The disturbance in the space-time continuum that marked the pandemic for many artists is writ large across this debut album from Conor Mallon. Faced, for the first time in years, with the opportunity to reflect, the Armagh piper has chosen to lean into that (not always comfortable) experience with a refreshing sense of adventure as well as a keen instinct for the cinematic qualities of the pipes.

The title set, Unearthed, pairs Heaton Chapel, a gorgeously loping tune associated with Kevin Crawford and Lúnasa, with Mallon’s own title tune, reminiscent of the Afro Celts in their heyday, replete with driving percussion and evocative vocal backing from Pauline Scanlon. The high-octane production, by Mallon with Seán Óg Graham, can at times sound somewhat dated, and on occasion evokes echoes of Mark Knopfler’s work on the soundtrack to Cal.

Still, there is so much meat on the bones, from Mallon’s confident handling of the air in m’Éireannach Bán, to his bold pairing of the traditional Battle of Aughrim tune with his own flinty composition Rise of Macha, that this is a collection that has longevity hard-wired into its DNA.

Mallon’s piping has an innate swing that exhorts the listener to get into the groove. The closing track, Lake Banook, is a fittingly meditative coda to what is a deeply mined debut from a piper who is at his best when pushing the boundaries of his instrument.