Ways of Seeing Tap Into Memory & Melancholy With New Single ‘USA 94’

Cork shoegaze quartet Ways of Seeing return with ‘USA 94’. Known for their atmospheric soundscapes and emotionally introspective songwriting, the band offers a compelling new chapter in the lead-up to their second album, The Inheritance of Fear, set for release on September 26.

Produced by Christian Best (Susan O’Neill, Mick Flannery, O Emperor), with additional production and mixing from Daniel Fox of Gilla Band (Sprints, Lambrini Girls, Silverbacks), the track blends chiming guitars, washed-out synths, and a subdued, haunting vocal performance. Lyrically, it explores the bittersweet landscape of 1990s Ireland, placing the legendary 1994 FIFA World Cup campaign as a backdrop to a more complex emotional story.

Set against the elation of Ray Houghton’s winning goal against Italy and the nationwide surge of pride that followed, ‘USA 94’ is less about football and more about what lies beneath the surface of public euphoria. The lyrics speak to the isolation of terrace dreams, the emotional weight of Sunday rituals, and the quiet, internal struggles often masked by collective joy.

Speaking on the track the band explains: “On one level, it’s a song about 90’s Ireland, football and the hysteria surrounding World Cups on the cusp of the Celtic Tiger. Although I only have vague recollections of this time, the USA 94 World Cup was when I fell in love with football and relatives have often filled me in on their fond memories from that period. In reality, it is about men’s mental health. The character in the story is lost in the throes of addiction and mental health difficulties. It looks at how emotional regression can leave a lasting trauma while vulnerability, conversely, has the power to save us. It's a song of nostalgia, myth and the things that people bury to survive.”

Lyricist James O’Donnell adds further weight to this theme: “USA 94 is about the gap between what we cheer for and what we carry. That summer was magic, but it didn’t save everyone.”

Drawing inspiration from artists like Slowdive, Interpol, and The National, Ways of Seeing have steadily carved out a space in Ireland’s alternative scene, combining textured instrumentation with themes of memory, identity, and vulnerability. ‘USA 94’ feels like the band at their most distilled — a single that plays like a half-remembered highlight reel, where personal trauma and national myth collide.

Since their debut, the band has earned airplay on RTÉ 2fm’s The Alternative with Dan Hegarty, Newstalk’s The Tom Dunne Show, and Raidió na Gaeltachta’s An Taobh Tuathail with Cian Ó Cíobháin.

On stage, the band has shared bills with Cork legends Frank and Walters and performed headline shows at venues including Mike the Pies in Kerry and Whelan’s in Dublin. Prior to forming Ways of Seeing, members were part of indie outfit Hush War Cry, which also included Eoin French, now known for his work as Talos.

With The Inheritance of Fear on the horizon, ‘USA 94’ marks an evolution in sound and storytelling for the band — a meditation on nostalgia, resilience, and the private burdens that history and sport can’t always outrun.