TLMT looks back at the last four weeks to pick out some of the stand-out tracks coming out of Ireland, featuring Fontaines D.C, Nnic, Molly Sterling, Havvk, ROE, Otherkin & more.
ROE – Down Days
ROE returns with the gentle alt-pop of ‘Down Days’. A song set against a wide-open, dynamically moving and sonically spacious backdrop, this latest offering from ROE makes an impact with the songwriter’s trademark emotional connection.
All Tvvins – Build A Bridge
A sonically warping new track from All Tvvins, the large-scale, all-in sound of ‘Build A Bridge’ finds the electro-pop duo expanding on their music further with slightly darker tones added to the mix.
Fat Pablo – Shambala
The debut offering from Fat Pablo, ‘Shambala’ is a song soaked in scratching textures, reverb-drenched atmospherics and mood-driven vocals that soar above a moving palette of music.
Sister Ghost – Backwards
Ragged, by-the-throat garage-rock from Sister Ghost. ‘Backwards’ growls, drives and pushes its way from start to finish whilst showcasing the growing sound of Sister Ghost.
Tanjier – Crave
‘Crave’ is a giant leap from Tanjier. A highly-stylised new single from the trio, ‘Crave’ is brimming with life as every instance of the track is filled with electronic hooks, pops and clicks.
Inni-K – Just After
A song with a strong sense of place, Inni-K’s ‘Just After’ is a strikingly raw song written with a deftly portrayed craft that grabs you from the beginning as Inni-K’s expressionistic folk tells its story.
Soulé ft. C Cane – Love Tonight
Soulé hits the mark yet again, with a song that instantly infectious to listen to. Covering a wide spectrum of vivid beats, the track is unashamedly brilliant pop that is pinpoint in how its hooks pull you into its vibrant choruses.
Fontaines D.C. – Big
Early contender for song of the year, ‘Big’ (and its engrossing music video – directed by Molly Keane) is everything Fontaines D.C. has promised up to this point and more. Hype is no longer relevant, this single makes it a reality.
Melts – Echoes
The sophomore single from Melts, ‘Echoes’ finds the group expanding the post-punk cut with psych core of their music with a track filled with movement.
Havvk – Birds On A Wire
Propelled with an ominous rhythm, hard-edged guitars and a powerhouse vocal, Havvk continues their recent run of stand out singles with the brooding ‘Birds On A Wire’.
Kean Kavanagh – Miracle
The Mixed-Tape: Taken inspiration from ‘Toca’s Miracle’, the latest solo offering from Kean Kavanagh is a warping, lo-fi collage of sounds as the augment array beats that provide the track’s backdrop meld and infuse into one.
Erica Cody – Over & Over
Big, ambitious R&B from Erica Cody, ‘Over & Over’ marks a step-up in sound from Cody with a production that more than matches the ambition.
Otherkin – Tombstone
Otherkin turn their own sound on its head with the fuzz-driven ‘Tombstone’, a song that has considerably more bite than previous outings.
Nerves – Faces
A collision of post-punk, noise and indie-pop, Nerves latest offering, ‘Faces’, moves from raucous verse to bone-rattling choruses in the blink of an eye, all the while showcasing the trio’s keen eye for melody in loudness.
Soak – Valentine Shmalentine
The Mixed-Tape: A sparse ballad, ‘Valentine Shmalentine’ is a heartfelt lo-fi offering from Soak that portrays the artist’s ability to convey raw emotion through subtly, expressionism and space.
Host – Taste Of Your Love
A vivid soundscape with great washes of synth pops and clicks, the propellant backbone of Host’s ‘Taste Of Your Love’ is a vibrant listen from beginning to end.
The Late David Turpin featuring Elephant – Concubine
Premiere: Awash with texture, atmosphere and brooding undertones, the expansive electronic sound of ‘Concubine’ is a large-scale, ambitious track from the Late David Turpin that creates a world of sound around Elephant’s upfront, scene-stealing vocal.
Fehdah – Saharakungoh
A giant leap in sound from Fehdah, the warping sound and beats of ‘Saharakungoh’ make for a hypnotic listen as we are drawn further and further into the multi-layered vocal weaving of Fehdah.
Hvmmingbyrd – Legacy
Hvmmingbyrd return with ‘Legacy’, a new single that marks a line in the sand for the duo through a sound that is highly-stylised, pulsing with vivid beats and brimming to the top with captivating vocals.
Toshín – Love & Defeat
A melting pot of retro-pop, neo-soul and R&B, the jangled ballad ‘Love & Defeat’ is vibrant new single Toshín filled with lush harmonies, weaving brass sections and a powerhouse vocal.
Lōwli – Colourless
Ethereal-folk songwriter Lōwli’s debut E.P. is a treasure trove of large open soundscapes, reverb-soaked harmony, and darkly lit atmospheres, this is nowhere better seen than in the closing track ‘Colourless’.
Ruth Mac – Speed
Premiere: A song that sits perfectly on a bed of jangled guitars, gently set vocals and a hazy dream-pop-esque production, Ruth Mac’s ‘Speed’ works to introduce the songwriter as a force to be reckoned with.
Talos – Boy I Was Wrong
Album Review: ‘Boy Was I Wrong’ wastes little time in delving the listener into the atmospherically dense world of Far Out Dust. The piano line is drenched in reverb as textures gently ebb and flow beneath, setting the perfect backdrop for the dynamically soaring vocal. For the start, Talos brings us somewhere want to go and, more importantly, want to explore further.
Jack O’Rourke – Ivory Towers
Jack O’Rourke returns with something of a sonic sea change in the shape of the indie-pop feel of ‘Ivory Towers’, filled with lush guitar hooks, driving beats and O’Rourke unique vocal crooning, the track is a step in an exciting new direction for Jack O’Rourke.
Sorcha Richardson – Latch
The underlined sense of space found within Sorcha Richardson’s new single ‘Latch’, a Disclosure cover recorded with Participant, is a breath of fresh air. The sparse production of the track coupled with the subtle use of textures within it makes for an instantly engrossing offering.
Peachface – Killing Kind Of Love
The sophomore single from Peachface, ‘Killing Kind of Love’ is a multi-layered synth-pop banger with lush production and hooks for start to finish.
Rebekah Fitch – Poison
An ambitious track, Rebekah Fitch’s ‘Poison’ works from a collage of musical flourishes that blend into the backdrop of Fitch’s alt-pop sound, making for an interesting twist.
Beauty Sleep – The Dark
Taken from the Beauty Sleep’s upcoming debut album Be Kind, ‘The Dark’ is a dreamlike pop song filled with vibrant sounds, washing textures and vivid harmonies.
Nnic – Grow
A captivating soundscape rests behinds the pops and clicks of ‘Grow’, delivered upon a laid back beat Nnic’s vocal weaves and twists around the song, resulting in a fully immersive listen.
Eve Belle ft. Isaiah Dreads – Cut Throat
Highly-stylised pop from Eve Belle, ‘Cut Throat’ melds alt-pop, R&B and hip-hop into a slick production that once again highlights Belle’s rising promise.
The Wha – Innocents
Up-front garage-punk, the jangle, bang and clatter of the Wha’s debut single ‘Innocents’ is attitude driven track that rumbles along with shades of indie-pop, new wave and punk.
Sick Love – Soccer Mom
Hard-hitting, pulsating rock ‘n’ roll from Sick Love, the all-encompassing growl of ‘Soccer Mom’ makes an immediate impact as the group’s tour de force sound moves to the fore.
Molly Sterling – Feeble
The Mixed-Tape: ‘Feeble’ is heart-wrenching introspection. The thematic rawness of Molly Sterling’s single is mirrored in the stark opening where Sterling’s vocal is laid bare and able to weave a deep tapestry of emotion that leads right into the core of the song.
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