One of Ireland’s most exciting rising voices, Odhran Murphy bares his soul on ‘Stuck in the Middle,’ a confessional and cathartic debut EP that captures the ache of the in-between – reckoning with love and heartbreak, fear and freedom, stillness and transformation. Sitting down with Atwood Magazine, the folk rock singer/songwriter takes us track-by-track through six raw, restless songs full of charm, honesty, and unflinching vulnerability.
for fans of Sam Fender, Noah Kahan, The Lumineers
Stream: “Close to You” – Odhran Murphy
“See I’m stuck in the middle, like a riddle I can’t solve…”
There’s something haunting and deeply human in Odhran Murphy’s words lyrics – a soft unraveling in real time. Across six soul-stirring songs, the Irish singer/songwriter pulls us into the emotional eye of his own inner storm: A place between heartbreak and healing, between letting go and holding on. Stuck in the Middle – both the song, and the EP that bears its name – is the sound of searching for self, yearning for clarity, and striving for peace. It’s as tender as it is turbulent, a portrait of vulnerability and resilience in equal measure.
Built from fragments of grief, longing, identity, and love, Murphy’s debut EP doesn’t try to tie things up neatly. Instead, he and his songs meet listeners where they are – in the chaos, in the ache, in the rawness of being alive in 2025. It’s a record that stings, soothes, and ultimately stays with you. It’s not music about having the answers; it’s about daring to ask the questions out loud.
Oh these walls they are closing in
The air feels paper thin
No sense of where to turn
Who have I become
Just a lonely broken fragile soul
Who’s fighting on his own
In the silence it echoes
The voice inside my head
Oh, I’m running out of time
Oh, I can’t see the light
Oh dear god
Please forgive me
For the sins I’ve caused
See I’m stuck in the middle
Like a riddle, I can’t solve
Please take control
I can’t handle this
On my own
See I’m stuck in the middle
Like a riddle I can’t solve
– “Stuck in the Middle,” Odhran Murphy
Hailing from the countryside of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, Odhran Murphy has always led with heart. The 25-year-old self-taught multi-instrumentalist grew up steeped in live music, sneaking into pubs to watch his parents and grandfather gig on weekends, learning guitar from his mum, and absorbing the lyrical storytelling that defines the Irish folk tradition.
After 2023’s “Limitless Love” went viral on TikTok, Murphy’s star rose quickly, culminating in standout performances at The Great Escape and a sold-out headline show at London’s Camden Assembly. Now signed to 10K Projects, he’s carving his own space in the folk rock universe – one rooted in honesty, grit, and soaring singalong choruses.
“This EP holds so many sides of me, from big, energetic bursts of joy to songs that are deeply personal,” Murphy shares. “Across these six tracks, I explore the many shades of love: Its dizzying highs, its tender moments, and its inevitable heartbreaks.”
That emotional range is palpable in every note and lyric – especially knowing the songs were written and recorded between London, Nashville, and the wooded landscapes of Woodstock. Working with producers like David Baron, Adam Argyle, and Evan Cline, Murphy pieced this project together like a puzzle: Raw moments crystallized into clarity.
“This record came out of a season where I was processing a lot – grief, self-worth, love, identity,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “Each song became a space for me to make sense of the chaos around and inside me. It started as therapy, honestly. Over time, it turned into a kind of personal roadmap – from pain to clarity, from being lost to starting to find myself again.”
“Originally, the vision was just to be honest; I wasn’t thinking about genres or trends – I just needed to tell the truth. As I kept writing, it naturally shaped itself into a body of work that felt cohesive and emotionally raw. The one thing that stayed constant was the commitment to not filter anything – to let the songs say what they needed to.”
For Murphy, this EP is his “best foot forward”: A defining collection that introduces him with no frills or filler. “I think this EP shows that I lead with honesty,” he explains. “I’m a songwriter first; the lyrics are where I bleed, where I dig deep. Musically, it lives somewhere between acoustic storytelling and emotional intensity, but what matters most to me is that the songs feel like me. If you’ve never heard of me before, this EP will tell you exactly who I am.”
That sincerity resonates in every track, but nowhere does it hit harder or deeper than on the EP’s namesake.
“Oh these walls, they are closing in, the air feels paper thin. No sense of where to turn; who have I become,” Murphy sings on “Stuck in the Middle,” a heartrending stomp-and-holler confessional that aches with an intimate restlessness and uncertainty.
It’s the anchor, the epiphany, the cry for help that quietly becomes a prayer. “Please take control, I can’t handle this on my own,” he pleads in the chorus – not for perfection, but for grace. “See I’m stuck in the middle like a riddle I can’t solve…” It’s vulnerable, guttural, and deeply moving: A surrender without shame. He’s not just adrift at sea; he’s lost his paddle and doesn’t know which way to go. It’s an apt metaphor for much of the EP’s subject matter, much of which involves Murphy struggling to right-size himself between two competing places, thoughts, or emotions.
“‘Stuck in the Middle’ felt like the emotional center of the whole project,” he says. “It’s the feeling that ties all the songs together: The in-between. Between love and heartbreak, between who I was and who I’m becoming, between hope and despair. It’s that place where you’re not broken, but not healed yet either; just stuck in the middle, trying to figure it all out.”
See I’ve been battling demons on my own
The loss of loved ones that have gone before me
Ignore me, while I try
I try to fix the pieces that I’ve left
Behind, the memories, no regrets
I’ll fix it, I’ll fix myself again
I try to fix the lives that I’ve left
I’ll fight the demons in my head
I’ll fix it I’ll fix myself again
The EP opens with “Close to You,” a cathartic and captivating road-worn reckoning of sacrifice and devotion. There’s a cinematic ache not just to the music – which calls to mind folk rock contemporaries like Noah Kahan and The Lumineers – but to Murphy’s themes of dusty windows, sleepy drives, and dreams too big for a small-town life. “You’d stay for me, and that’s why I’ll leave for you” is the kind of lyric that stops you in your tracks: A portrait of love that lets go, not because it wants to, but because it must.
“Close to You” has quickly become a hit amongst the EP’s six tracks, and it’s easy to see why: A song about selfless love and “holding on by letting go,” as Murphy describes it, the track’s catchy choruses and heart-on-sleeve vocals make it as instantly memorable as it is powerfully moving.
Whereas “Stuck in the Middle” is the record’s aforementioned emotional core, “Till I Found You” picks up the pieces with unabating determination and drive, no matter the cost. A journey song through heartbreak and hope, it captures the ache of someone who still believes in connection, even after all the damage. “I’ll follow your call, so scream it out until I’ve found you,” Murphy sings, chasing love like it’s the only map that matters.
Then comes “Lover,” a feverish, fiery three-minute unveiling. Written five years ago in the wake of a breakup, it’s a slow-burn meditation on fear, love, and the moment you realize it’s okay to walk away. “I long for freedom, but I’m scared to be alone,” Murphy confesses, his voice resolute, ragged, and roaring.
The tender “Kerosene” marks a turning point as Murphy reclaims his identity and burns down expectations. “It’s a firestarter anthem for anyone who’s tired of playing small,” he notes – a sentiment echoed in the song’s dramatic lyrics and production. “I moved some mountains, searched and I found him / The man I was ready to be,” he declares, chasing his future “like a match lit in gasoline.” It’s the most empowering song on the EP, and you can feel that liberation in every chord.
The EP concludes in love all over again with “Angel of Mine,” an intimate, smile-inducing exhale that Murphy likens to an emotional anchor. “Swear on my life, angel of mine, I’ll never let go,” Murphy sings, diving headfirst into love with no safety net. “If it don’t work, my god it’s gonna hurt,” he confesses, his voice both soaring and straining with emotion – and we believe him.
Each of these songs is near and dear to Murphy’s heart, not just because of them being a part of his “debut,” but also due to the ineffable vulnerability of the subject matter.
As such, he has no definitive favorites. “Each one means something different to me,” he admits. “‘Kerosene’’ was the most empowering to write. ‘Stuck in the Middle’ is the most vulnerable. But ‘Angel of Mine’ probably hits the hardest emotionally. That one always gets me excited when I play it live.”
Meanwhile, a few lyrics from the EP continue to stick with him. “In ‘Close to You,’ the line ‘You’d stay for me, and that’s why I’ll leave for you’ really sums up the idea of sacrificial love. In ‘Angel of Mine,’ the lyric ‘If it don’t work, my god it’s gonna hurt’ feels brutally honest – that tension between hope and fear. And in ‘Stuck in the Middle,’ ‘Like a riddle I can’t solve’ captures how overwhelming mental health struggles can feel.”
I felt the gut punch of lost romance
And in all honest truth I just bounced right back
But they were a rain drop you’re my hurricane
And I can’t even calculate that kinda pain
Swear on my life
Angel of mine
I’ll never let go
Feel your love
Run through my blood
and deep down in my bones
Oh if it don’t work
My god it’s gonna hurt
– “Angel of Mine,” Odhran Murphy
Murphy candidly describes the EP as raw, restless, and honest – three words that hold true for the highs, the lows, and all the messy in-betweens of these six songs.
“I hope listeners feel seen – like whatever they’re going through, they’re not alone,” he shares. “If these songs can be a mirror or a comfort to someone, then it’s all worth it.”
Stuck in the Middle is all that and more: A mirror, a comfort, a confessional. It’s a debut that doesn’t shout for attention, but rather earns it authentically. With heart in his lyrics and fire in his voice, Odhran Murphy is a name to remember and a voice to hold close.
Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Odhran Murphy’s Stuck in the Middle EP with Atwood Magazine as he takes us track-by-track through the music and lyrics of his debut EP!
“For me, writing this EP helped me reclaim parts of myself I thought I’d lost,” he smiles. “Putting it out into the world is scary, but it also feels like letting go – like saying, ‘Here I am, for better or worse.’”
And with that, he’s no longer stuck, but finally starting to move forward.
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:: stream/purchase Stuck in the Middle here ::
:: connect with Odhran Murphy here ::
Stream: ‘Stuck in the Middle’ – Odhran Murphy
:: Inside Stuck in the Middle ::
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Close to You
A song about selfless love — leaving behind what’s familiar so someone else can chase their dreams. It’s about holding on by letting go.
Stuck in the Middle
This one’s the emotional anchor of the record. It speaks to feeling overwhelmed, lost, and needing something bigger to take the weight off your shoulders.
Till I Found You
A journey song — chasing after someone who feels like home. It’s about loss, longing, and the refusal to give up on connection.
Lover
“Lover” captures the heartbreak of knowing something’s over but being afraid to let go. It’s raw, quiet pain wrapped in honesty.
Kerosene
“Kerosene” is about reclaiming identity and burning down expectations. It’s a firestarter anthem for anyone who’s tired of playing small.
Angel of Mine
This is a full-hearted dive into love, knowing the risk and choosing it anyway. It’s intense, vulnerable, and hopeful all at once.
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:: stream/purchase Stuck in the Middle here ::
:: connect with Odhran Murphy here ::
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© Aoife Moloney
© Aoife Moloney:: Stream Odhran Murphy ::
