• Soccer Mommy – Collection

    August 23, 2017 - By 

    In her debut album to be released through Fat Possum, Sophie Allison’s Soccer Mommy brings a new lease of life to previously released tracks, along with introducing a promising new era with two new ones. In recent years, Allison has become renowned for her lo-fi bedroom recordings, earning her quite the following on Bandcamp. Previous EPs, Songs From My Bedroom and Songs for the Recently Sad were the proud product of a simple TASCAM mic and Garageband set-up, giving her music its trademark, serene vocals and intimate charm as she shared her thoughts on young love, relationships and, more recently,…

  • Sun Collective – Sun Collective

    July 18, 2017 - By 

    Over the course of its musical history, Ireland has had a symbiotic relationship with the art of folk music from stalwarts like Luke Kelly, The Clancy Brothers and Planxty to recent greats like Declan O’Rourke, Villagers, The Gloaming and Lisa Hannigan. As culture moves however, the prevalent ties to tradition that once permeated the country’s musical culture have been seen to fray ever-so-slightly. Mass-produced pop-rock dominates Irish ticket sales, festival main stages and radio airplay, shoving aside a genre so formative to parts of the Irish identity. In the midst of this it becomes crucial to find new ways of recontextualising…

  • This Other Kingdom – Rêveur

    April 24, 2017 - By 

    It’s been two years since the release of This Other Kingdom’s debut album, Telescopic. The album slotted neatly into the top 10 in both the iTunes Irish chart and earned them a reputation among the best of Ireland’s psychedelic music scene. As such, the bar was already set quite high for their 2017 follow-up, Rêveur. A sudden, invasive intro immediately sheds all and any fears of Telescopic‘s success begin merely a case of luck. ‘Common Colours//Common Sounds’ is an aggressive lament for rebellion against conformity (“This is the system to stop you from thinking”). It pulls listeners from one realm to…

  • Rusangano Family w/ Bantum @ Dolans Warehouse, Limerick

    December 29, 2016 - By 

    To label this piece as a concert or gig review would be a disservice. This was not a simple performance, but in fact a stunning political rally, challenging all conflicts and controversies that arose from the wretched 2016. It’s hypnotic to watch a crowd, lined wall to wall of Dolan’s Warehouse, chanting and raving to these ballads of change. But however mesmerising the sights of the crowd were,  taking place on stage was an even more enthralling show of shouting and a dance of rhythmic stumbling, begging you to question how their throats could withstand such passion, or their limbs…