Wexford musician Conor Miley has released his latest single, Peepshow, alongside a live studio video recorded at Monique Studios in Cork.
The track follows Raise Your Red Flag, which arrived in March and received national airplay in Ireland. Together, the two releases form part of Miley’s current live studio project, which places the spotlight on musicians performing together in real time.
Written with a full band in mind, Peepshow sees Miley move further away from the layered production style heard on much of his earlier material. Instead, the new single focuses on the energy and unpredictability of a live performance.
Lyrically, the song examines political division and tribal behaviour in modern public debate, exploring how people can become driven by group identity and shared beliefs rather than open discussion.
After spending months developing the song, Miley assembled a band and entered Monique Studios to capture the performance live. The session was engineered by Christian Best, whose previous work includes recordings with Mick Flannery.
The accompanying video was filmed during the recording session by cinematographer Michael-David McKernan, a longtime collaborator whose previous credits include Elaine Mai and Daithí. The footage focuses on the musicians’ performance, highlighting the physical and emotional connection between the band members.
Speaking about the song, Miley said: “’Peepshow’ was written over a number of weeks through constant drafting and redrafting of the lyrics. Musically, it was built around a dirgy bass figure that gradually increases in intensity before breaking down and rebuilding toward its final climax. The arrangement mirrors the emotional escalation within the lyrics, allowing tension to accumulate and release in waves.”
The release also continues Miley’s emphasis on live performance at a time when artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly present in music creation. The project aims to highlight the human elements of recording, including spontaneity, imperfections and collaboration.
Miley’s debut album, Thousand Yard Stare, was released in 2023 and earned praise from Irish and international media. The album’s title track was also playlisted on RTÉ Radio 1.
With Peepshow, Miley builds on the foundations laid by Raise Your Red Flag, continuing a series of releases centred on live recording and band performance.