The Cranberries doubt future together without Dolores O’Riordan

The Cranberries have said they plan to take a “step back” before deciding whether they have a future together following the death of singer Dolores O’Riordan.

The Irish rockers released their final album, In The End, on Friday after piecing it together using vocal demos recorded by O’Riordan before her death in January 2018.

Lead guitarist Noel Hogan, 47, told the Press Association he was unsure whether bassist Mike Hogan, drummer Fergal Lawler and himself would work together again.

He said: “It’s time to take a step back from it for a while. Then we will think about what does come next – if anything.”

The Cranberries restarted work on the album just months after O’Riordan drowned in the bathtub of her London hotel room aged 46, releasing the first single on the anniversary of her death.

Hogan said the band had kept themselves distracted since her death but now had to fully confront it.

He said: “Since it all started on that day, this has been all-consuming for us. We dealt with that, we went into the studio and there’s been that ongoing thing.

“We will see where we are at. We’re getting a little tired at this point because it’s just been ongoing.

“And it has been great – we are truly delighted people are interested and know about us. There are bands that would kill for that and it’s great to have that. But I think, a few steps back for us.”

The band previously said they did not plan to recruit another singer to replace O’Riordan. However, they did rule out a change in career.

Hogan said: “No matter what we do going forward it will be something to do with music. Whether it might be together or individually or whatever it might be.

“It’s hard to after 20 years suddenly become a banker or whatever. That’s not going to happen.

“It’s only now we are realising it, the day before the album comes out, that we’ve been going busier than we have been in many years, ironically.”

In The End is out now.