Before “Dreams” signaled the emergence of one of the most arresting and angelic voices enwrapped in a swath of layered dreampop… Before “Linger” entranced audiences even further into their otherworldly and dreamy melodies… Before “Zombie” cemented them as one of the premier alt-rock bands globally… Before their albums were certified multiplatinum and their videos ticking up hundreds of millions of views (“Zombie” has racked up 1.7B alone), Irish alt-rock band THE CRANBERRIES released UNCERTAIN in October 1991.
Today, January 30, 2026, Island / UMe is excited to announce the reissue of this special snapshot of the band on the verge of worldwide breakthrough via this limited edition, numbered and lightly remastered reissue of Uncertain. Pressed on cranberry-colored vinyl, the 45-RPM 12” captures the youthful excitement of that special moment in time immediately before the spotlight on the band got infinitely brighter (their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? would be released two years later in 1993).
Originally released in very limited quantities (estimates project just 5,000 copies were made), the extremely rare four-song EP is a premonition of sorts, hinting at the hidden powerhouse vocals of the late Dolores O’Riordan that was perfectly complemented by drummer Fergal Lawler, bassist Mike Hogan, and guitarist Noel Hogan.
“Whoa! Listening to these songs is like taking a trip through a Time Machine,” says Fergal. “We were so young when we recorded this EP. You can really hear it in Dolores’s voice. She was just 19 years old then.”
“Listening to Uncertain all these years later, I’m surprised by how well it’s held up,” adds Noel. “You can hear small hints of how the band would eventually sound, but more than anything, it brings back great memories of four young people eager to play music. The EP shows clear signs of strong songwriting, even if it still sounds very much of its time.”
The soaring title track ebbs and flows with Dolores’ ethereal vocals acting as an anchor to keep the musical swells from cresting too soon. “‘Uncertain’ seemed to me at the time to be more of a pop song, but I must say, listening back to it now, it’s got a bit more of an alternative slant to it,” Fergal reminisces.
The melancholic “Nothing Left At All” finds the band in a contemplative mood (“It’s heartbreaking lyrically but has this driving beat behind it giving it hope”), while the propulsive and danceable “Pathetic Senses” foreshadows a post-punk edge that the band would explore with later singles “Zombie” and “Promises.” “Dolores’ high soprano backing vocal is superb,” Fergal says of the song. “Great big guitar power chords and jangly picking parts. It has a bit of an ‘80s feel to it, reminding me a bit of The Cure who we were all big fans of.”
For Fergal, however, it’s the closing track, “Them”, that resonates most. “I personally always loved this song,” he says. “It’s so powerful. It was one of the songs we played live a lot in our early days that really had a mesmerizing effect on the audience.”
UNCERTAIN is released today, January 30, 2026 via Island/UMe. The Cranberries are Fergal Lawler (drums/percussion), Noel Hogan (guitars), Mike Hogan (bass), and Dolores O’Riordan (lead vocals/backing vocals/guitars).
TRACKLISTING:
- Uncertain
- Nothing At All
- Pathetic Senses
- Them
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