Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

ARREN – It Takes One To Know (2024)

Irish charm. I don’t think the Irish can help it, for some reason, the Irish have a hypnotic hold over almost anyone they encounter – except others from the Emerald Isle. Cheeky winks, crooked smiles, shining eyes and the most gorgeous accents, you can’t help but fall in love. Irish artist ARREN embodies it all, plus he has a pretty good singing voice as well.

Hailing from Limerick, but currently Dublin-based, ARREN has a talent for combining vintage sounds with modern-day execution capturing audiences across distance, space, time and genre-preference. ARREN saunters along dipping into various rock sounds ranging from Oasis’ Britpop to Radiohead’s grunge and U2’s alternative rock. Not to be entirely compared to these iconic groups, his brand of rock hints at all flavours – perhaps Oasis peeking out further than the rest. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘It Takes One To Know’.

Following his 2021 EP Ignite, ‘It Takes One To Know’ is ARREN’s first release in almost five years. During the time between, he has honed his craft, polished it off, added more songs to his catalogue, and won hearts with confident performances. Shifting from his 2021 blend of indie-rock and indie-folk, ‘It Takes One To Know’ is a harder, heavier rush of sound bursting forth with bold rock flair.

Produced by industry veteran Gary Duncan, listening to ‘It Takes One To Know’ is like being launched into a kaleidoscopic sonic hurricane. From the first moment, madness ensues tossing you from pounding drums to scorching guitars, a bold bass and shimmering keyboards twinkling in the background. Frenzied in a way, its rambunctious nature is simultaneously a suffocating crash and a breath of fresh air.  Yest, ARREN’s rich vocals insert a sense of vulnerability and confusion amidst the confident melody capturing the theme of the tune. He explains:

“I hope this song teleports listeners to that one summer trip abroad where you drank a bit too much trying to forget about that one that got away… explore the ups and downs of your early 20s that I think all of us have in common… taking listeners back to that messy but electrifying time in their life.”


In addition to the single, ARREN released a lyric video for ‘It Takes One To Know’. You can view it below or on his YouTube channel.



Find out more about ARREN on his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.


Listen to more indie-rock tunes on The Other Side Reviews Indie Rock playlist: