of Iyrn step forward with Turn It Red, a hypnotic and emotionally rich introduction to their debut EP Bury Me. Blending indie with Tropicália influences, and weaving between English and Portuguese, the band craft a sound that feels both rooted and borderless—intimate yet expansive.

Recorded at the iconic Total Refreshment Centre and shaped by a tight-knit circle of collaborators from London’s DIY scene, Bury Me is a striking exploration of identity, memory and belonging. With Turn It Red, the band lean into a more vivid, immediate style of songwriting—capturing the lingering afterimage of love through looping rhythms and dreamlike textures.

Turn It Red” feels very vivid and grounded in a specific moment—what inspired you to take a more direct, visual approach to songwriting compared to your earlier work?

Turn It Red was a real labour of love, it took nearly two years to finish writing. That might seem strange listening to it, as the structure isn’t very complicated, but we struggled for a while trying to make it work. It’s probably because there’s this looping baseline that we knew was special, but fleshing that out into a full song was tricky without making the song sound repetitive.

When we finally landed on the right structure musically, the lyrics came after. We’d figured out the puzzle and it came naturally to write in a more direct, naked way. The repetitive elements of the song conjure a bit of a hazy, dreamlike feel, so the idea of capturing something like a lucid dream or a sharply detailed memory felt fitting. It wasn’t a conscious move away from anything - actually this was the first track that we wrote as Of Iyrn. It used to be called ‘Track 1’ when we were a nameless band, so in a way this was the birth of our new project.

Your sound blends indie with Tropicália and draws from both Brazilian and English influences—how do those cultural elements shape the identity of Bury Me?

We write songs in both Portuguese and English, which Alec’s Brazilian heritage allows us to explore. It’s not just that, though - the rest of us have a natural inclination towards Brazilian music, probably because the free-spiritedness of it aligns with the way we approach writing and collaborating together. Guitar and rhythm in Tropicalia are models for how we like to play, so we all work together to channel Alec’s heritage into a wider appreciation of Brazilian music.

The EP features this duality of language throughout. We’re excited to finally have a record that feels complete and cohesive working through two languages. It’s something we have struggled to do before now.

The EP was recorded in just three days at Total Refreshment Centre—how did that time constraint გავლ influence the creative process and the final sound?

To be honest, we were writing and demoing the music for many months beforehand. We had all been part of a different musical project before Of Iyrn and it meant that we had a lot of experimenting to do before we landed on the kinds of songs we wanted to write. Writing and demoing with Joe Futak (producer) helped us form the project that we now have a clear vision for. The songs were basically written whilst we were still figuring out who we were.

But in terms of the studio days, yeah, they were pretty long! We left at 3am on a couple of nights. Total Refreshment Centre is a hub for lots of different artists whom we admire like Alabaster Deplume, Rozi Plain, Clementine March - one of whom came and ‘blessed’ our music - so it felt like we were working on consecrated ground. It always helps to be in an environment that feels active and energetic.

Collaboration seems central to this project, with contributions from members of the London DIY scene—how did those external voices shape the arrangements and atmosphere of the EP?

We wouldn’t have achieved what we did without our collaborators, no way. Nathan (who plays with DEADLETTER), Arthur and Mat (who plays with Liana Flores) all brought their instruments to the studio one day and played on almost every track. They helped us capture a chamber ensemble, which adds such a beautiful depth to the record - again, a real achievement for us to hear our songs working together with an orchestra.

Clementine March and some of our good friends contributed backing vocals to the record too, which was especially great for our Brazilian songs with Clem’s Portuguese knowledge.

What they all contributed hasn’t just added to the record - it’s added a new layer to our live shows, as we regularly collaborate with different elements on stage. It’s never all of them, and always a different combination of players, so each show becomes a unique iteration. This is super exciting because it helps the live versions of Bury Me take on a life of their own, and again channels what we love about Tropicalia music - that sense of raw, onstage magic happening unexpectedly, and that sense of a musical collective rather than a strict formation.

Themes of “home” and identity run throughout your music, especially with ties to the Black Country and Brazilian heritage—what does “home” mean to Of Iyrn in this project?

Home for us is the Black Country, but it’s also now London. We all carry the Black Country everywhere we go - you can’t not if you’re from there - but then we’re not quite Black Country enough when we’re back home. Isn’t that true for loads of people who travel and move and grow throughout their lives? I suppose that’s what Bury Me is about: digging up our roots in search of something new, but in doing so, uncovering what has always defined us.

Sometimes there’s struggle, tension, and pain in digging up roots, but often there’s solace in replanting them - so the record moves through those moods sonically, too.

Bury Me is out 2nd June 2026 via Joy of Life International. ‘Turn It Red’ is out 17th March 2026.