Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová's creative partnership led them to stunning success: Their acting debut in the 2007 film Once won them a best original song Oscar (for "Falling Slowly"), made left-field hits of the film and its soundtrack, and made the pair a touring sensation. Hansard and Irglová released a 2009 follow-up album called Strict Joy under the name The Swell Season — and performed a record-setting Tiny Desk concert together — but eventually split up and embarked on solo careers.
Now, with a 15th-anniversary reunion tour scheduled for later this summer, The Swell Season has just released its first song in more than a decade: an Irglová composition called "The Answer Is Yes." A natural companion piece to "Falling Slowly" — this time with Irglová singing lead and Hansard joining as the song's second voice — it's a sweepingly sentimental celebration of lives lived in gratitude, without regret.
For those who've lost track of the singers in the 15-plus years since Once — and there are loads of dynamite songs on their respective solo albums — "The Answer Is Yes" fills in a fair bit of context, celebrating the pair's recent triumphs (including a wedding for Hansard) and the endurance of their hard-earned friendship. Here's hoping the song isn't just a lovely coda, but merely the latest chapter among many.
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