The Cranberries are bidding a powerful farewell to their fans with one final album in honour of late singer Dolores O’Riordan.
Formed in Limerick in 1989, the Irish indie rock band sold 40 million albums worldwide in their 30 years making music, with O’Riordan’s vocals at the forefront of the group’s sound.
She died suddenly in January 2018, and her grieving band mates are releasing one final album in her honour before bringing an end to the Cranberries.
Titled In The End, the album has been described as a "bittersweet" labour of love by band members, as they shared the first single from the record.
The Cranberries began working on the album in 2017, and have released the first single on the anniversary of O’Riordan’s death.
The singer’s mother Eileen said: “I miss her awfully, especially today, as does the entire family.
“That said, I can’t think of a more fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary of her passing and to celebrate her life than to announce to the world the release of her final album with the band.
“She was very excited about this new album and was really looking forward to its release.”
O’Riordan died by accidental drowning in a London hotel, prompting shocked tributes, including from President Michael D Higgins. Band mates now hope to pay a further musical tribute to their lost member.
Speaking on the release of first track All Over Now, guitarist Noel Hogan said: “We had such a strong album we knew it would be the right thing and the best way that we could honour Dolores.”
On recording the 11-track album, he added: “It was a bittersweet time. At the end of every day when we’d laid down our parts there was a sense of sadness, knowing that Dolores wouldn’t be in that evening to work on that day’s track.”
The Cranberries had success with tracks including Linger, Dreams and Zombie.
Their final album will be their eighth, and is due for release on April 26th. – PA
