Irish-born folk-style singer and guitarist Conor J. O’ Brien wrote the first song for his band, Villagers, with a hangover, which pretty much makes it one of the greatest and most honest things ever to come out of having one.

‘Becoming A Jackal’ is the first single to be released from their Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album of the same name and is three minutes of pure heartache and bliss put together. The song describes the situation of someone young and coy, trapped by familiar and insipid settings (“your homely sense of disarray/never once the same/always rearranged/but things would never change“) stepping away from familiarity and transforming into ‘the jackal’. He is essentially unafraid to be bold and step out of his comfort zone: “I danced with the jackals and learned a new way to move“.

‘Becoming A Jackal’ is one of those songs that you turn to when you need a bit of an escape from the hustle and bustle of life. For summer tour dates visit wearevillagers.com.