Kingfishr keep the run going with ‘How Lonely’

Out now on B-Unique/Atlantic, the track bridges the Halcyon era and the 2027 slate of European headline dates and Irish stadium shows the Limerick trio have already mapped out.

Kingfishr have released ‘How Lonely’, their new single, via B-Unique/Atlantic Records. The Irish folk-rock trio have been working the song into live sets in recent months, and a studio version — accompanied by a lyric video — landed around 23 September 2026.

The track sits in a steady run of new music that has continued after their 2025 debut album *Halcyon*. Earlier 2026 singles include ‘The Sun Will Never Settle’, and the band's recorded output this year also includes ‘The Blade’. No firm second-album plans have been confirmed; a possible 2027 release has been mooted. What is clear is the touring picture: a European headline tour, plus Irish stadium dates scheduled for 2027, while the band continue to work Ireland, the UK and the wider European circuit.

Limerick roots and the first records

Kingfishr formed in 2017 in Limerick while Edmond Keogh, Eoghan “McGoo” McGrath and Eoin Fitzgibbon were studying engineering at the University of Limerick. Keogh handles lead vocals and guitar; McGrath vocals and banjo; Fitzgibbon vocals and guitar. The name draws on the kingfisher, a bird native to Ireland known for bright plumage and a clean line of flight — an image the band have tied to music that mixes folk, rock and electronica with spoken-word and world-music colours. Early praise settled on powerful vocals, catchy melodies and lyrics with weight; comparisons have ranged from U2 and Ben Howard to the cinematic sweep associated with Hans Zimmer.

Their debut single, ‘Flowers Fire’, arrived in 2022 in the week before final exams. Further singles followed through 2022 and 2023 — among them ‘Eyes Don’t Lie’, ‘Heart In The Water’, ‘Anyway’, ‘Caroline’ and ‘Headlands’ — with an acoustic take on ‘Eyes Don’t Lie’ cut at Rockfield and a 2024 rework of ‘flowers-fire’. Support slots opened for George Ezra and Dermot Kennedy, and the band took an opening slot for Bruce Springsteen at Hyde Park in London. Festival bills have included Live At Leeds, Neighbourhood Weekender, Barn On The Farm and Latitude. A sold-out debut show at the Workman’s Cellar in Dublin marked an early home milestone and set the tone for the climb that followed.

Halcyon into the next chapter

*Halcyon*, the 2025 debut album, gathered that first wave of writing into a full-length statement, flanked by singles including ‘Gloria’, ‘Man On The Moon’, ‘Diamonds & Roses (Acoustic)’ and ‘The Saviour (Acoustic)’. ‘How Lonely’ does not close that chapter so much as extend it: another finished piece of writing released while the band are already on the road and larger rooms for 2027 are being booked. The shift from engineering labs and cellar gigs to headline touring and stadium dates in Ireland is the practical measure of how far the three-piece have come in under a decade.

For listeners who have followed the singles since ‘Flowers Fire’, the new track is another marker on a continuous line rather than a sudden change of direction. The folk-rock core remains, the three-part vocal identity stays central, and the live work continues to test the songs before and after they reach the catalogue. What is still open is the shape of the next long-form release. Beyond the possibility of a 2027 album, nothing further has been confirmed. In the meantime the focus stays where the band have placed it: records out now, dates still ahead, and a working schedule that keeps Ireland, Britain and Europe on the map.

‘How Lonely’ is available on the usual platforms through B-Unique/Atlantic. The European headline itinerary and the Irish stadium shows remain the next fixed points on the calendar.