Irish singer-songwriter Peter Doran has released his most ambitious and emotionally resonant project to date, All the World is Running on a Mystic Code – a sweeping, genre-blending album that marks a bold chapter in a career spanning over two decades.
Combining elements of folk, alternative, sample, elegant atmospherics and experimental tinges, the record is a rich exploration of human vulnerability, personal transformation, and the quiet mysticism woven into everyday life. Recorded primarily at Oldtown Recording Studio in County Westmeath, with additional sessions in Kildare and Vienna, the album is largely self-produced by Doran, save for the track ‘Clockwork’, co-produced with long-time collaborator Nicky Brennan. The final mastering by Kim Rosen (Bonnie Raitt, Aimee Mann) adds sonic depth and polish to what is already a sonically layered and emotionally charged body of work.
From the evocative ‘Mystic Code’, which blends psychedelic, Radiohead undertones with an essence of Neil Young to the swelling organs and dark, poetic imagery of the album’s lead single, ‘Never Say Goodbye’ which captures essence of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, the album covers a lot of ground.
One of the album’s most striking tracks, ‘Clockwork’, draws from a deeply personal moment: Doran’s anxious walk through the streets of Mullingar while awaiting news of his wife Therese’s prenatal scan during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The song paints a vivid picture of that emotional limbo, with the poignant chorus line “you’re nervous at the other side of town, but our fortunes are changing”, capturing the suspended hope and the fragile beauty of that time.
Doran’s evolution as an artist is on full display here. A lifelong lover of music, raised on the likes of Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Queen, his musical vocabulary has matured into something wholly his own. Influences from legendary local figures like Jimmy Broder, who co-wrote several tracks, can be felt in the album’s more narrative-driven and experimental moments, such as the theatrical ‘Steamboat Captain’ and the somber, historically inspired ‘Marguerite’.
To further immerse listeners in the album’s world, Doran has collaborated with filmmaker Conor English on a 16-minute film. Shot across the breathtaking landscapes of Westmeath, the film features performances of songs like ‘Mystic Code’, ‘Out in the Wild’, and ‘The Lover’s Wheel’. It provides a visual extension of the album’s themes, reinforcing its meditative tone and spiritual grounding.
Listen to the new album below:
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