Having released easily one of the albums of the year in My Woman, Angel Olsen has announced she will return to Ireland for three dates in May as part of a forthcoming European tour. With tickets on sale this Thursday (November 24), Olsen will stop off at Dublin’s Vicar Street, Cork’s Opera House and Belfast’s Empire Music Hall on May 19, 20 and 21 respectively. Go here to buy tickets. Read Zara Hedderman’s review of My Woman here. Photo by Jenna Foxton
Following a hiatus of a few years, Dublin indie pop quartet Walpurgis Family are back with a new full-length album – their third record to date – in the form of Live Your Life Around It. A self-proclaimed “eclectic, energetic and upbeat roller coaster trip through various scenes, all centred around the theme of how mental health is absorbed into everyday life”, the album touches on everything from panda surgeons, War and Peace, the thin line between reality and delusion, Don Quixote, the panic caused by a breakup and more. Recorded by Mark Chester (Ginnels, Grand Pocket Orchestra, Lie Ins, No…
Fears is the solo project of Constance Keane, drummer of Dublin feminist and animal welfare noise/post-punk quartet M(h)aol, and November 25 sees the release of new single ‘Blood’, following last year’s ‘Priorities‘, through her own label, Fears Records. In stark contrast to M(h)aol’s raw power, ‘Blood’ is an exercise in intense restraint and silently brooding alternative pop. Its brooding synth is evocative of the likes of John Carpenter (minus the timestamp), accompanied by claustrophobic, dissonant beats, with Constance’s lyrics and vocal performance lending the track the kind of somnambulist atmosphere to accompany a sleepless night. Ever the elusive entity, Fears’ first show takes place in Belfast on December 2 at a…
There’s something profoundly excellent about seeing a band wear their influences on their sleeve with a level of musicianship and a forward-thinking mentality that doesn’t yield to straight-up imitation. Dublin noise-pop Galants comfortably slot into that bracket – a fact very impressively underscored on their debut self-titled EP. Set for release on November 25 via US imprint Jigsaw Records, the four-track release – which masterfully tips its hat to the holy triptych, Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine – was recorded with Stephen Dunne at Lamplight Studios and mastered by Fergal Davis. Galants launch the EP at Whelan’s in Dublin on December 3.…
With just over a week until its return to Dingle, Other Voices have announced Waxing Lyrical, a new exhibition of artwork celebrating vinyl. With the official opening of the exhibition taking place on Friday, December 2 at pm at the Other Voices Hub on 12 Main Street, the exhibition “examines the collectors and hoarders, hipsters and upcyclers, innovation and interventions. Organisers said, “In an age of downloading and streaming we look back with nostalgia to the era of records, independent record shops and all of its connotations. We [will also] look at its siblings: graphics, hip-hop culture, street-art, Vjs, Djs…
Back in April we shared ‘Insula’, a new cut from Belfast musician and producer Jason Mills AKA Deadman’s Ghost. Betraying some sonic lineage to the likes of Beak> and Tortoise, it promised the unravelling of new territory and – we hoped – some new material from the multi-instrumentalist artist. Now, seven months on, Mills has just announced details of his forthcoming third full-length release, Hypocritical Oath, which promises to be an album in which “dark tales, ambient swells, field recordings, ominous electronics and banjo twangs form part of a sonic tapestry”. Featuring additional production by David Baxter, Barry Lynn and Simon…
Something that they have good reason to pride themselves on, very few Irish acts tread a path as singular as Donegal-based experimental noise band Tuath. A highlight taken from their Existence Is Futile EP (which we reviewed here), their new single ‘Who Do You Want Me To Be’ is a shoegaze-soaked garage psych gem that – combined with Nartystation’s wonderful, albeit slightly NSFW accompanying video – sifts through the murky depths of identity in a swirl of fuzz, groove and howling sax. Truth be told: this is right up there with our favourite Irish tracks of 2016. Have an exclusive first look at…
Last month Derry songsmith Chris McConaghy AKA Our Krypton Son penned a column for TTA reflecting upon the somewhat unorthodox – yet seemingly very effective – songwriting process for his forthcoming second studio album. Bounding with the self-effacing spirit and wondrous lyricism that has defined his output to date, it well and truly piqued our interest in what lay in store for album number two. Now, a handful of weeks later, we’re very pleased to premiere the ‘Everything Reminds Me Of You’, not merely just the lead single from the release but easily one of McConaghy’s most focused and masterfully crafted…
Every once in a while something lands in our inbox that makes us punch the air in quiet “fuck yeah” abandon. In the case of Dublin’s self-proclaimed “greatest pagantronic duo in the universe” Dowth, their debut self-titled LP induced that precise reaction on our first listen this morning. Comprise of John Kelleher (Rats Blood, GRIT) and Tim Ording (Melodica Deathship), the pair fuse acoustic instrumentation from melodica and fiddle to sample-based beats and synth drones, the pair conjure heavy, atmospheric sounds that draw “inspiration from the concept of ‘the otherworld’ in Irish folk and mythology.” Ahead of its release on hand screenprinted 12″…
Dublin three-piece Swords returned recently with their sophomore LP Tidal Waves. Moving away from the dense layers of production that occupied their – still excellent – debut Lions and Gold, the band have have strived to create a more organic, live sound on this record. Nowhere is this more present than on new single ‘Sixty Thousand Years’, a fragile ballad sparingly built on piano, drums, bass and vocals with little or no added embellishments. The forthright structure of the song allows Diane Anglim’s vocals to shine more prominently with an aching honesty not dissimilar to Sharon Van Etten or Broken Twin. The song is accompanied by an equally…