TLMT looks back at the last four weeks to pick out some of the stand-out tracks coming out of Ireland, featuring whenyoung, the Murder Captial, Sive, Maria Somerville, Talos & more.
Dermot Kennedy – For Island Fires And Family
Dermot Kennedy starts off 2019 with the powerful new single ‘For Island Fires and Family’. Backed by a suitably start indie-folk production that allows Kennedy’s voice to convey the emotion behind the track, the rising songwriter’s latest outing is a striking one.
The Murder Capital – Feeling Fades
The much-anticipated debut single from the Murder Capital arrived this week. Taking the shape of the dominant vocal driven post-punk of ‘Feeling Fades’, the track is a solid, scene-setting start from a band who could have a breakout 2019.
Soak – Knock Me Off My Feet
The sonic sea change that SOAK has undergone since her acclaimed debut outing has become clearer in the lush indie-pop banger ‘Knock Me Off My Feet’, a heart-warming powerpop ballad.
Talos – The Light Upon Us
Talos returns with the characteristically far-reaching sound of ‘The Light Upon Us’, filled with soaring vocals, widescreen harmonic backdrops and an ambitious production the song exudes atmosphere.
Sylk – All In Ur Head
Darkly edged electro-pop, Sylk’s ‘All In Ur Head’ is constructed from augmented vocals, undulating electronic pops and clicks and unrelenting beats.
Zaska (featuring Louise Gaffney) – It’s Ridiculous
Lousie Gaffney teams up with Zaska on the soulful ‘It’s Ridiculous’, juxtaposing the laid back funk that lies at the centre of the track the social frustration conveyed in the lyrics adds the sense of authenticity that flows through the music.
Peachface – You Never Saw Me Dance
The Mixed-Tape: A sublime slice of lush indie-pop, the hazy aesthetic of Peachface’s music is brought to the fore on the group’s debut single, the harmony-laden ‘You Never Saw Me Dance.
True Tides – The Answer
Big, bold, ambitious pop from True Tides. ‘The Answer’ swings for the fences on every level, with a sound brimming to the top with hooks, beats and sing-a-long choruses.
whenyoung – Never Let Go
The Mixed-Tape: A song that finds the band widening the scope of their music with large-scale choruses, hook-driven guitar passages, and a production to match, ‘Never Let Go’ is yet another clear sign of whenyoung’s momentum bringing them to prominence in 2019.
Digg Deep – Soak It Up
From the interlocking rhythms, augmented interwoven vocal lines (which features Louise MacNamara and Olwyn Mahon) and fuzz-filled synths, ‘Soak It Up’ is a joy to listen to as Digg Deep delve into their own pop influences to produce an instant gem.
Lydia Ford – Same Old Rules
There’s a big unbridled pop sound lying at the heart of Lydia Ford’s new single ‘Same Old Rules’. Set against a far-reaching production that encompasses 80’s style drums, fizzing synths, and hook-filled vocal passages, the track is Ford’s most accomplished work to date.
Crome Yellow – Wash Basket Earpiece
A slice of widescreen indie-pop, Crome Yellow create a melting pot of sound with their infectious new single ‘Wash Basket Earpiece’ that draws from the band’s influences whilst also delivering a sound that is entirely their own.
Somebody’s Child – Toes
‘Toes’ is ambitious, big-scale pop from Somebody’s Child. However, the core of the track lies in the emotive vocal performance that pushes and pulls at the music around it.
Gareth Quinn Redmond – Séimh
‘Séimh’ is an atmospheric instrumental piece from Gareth Quinn Redmond’s new E.P. Céimm eanna, reverberating with ambient piano the song is awash with texture and building harmonic backdrops.
Maria Somerville – All My People
The Mixed-Tape: “Clocking in at an epic six minutes long, the suspenseful dream-pop of Maria Somerville’s ‘All My People’ plays with brooding textures, growling atmospheres and tense soundscapes as the music builds relentlessly to a buzzing, obscured crescendo.”
Glen Hansard – I’ll Be You, Be Me
Glen Hansard returns with a twist in the tail. The dark brooding, shadow dominated, hushed vocal, soundscape of ‘I’ll Be You, Be Me’ finds Hansard exploring new ground with songwriting that is stark but no less evocative.
Sive – Holding
With its hypnotic beat, ‘Holding’ is a song built upon a relentlessly vivid backdrop of sound that is constantly twisting and turning with harmony, atmosphere and rhythm. Sive’s best work to date.
The Gloaming – Áthas
The expressionistic landscape of the Gloaming’s organic and cinematic music once again emerges with ‘Áthas’, an enchanting track that will stay with you long after listening.
Fiona Harte – Storms
Fiona Harte returns with the heartfelt ballad ‘Storms’. A gentle affair, bathed in distant texture, the song merges alt-pop with indie-folk elements to create a warm sound overall.
Jafaris – Time
The Mixed-Tape: Jafaris gives us a fresh glimpse into his hotly-tipped debut album Stride, with a vibrant sound of ‘Time’. With a bouncing beat, laid back feel and quick-snap delivery from Jafaris himself, the track is infectious.
Rosie Carney – Awake Me
‘Awake Me’ serves as Bare’s high water mark, the point at which all the albums strengths converge to deliver a powerful song of introspection and isolation. Mirrored in the clean crunched guitar, bustling textures and Carney’s heartbreaking vocal, ‘Awake Me’ is Bare encapsulated in one song.
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