TLMT looks back at the last four weeks to pick out some of the stand-out tracks coming out of Ireland featuring Maija Sofia, Biig Piig, the Clockworks, Elkin, Sinead O’Brien, Jape, Soda Blonde, Aoife Nessa Francis & more.
Maija Sofia – The Glitter
A deftly woven atmosphere wraps itself around the music of Maija Sofia with the sound of ‘The Glitter’ taking shape through obscured violin melodies, jangled but subdued guitars and an poignant vocals.
Dowry – Numb
Set to a stark indie-folk sound, the ominous swaying sound of ‘Numb’ finds Dowry creating a world of tense strings, reverberant vocals and heavy piano chords that entangle themselves around her enigmatic lyrics.
Autre Monde – On The Record
Set to a crunching indie-pop sound, Aurtre Monde’s sharp suited new single ‘On The Record’ moves to a pulse through hooks, infectious choruses and sax solos, as the production swings for the fences.
David Keenan – Altar Wine
A dense, entangled sound emanates from the ‘Alter Wine’ as David Keenan weaves a striking vocal that mirrors the weighty themes with the right emotive dynamic as the song builds and builds in intensity.
Biig Piig – Roses and Gold
Set to a smooth, lo-fi R&B sound, ‘Roses and Gold’ is a melting pot of pin point beats as Biig Piig delivers an instantly captivating but laid back vocal that draws you in.
Reevah – Older Now
A swaying alt-country production lies at the heart of Reevah’s ‘Older Now’ as the songwriting and the music support one another with strong flourishes of melodic subtlety.
The Clockworks – Bills and Pills
An intricate and driving slice of indie-rock, ‘Bills and Pills’ portrays an urgency to the music of the Clockworks born under frustration and fury.
Sorcha Richardson – Honey
Further building the anticipation for her forthcoming debut album First Prize Bravery (due out on November 8th), Sorcha Richardson’s ‘Honey’ is a deftly crafted vignette that brings Richardson’s heart-wrenching lyricism and vocal performance to the fore as the production moves to the background with slight hints of reverberant distant textures.
Zaska featuring Tolü Makay – Rear View
A track that takes immediate effect, ‘Rear View’ finds Zaska and Tolü Makay collaborating on a musically and sonically vibrant song that moves and changes with an infectious urgency.
Aislinn Logan – Joyride
Set to a buzzing synth-pop backdrop and scattered beat, Aislinn Logan’s ‘Joyride’ delivers an array of sound as one cohesive whole as Logan’s latest offering offers a compelling sonic canvas.
Elkae – Conflictus
A track that swings for the fences, ‘Conflictus’ is an ambitious new track from Elkae that has a clear depth of field and a strong production that twists around a hefty beat that allows the vocal to build to a crescendo.
Tandem Felix – Oil Money
Taken from Tandem Felix’s stellar debut outing Rom-Com (read TLMT’s review – here), ‘Oil Money’ showcases the record’s fuzzing, dynamically contorting side within a haze of buzzing guitar lines and rattling beats.
Dermot Kennedy – An Evening I Will Not Forget
Opening his debut album Without Fear (read TLMT’s review – here), ‘An Evening I Will Not Forget’ finds Dermot Kennedy wearing his heart on his sleeve from the outset with a track that is as evocative and raw sonically as it lyrically.
Kitt Philippa – Lion
Found within the raw, bare-boned new album Human (read TLMT’s review – here), ‘Lion’ is a reverb soaked, stark offering from Kitt Philippa that highlights the captivating openness that runs right through Human itself.
The Wha – 40 Odd Years
A full-on indie gem in the making, the continued evolution of the Wha finds the band releasing the jangled bang and clatter of ’40 Odd Years’, a track brimming to the top with interlocking sharp-edged guitars and laissez-faire vocals that drift from verse to chorus with ease.
Elkin – DIY
‘DIY’ is a neon soaked offering from Elkin that pulses with a tense beat that evolves into a collage of synth lines that ebb and flow dynamically behind lush interlocking vocal weaving that pull you deeper and deeper into the track brilliant and highly-stylized sound.
Mango X Mathman featuring Lisa Hannigan – Deep Blue
Marking a sure footed sonic sea change from Mango X Mathman, ‘Deep Blue’ is an expansive offering from the duo as meld their urgent fast-moving sound with the serene vocal of Lisa Hannigan is a compelling way.
Lilla Vargen – Solitary
A gently textural ballad, ‘Solitary’ rests on a beautiful undercurrent of stark soundscapes as Vargen’s softly weaving vocal takes centre stage with heart-wrenching effect.
Sive – Oh Mother
Sive returns with sharp-edged indie-folk of ‘Oh Mother’. Set to jolting beat and persistent guitar line the song is a tense track that has bite to it, conveyed in Sive’s pointed vocal.
Happyalone – L U C I F E R
A sonically contorting offering from Happyalone meld a myriad of genres into ‘L U C I F E R’ resulting in a track that has an instantly individualistic sound that pops and clicks with invention.
Lydia Ford – IDWBYGF
A multi-layered, lush sounding new offering from Lydia Ford, ‘IDWBYGF’ is a swing for the fences pop track set to a moving beat and populated by an array of hooks, shimmering synths and big sing-a-long choruses.
Sister Ghost – Fake Friends Run This Country
A short sharp shock of a track, ‘Fake Friends Run This Country’ encapsulates frustration and fury in equal measure through Sister Ghost’s thrashing, urgent punk sound.
Jape – Sentinel
Jape makes his return with the deep washing textures and indie-folk flourishes of ‘Sentinel’ a serene slice of sprawling mood-driven songwriting through a production with a strong depth of field.
Aoife Nessa Frances – Blow Up
Soaked in atmosphere, Aoife Nessa Frances’ ‘Blow Up’ has a hazy, hypnotic sound to it punctuated by beautifully set orchestration and a enchanting central vocal performance.
Soda Blonde – Terrible Hands
From its beguiling vocal to the lush sound of ‘Terrible Hands’ Soda Blonde’s latest offering covers the spectrum with a music that is dynamically, melodically and rhythmically rich.
Maria Kelly – i leave early
Maria Kelly returns with the open rawness of ‘i leave early’. Led along by Kelly’s characteristically unflinchingly honest songwriting, a soft-spoken vocal that conveys the track’s lyrical fragility and an over-arching texturally deep sound.
Sinead O’Brien – Limbo
Sinead O’Brien is a truly unique and interesting prospect with her latest offering ‘Limbo’ finding the post-punk-poet delivering a frantic performance that has edges and corners that sharply cut into and over one another.
A. Smyth – Hero
Set to against a steadily building backdrop, A. Smyth’s ‘Hero’ is a song that floats along on top of a strong beat, fuzzing guitars lines and a tranquil vocal performance.
Sorcha Richardson – First Prize Bravery
‘First Prize Bravery’ is a striking track that moves from jolting indie-pop verses to dreamy choruses with a ease. While Richardson’s vocal weaves the delicately set lyrics around a vivid production, making for yet another exciting indication of just how the song’s parent album will sound.
Lankum – The Wild Rover
‘The Wild Rover’ opens The Livelong Day with a tense and uncompromising ten minute epic that patiently brings the listener into the beguiling and deep seated soundscapes that occupy Lankum’s latest offering.
Participant – Death Of A Loved One
‘Death Of Love One’ is where Participant’s brand new E.P. Modern Retelling hits its high water mark in a song that has turbulent fragility to the musical ebb and flow as well as a heart-wrenching vocal.
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