100. Uly – I Don’t Need To Understand
A lush lo-fi offering, the dreamlike atmosphere of Uly’s ‘I don’t Need To Understand’ is a welcoming one as both the musical and vocal repose of the track make for an enchanting listen.
99. Modernlove – Hard To Tell You
Jumping out of the speaking with vivid precision the driving pop of ‘Hard To Tell You’ has an enthralling energy to it that is simply infectious to listen to.
98. Elaine Mai – Somewhere Else
Elaine Mai returns with the multi-layered slow vibrancy of ‘Somewhere Else’. Set to a slow-burn beat, Elaine Mai’s emotively driven vocal and music merge together to create an engrossing track and Mai’s best work to date.
96. Dea Matrona – Make You My Star
Straight up rock ‘n’ roll, Dea Matrona’s ‘Make You My Star’ is a joyously bone-rattling new track from a rising band with a very clear handle on the sound they want to make.
95. We Cut Coners – Muscle Memory
The Muscle Memory E.P. marks the return of We Cut Corners and features a title track with a bone-rattling urgency and lyrical immediacy that makes for cathartically driven listen.
Wrapped in a rich harmonic tapestry, the weaving genre melding sound of Loah’s ‘Birthmark’ makes for a compelling listen from start to finish.
Micheál Quinn’s ‘More’, taken from the forthcoming LP Colours, is a sprawling journey through a myriad of tidal textures that finds the music moving from moments of calm to turbulence .
A contorted soundscape lies at the heart of Senu’s ‘Jetlag 2’, through clipped vocals, a rattling beat and the constant ebb and flow of sound, Senu delivers a truly singular music.
Sonically contorted, Meljoann’s ‘Business Card’ finds the artist warping and twisting a myriad of sounds into one striking sound that takes hold from the very beginning.
A slick sound surrounds Paj’s new single ‘Superman’. Set against a vivid vibe of musicianship, the song is an inviting listen.
89. The Clockworks – Can I Speak To A Manager?
A blistering and tense new offering from the Clockworks, the rattling sound of ‘Can I Speak To A Manager?’ speaks to the growing immediacy that emanates from the band’s recent output.
88. Gadget and the Cloud – Ten Past Three
Slowly evolving throughout its four-minute runtime, ‘Ten Past Three’ serves as an ambient repose of sparse, tense textures within Gadget and the Cloud’s new E.P.Things I’ll Never Say.
A highly stylised and slick sounding new single from EFÉ, ‘Garden’ lives within a mileu of lush harmonies and blended production.
A serene journey through stylised disco beats, funk guitars, and big vocal harmonies, Elkae’s ‘Signal’ is an expansive evolution in sound from the songwriter.
85. Fiona Harte – What Is Loving Anymore
A gently set and harmony filled ambience resonates throughour Fiona Harte’s subtle new single ‘What Is Loving Anymore’ as the songwriting is surrounded by a warm inviting folk production.
84. 1000 Beasts (feat. Alex Tierney) – 5 Points
Atmospheric-pop at its most textural, 1000 Beasts and Alex Tierney team up on the sonically rich and far-reaching new single ‘5 Points’.
Elkin return with the rhythmically rich sound of ‘Win Win’, a track that finds the duo wrapping their vivid harmonies around a beat that ebbs and flows with a statement making dynamism that captures the imagination.
82. Patricia Lalor – Sleep Talk
Immersive, hazy dream-pop ‘Sleep Talk’ is a captivating offer from Patricia Lalor that creates a lush mood-driven atmosphere that lasts long after listening.
A jagged, cutting sound comes from the speakers with Bullet Girl jolting new single ‘Panic 2020’ as the band set an angular tone to their post-punk inflected music.
A jagged, cutting sound comes from the speakers with Bullet Girl jolting new single ‘Panic 2020’ as the band set an angular tone to their post-punk inflected music.
79. Pine The Pilcrow – If It’s True
Pine The Pilcrow mark their return with the texturally weighty ‘If It’s True’. Set to a deep reverberant background, the song weaves, falls and builds to an intense and captivating finale.
Taken from ROE’s brand new E.P. Things We Don’t Talk About, ‘A Quiet Place’ is a full-scale offering from ROE brimming to the top with the songwriter’s heartfelt lyrical characteristics, big-choruses and a vibrant production.
A wonderfully vivid track, the joyously beat, melodically wide-open and textural deep sound of Gemma Bradley’s ‘Obsessed’ is truly compelling and begs for repeated listens.
76. Everything Shook – Stand Ajar
Everything Shook has made their return with the propellant and darkly atmospheric sound of ‘Sound Ajar’. An intense and haunting listen, its good to have the perennial TLMT favourites back.
The centrepiece of R.S.A.G’s brand new album Chroma (read TLMT’s full review – here), the unrelenting rhythm, forward motion and dynamic peaks and troughs of ‘The Jungle’ encapsulates the myriad sound of its parent album.
The dreamlike milieu of Dark Tropics atmospherically deep ‘Badlands’ introduces to an act with a strikingly cinematic and evocative music.
Paddy Hanna makes his comeback with the sonically contorting ‘Cannibals’. Taken from his forthcoming album The Hill, this brooding, off-kilter and manic track is an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come.
72. Sinead White – The World Stops Spinning
Sinead White marks her return with the sonic sea change of ‘The World Stops Spinning’. Far removed from her early work, the track is a work of bare-boned atmospherics, a mood-driven production and haunting vocals.
As sonically rich and layered as we come to expect from Bantum, ‘Tower’ shudders with a beat that create a moving backdrop to the rhymic pops and clicks that populate the foreground of music, adding a sense of depth to the track overall.
The debut single from Saige, ‘Soothe Me’ is a deeply textural track that contains an ambitious alt-pop sound, sonically vast production and powerful central vocal, making for a compelling introduction to Saige.
With the swing for the fences alt-pop of ‘Dreaming’, St. Bishop undergoes a sonic sea change and evolves his songwriting and sound with a track that feels like it meets the ambition behind it.
The sophomore single from post-punk act Blushing Boy, ‘Lolita’ makes for a biting new release brought to the fore via a spiky yet captivating central vocal performance, brooding guitar work and a sharp-edged beat.
67. Soda Blonde – Love Me World
Soda Blonde make their return with the sonically lush slow-burn of ‘Love Me World’. Set against a glistening backdrop and beguiling vocal, the song covers a vivid spectrum of sound.
Nerves return with the crashing, angular sound of ‘Time Trial’. A unrelenting and fuzz-laden track, the trio’s latest single is filled with frustration and release.
Soaked in distant atmospheres and a sense of scale, the foreboding sound of ‘Willows’ makes for a truly compelling debut from Nicetry as the band merge impact and subtly all at once.
A delicate offering from rising songwriter Luz, the intimate mood of ‘The Author’ once again showcase the artist’s ability to twist a compelling sound around compelling songwriting.
Kojaque’s ‘Coming Up’ finds the artist delivering a snarled, grit-laden track that tackles toxic masculinity through the prism of his own experience with bullying.
62. Hilary Woods – Orange Tree
‘Orange Tree’ is the type of track that lives on the periphery moving with a sense of enchanting otherness that captivates as Hilary Woods vocal draws us into the unknown.
61. Aislinn Logan – What’s Everybody After
A vivid but gentle offering from Aislinn Logan, ‘What’s Everybody After’ has a hazy summer soaked atmosphere to its alt-pop sound.
Set to Murli’s characteristically vibrant and genre melding sound, ‘The Culture’ finds the artist once again highlighting his ability to present the world through his own prism via deftly woven lyrical passages.
59. Kyoto Love Hotel – Sunlight
A great, big, giant electronic sound comes from Kyoto Love Hotel’s ‘Sunlight’. Almost cinematic in its feel, the track is a highlight from the group’s Grow E.P.
58. Nealo – Heart Food For Hard Times
‘Heart Food For Hard Times’ finds Nealo collaborating with Adam Garrett and Uly on a track that simply flows with a serene, calming feel that speaks, both sonically and lyrically, for the need to reflect in all of us.
Farah Elle unveils her debut solo single ‘Sunblock’. A deftly crafted music weaves itself around Elle’s inviting vocal as she moves from lush harmonies to expansive songwriting.
56. Christian Cohle – Drown Me Slow
Set to a stark electronic pulse, Christina Cohle beguiling vocal takes centre stage throughout ‘Drown Me Slow’, a song that tempered by the artist’s powerful presence.
55. T.A. Narrative – Lifting You Higher
Set to a sprawling synth soundscape, the pops and clicks and electronic hooks that fill the spectrum of T.A. Narrative’s ‘Lifting You Higher’ meld with the intricate vocal interplay resulting in lush listen from start to finish.
54. Joshua Burnside – War on Everything
Set to a rumble and a rattle, Joshua Burnside’s latest offfering is a rhythmic tour de force from the songwriter in the build up to his forthcoming sophomore record Into The Depths Of Hell.
53. Æ MAK feat. Seba Safe – i dance in the kitchen
Æ MAK made her return with the rhythmically rich ‘i dance in the kitchen’. A joyously individualistic track, Æ MAK’s new single comes to life with abstract-pop sounds weaved around vivid vocal interplay.
52. Mark Logan – For Me To You
Mark Logan makes a mesmeric debut with the ancestral analysis of ‘For Me To You’, a song that rests upon a deep bed of interlocking elements.
51. Party Fears -Time In Space
Party Fears deliver a jangled, dream, haze of a track with ‘Time In S[ace’, built on sharp-edged textures resting on deep indie atmospherics.
50. Sive feat. Dowry – Storybook Moon
Sive and Dowry collaborate on the simply beautiful ‘Storybook Moon’. With its handcrafted sound, deftly woven strings, and captivating vocal, Sive’s latest offering is a long-lasting one.
49. Rosie Carney – i spoke to god
Taken from Rosie Carney’s i dreamed i was the night E.P, ‘i spoke to god’ is a simple beautiful offering from the songwriter drenched in reverberant dreamlike sound, deep intricate beat and Carney’s soaring vocal that enchants with each weave melody and word.
48. Hex Hue x Avro Party – Anyway
Build out of a backdrop of multi-layered electronic textures, a beat that ebbs and flows with 80s electro-pop inflections, and a powerful vocal performance that moves with each stylistically strong flourish, the single is a tour de force of emotive, hazy, and dreamy synth-pop brilliance.
A slick, highly-stylised neo-soul track, Melina Malone’s ‘Realize’ makes for an intricate listen as Malone’s lush vocal enchants with each deftly woven harmony and lasting melody.
Magazines deliver a kaleidoscopic, dream-pop prism with their latest single ‘Pink & Blue’. Awash with jangled melody, hazy vocals and snapped beats, the track is an instantly lasting one.
‘Tell Me’ marks Lydia Ford’s return with a vibrant alt-pop sound made all the more engrossing by Ford’s vocal that floats above an expansive backdrop of spacious synths.
A slick sound comes from the speakers on Just Wondering’s ‘Drive’, sounding fully in control of their sound the trio construct music where every element has a defined place and space.
43. James Vincent McMorrow – Gone
‘Gone’ finds James Vincent McMorrow building outwards around a vivid, intricate beat that undulates dynamically around McMorrow’s texturally contrasting verse/chorus vocals.
JyellowL delivers a quick-snap sound with his latest single ‘Tunnel Vision’. This glimpse into the artists new 2020 D|Vision album, the song has urgency and pointedness to it that’s impossible to ignore.
The title-track from Trophy Wife’s new E.P, ‘Art’ is a texturally layered offering that finds the artist creating a sonically evolving music that wraps perfectly around the intimate songwriting.
40. Erica Cody ft. Hare Squead – Calculated
‘Calculated’ marks the return of Erica Cody with a lush production that allows the artist to open her music up to a wider more depthful oveall sound that meets the ambition behind it.
Fia Moon proves exactly why she’s such a promising prospect on the Irish music scene with the expansive alt-pop sound of her new single ‘Let This Go’.
The second single take from Bitch Falcon’s forthcoming debut Staring At Clocks, ‘Test Trip’ finds the three-piece adding a brooding tonally deeper side to their music that puts the large-scale dynamism of their sound into sharp perspective.
37. Chanele McGuinness – Dreams
Chanele McGuinness makes her return with the softly set single ‘Dreams’. Cast across a glistening indie-folk backdrop, McGuinness’ voice weaves an enchanting spell throughout.
Son sets a darkly lit atmosphere within the mood-driven single ‘Almost’. Resting upon an undercurrent of haunting dynamic movements, Son’s voice takes centre stage.
Released with the news of a sophomore album Awake You Lie due for release in February 2021, Wyvern Lingo’s ‘Rapture’ has a twilight texture built from softly portrayed vocals, powerful dynamics and intricate songwriting.
34. NewDad – I Don’t Recognize You
Set against a wash of alt-rock saturated guitars, the dreamlike ‘I Don’t Recognize You’ moves through the malaise with harmincally rich dynamic builds and falls.
33. Scattered Ashes – Love Is Not An Option
A turbulent post-punk brutalism runs through Scattered Ashes debut offering ‘Love Is Not An Option’, fueled by an unrelenting wave of growled noise the track is an instantly impactful one.
A track that’s ripping apart at the seams, Sprints’ ‘Manifesto’ is racous new single that pushes forward with a fuzz-ridden core and almost feral sound.
31. Dani Larkin – Samson & Goliath
Taken from Dani Larkin’s forthcoming Notes for A Maiden Warrior album, ‘Samson & Goliath’ is a totally enchanting offering filled with vivid songwriting, jangled indie-folk and an outstanding central vocal performance.
30. Sorcha Richardson – Starlight Lounge
Sorcha Richardson makes her return with the dreamlike ‘Starlight Lounge’. Blended with a glistening production, Richardson’s ability instantly emotive music is highlighted once again in this shimmer-filled setting.
Lyra delivers a sprawling epic with her latest offering, ‘New Day’. Set against a striking depth of field the Lyra’s captivating voice dominates the foreground as the song builds in grandeur.
28. Milk – I Hate The Way You’re Looking At Me (Lately)
Milk makes their return with melodically and texturally rich ‘I Hate The Way You’re Looking At Me (Lately)’, a track that finds the band surrounding their music in a lush production.
Super smooth from the first bars, Shiv’s ‘Letting You Know’ rests in subtle music that rightfully plays to the instantly captivating power of Shiv’s voice.
A softly set bedroom-pop offering from Grwl, the smokey sound of ‘Overstayed’ weaves an enchanting spell and introduces Grwl as an artists with a deft sense of self.
The hazey atmosperic alt-pop of Laoise’s ‘Movie’ finds an artist on the ascendancy via a mood-driven production wrapped around vivid songwriting.
24. Celaviedmai – Known Better
There is nothing by-the-numbers about Celaviedmai or her latest offering ‘Known Better’. The type of track that dmeands to be heard, ‘Known Better’ has a definite bite to it.
23. Lilla Vargen – Love You Twice
Lilla Vargen makes her return with the beautifully set ‘Love You Twice’. Cast against a subtle backdrop, Vargen’s voice takes centre stage and pulls focus with its delicate timbre.
Inhaler return with the jolting, sharp-edged sound of their latest single ‘Falling In’. Building on what’s come before, the group hone their sound into an ambitious, far-reaching and bone-rattling track that further establishes them as a force to be reckoned with.
21. Sick Love – I’m So (Fucked Without You)
A scratching, raw and ragged indie sound pulses throughout Sick Love’s latest offering ‘I’m So (Fucked Without You) as the band continuing evolution reaches its zenith with a production that matches the power behind the music.
Emma Langford delivers her most striking work to date with the awe-inspiring harmonies of ‘Birdsong’. Cast across a captivating backdrop of vocal layers and pulsating trad beat the song is simply beautiful to behold.
19. Indian Queens – Wanderlust
A centrepiece in Indian Queens stellar debut record God Is A Woman, the serene waves of a lush textural dream-pop that comprise ‘Wanderlust’ make for a fully immersive listen from start to finish.
18. David Keenan – Evidence Of Living
It’s the sprawling ‘Evidence Of Living’ where David Keenan’s debut offering A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery leaves its high-water mark. A tale of listlessness and defiance in the face of smalltown malaise.
Put through a prism of sharp-edged guitars, a precise pounding beat and a growling manic vocal, Thumper return with their best work to date WITH the snarled long-form post-punk malaise of ‘Topher Grace’.
16. Naoise Roo – Sick Girlfriend
Set to a driving rhythm, the ominous and tense sound of Naoise Roo’s ‘Sick Girlfriend’ creates a piece of brooding, stark music that fully captures Roo’s raw, bare-boned songwriting.
Taken from Vernon Jane’s monumental debut record The Ritual Of Love Of Making, ‘Fuck Her’ is a visceral primal scream that holds nothing back both musically and lyrically.
Toygirl’s ‘Poison’ finds the band realising the promise laid out in their previous two singles via a deep sounding production that matches the complexities of their songwriting and emotive drive of their performance. A stellar outing from the band.
13. Kynsy – Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State
A jagged, angular sophomore offering from Kynsy, ‘Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State’ has a full-scale sound with a real weight to it that rests brilliantly behind Kynsy’s scene stealing vocal.
12. Ailbhe Reddy – Late Bloomer
Taken from Ailbhe Reddy’s debut album Personal History (read TLMT’s full review – here), ‘Late Bloomer’ is a gentle introspective snapshot from an record filled with deeply relatable and emotional songwriting.
One of the most sonically inventive tracks of 2020, the soundscape collage of Ra Gerra (a new project from Murli & Kobina) takes shape within glistening sounds and quick snap interplay of the vocals.
10. Saint Sister feat. Lisa Hannigan – The Place That I Work
A compelling melding of genres, styles and voices, Saint Sister and Lisa Hannigan’s ‘The Place That I Work’ is the type of song to surrender yourself to and give your full attention.
Jackie Beverly makes a beautifully set return with the deft atmosheric-folk of ‘Sea Glass’, a track that wraps Beverly’s evocative songwriting in a texturally deep production.
New Pagans make their return with the bristling, sharp-edged ‘Yellow Room’. Cast across a propellant beat, angular guitars and brooding vocal, the single is the band’s best work to date.
The title-track of April’s brand new sophomore E.P, ‘Luna‘ is a beguiling listen that finds the artist delivering her most sonically widescreen offering to date via a music that has an icy, distant feel.
6. For Those I Love – Top Scheme
There can be no denying the sharp, raw momentum of Top Scheme’, its the type of track that seems like it took every ouch of energy from For Those I Love to make it, and you can hear that in every word.
5. Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death
Fontaines D.C. reaffirmed their status as one of the essential bands on the scene with the unrelenting sound of both the single and album ‘A Hero’s Death’. Set against a solid backbone and an uncompromising vocal, this title track is the centrepiece of the band’s sophomore record..
Taken from Pillow Queen’s brilliant debut album In Waiting (TLMT’s 2020 Album of the Year), ‘Holy Show’ is a heart-wrenching offering, driven by the dynamic back and forth from the emotionally hard-hitting vocals and music.
3. Sinead O’Brien – Strangers In Danger
From its atmospheric sonic setting punctuated by spiky sparks of dynamism to the building tension and entangling nature of the lyrics, Sinead O’Brien’s ‘Strangers In Danger’ finds the poet twisting and contorting her music with a performance and production that once again highlights her as one of the most exciting and individualistic new artists out there.
Few sounds will have the same vibrancy as Denise Chaila’s ‘Chaila’. Brought to the fore by a vivid and enthralling vocal performance, lyrical sharpness and a radiant beat, ‘Chaila’ is one of the most joyfully unique tracks of 2020.
TLMT’s Song Of The Year 2020 is…
1. Gemma Dunleavy – Up De Flats
The title track from Gemma Dunleavy’s debut E.P, ‘Up De Flats’ is a moving melting pot of abstracted R&B set to a widescreen production and Dunleavy’s silk textured vocal. Added to this is artist’s ability to evoke and intertwine the sound and personal experiences from her growing up in Dublin city via lines like The soundtrack of the summer getting played by the sirens, we found lust in the middle of the violence. Everything I am, I owe it to you.”