There’s something about Amble’s debut album, Reverie that feels like stumbling across a quiet pub session on a rainy evening in the Irish countryside — not the kind of gig you planned for, but one you’ll talk about for years. And yet, this trio of former schoolteachers and a data scientist from rural Western Ireland are no secret anymore. With Reverie, Amble makes it crystal clear: they’re not just passing through the folk revival — they’re leading it.
Released via Warner Records, Reverie doesn’t chase trends or polish its edges for the sake of radio play. It’s organic, unfiltered, and deeply intentional — recorded live, often in a single take, with the band sitting in a circle around a microphone. This is how music used to be made, and frankly, how it should still be. Robbie Cunningham, Ross McNerney, and Oisin McCaffrey trade slick production for soul, trusting in the raw chemistry between them — a move that pays off on every one of the album’s 14 tracks.
What stands out most in Reverie is its refusal to overreach. Instead of sprawling sonic landscapes or synthetic layering, Amble invites us into their living room, their rehearsal space, their home. Tracks like “Swan Song” and “Schoolyard Days” — both pre-release singles — set the tone with delicate mandolin lines and harmonies that feel ancient and familiar. Then there’s “Mary’s Pub,” a love letter to small-town sanctuary, and “Lonely Island,” which showcases the kind of emotional restraint most bands can’t help but overplay.
And yet, the spotlight has most definitely arrived. With over 100 million streams, sold-out tours across continents, and a summer stint supporting Hozier (including two nights at Fenway Park), Amble is walking into a surreal kind of stardom. Their fans — who’ve sold out clubs and small theaters from Nashville to Vancouver — aren’t screaming for spectacle. They’re showing up for communion, for the way Amble makes them feel seen, soothed, and maybe even a little healed.
Robbie Cunningham said it best: “If you listen to Reverie, you’re truly hearing who we are.” That authenticity, that refusal to compromise, is the magic of this record. It’s a rare thing in 2025 to hear a debut so grounded, so unaffected by the noise of algorithms or marketing cycles. Reverie doesn’t beg for your attention — it earns it with every breath and string pluck.
If this is where Amble begins, then what comes next could be seismic. But even if they never made another record, Reverie would stand tall on its own — a document of three people choosing art over comfort, truth over polish, and trust in the power of a perfectly placed harmony.
