If For Those I Love’s 2021 self-titled debut was a gut punch, Carving The Stone is a full-body jolt. Out now via September Recordings, Dublin artist David Balfe’s second album isn’t just music — it’s a manifesto wrapped in soaring strings, clubland synth swells, and drums that hit like protest chants.
Critical Acclaim Before It Even Landed
Balfe’s follow-up has already drawn heavyweight praise across the board. NME called it “an astonishing album”, The Guardian labelled it “rich in meaning”, and The Independent hailed it as “a breath-taking return”. CLASH predicts it “will stand the test of time”, while The FADER spotlighted its razor-sharp focus on Dublin’s housing crisis and working-class struggles.
A Step Beyond Personal Grief
Where his debut dealt head-on with the death of his best friend, Carving The Stone widens the lens. Balfe still speaks to the grit, resilience, and tenderness of working-class life — but now he’s also raging against the systems grinding his city down. The rent crisis, low wages, endless side hustles, and a feeling of cultural suffocation all bubble under these tracks.
He calls it “partly my emotional response to what feels like a ‘cultural death,’ a strangling of a city and a generation.”Yet there’s balance here — flashes of joy, teenage memories, and a belief that art’s truest meaning lies somewhere between hope and despair.
Sound, Style, and Standout Tracks
Balfe’s voice — whether declaring, pleading, or spitting like a street poet, has never sounded more commanding. Layered over cinematic arrangements, he mixes Marxist commentary with intimate confession. Highlights include:
- “Mirror” – A cathartic rush of emotion over pulsating beats.
- “No Scheme” – Sharp social critique with an unshakeable hook.
- “Of The Sorrows” – Bleakly beautiful and lyrically piercing.
Live Shows and UK/Ireland Tour
To mark the release, For Those I Love will tour Ireland for the first time and play their biggest UK shows to date. London and Dublin are already close to selling out.
Tour Dates 2025:
- 23 Sep – The Fleece, Bristol
- 25 Sep – Islington Assembly Hall, London
- 28 Sep – Gorilla, Manchester
- 29 Sep – Room 2, Glasgow
- 1 Oct – Limelight 2, Belfast
- 2 Oct – Cyprus Ave, Cork
- 3 Oct – Mike The Pies, Listowel
- 5 Oct – Black Box, Galway
- 6 Oct – 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin
Carving The Stone is out now on CD, standard black vinyl, indie-exclusive coloured vinyl, an Irish-exclusive edition, and a Dinked edition (almost sold out).
Why This Record Matters
This isn’t just an album, it’s a document of a city at breaking point, and of an artist who refuses to stand by quietly. Balfe has crafted something both deeply personal and politically urgent. And whether you come for the raw honesty or the sweeping, beat-driven soundscapes, Carving The Stone will leave a mark.
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