• Watch: August Wells – Alice Dear Alice

    November 4, 2015 - By 

    Back in June, August Wells release what remains one of our favourite Irish tracks of the year, ‘Here In The Wild’. Summoning the pensive, reflective chamber pop of Richard Hawley and the gloriously elongated vocals of early Ian McCullough, the Ken Griffin-led outfit mustered a certain noir incantation that seemed simultaneously deeply familiar and thoroughly new-fangled. Four months on, following a string of Summer dates including an impressive Electric Picnic appearance – the band have unveiled ‘Alice Dear Alice’, a track that whilst following in the vein of ‘Here In The World’ is perhaps more akin to August single ‘Come On In Out Of That Night’…

  • Stream: Saint Sister – Castles

    November 3, 2015 - By 

    “My mother is lonely/My father speaks only to himself  My sister’s in danger/Her lover’s a stranger.” Undoubtedly the jewel in their lulling folk-pop crown, there’s a real immediacy poise to the lyrics of Irish Gemma Doherty and Morgan MacIntyre AKA Saint Sister. With their debut EP, Madrid, set for release via Trout Records on Friday, November 13, their latest single ‘Castles’ confines that intimate, instantly relatable savoir faire to four minutes of gossamer-like song, relaying succinct, unspoken truths of – perhaps unmistakably Irish – family life. Recorded in a short, purportedly “intense” session at Noise studio, Co. Kerry by Alex Ryan of Hozier, Madrid…

  • EP Stream: Conor Walsh – The Front

    November 3, 2015 - By 

    Dropping at the perfect time of year, The Front by Conor Walsh doubles up as a four-track soundtrack to those dark late afternoons and walks home guided by the glow and haze of streetlights and passing streams of strangers. Hailing from Swinford in Co. Mayo, Walsh’s piano and electro-acoustic minimalism wields understated repetition like a sword and that couldn’t be more emphatic on this beautiful new EP, out now via Ensemble Records.

  • Stream: exmagician – Kiss That Wealth Goodbye

    November 2, 2015 - By 

    Set to make their debut appearance at Lavery’s, Belfast on Friday, November 13, exmagician is Danny Todd and James Smith of Cashier No.9. Despite the name change, their brand new debut single, ‘Kiss The Wealth Goodbye’, is familiar yet suitably triumphant territory that retains their symphonic psych-pop spell of yore. Dig a little deeper and the burning urgency that drives the track (and their forthcoming self-titled EP) forth reveals an outfit in no mood to relive past glories. Go here for the Lavery’s show Facebook event page and stream ‘Kiss That Wealth Goodbye’ below.

  • Watch: Alarmist – Petrichor

    November 2, 2015 - By 

    Dropping on the same day of the release of their hugely anticipated debut album Popular Demain (full review coming tomorrow) Dublin instrumental rock wizards Alarmist have unveiled the video for triumphant, kaleidoscopic lead single ‘Petrichor’. With the album now available via Small Pond Recordings on 12″ vinyl, CD and digital download, the opening is comprised of studio footage shot and edited by Afghaniscan AKA Robert Scanlon, who along with Rian Trench of Solar Bears was one of the engineers on the album. Alarmist will launch Popular Demain in association with Ensemble Music this Friday (November 6) at Dublin’s Sugar Club,…

  • EP Stream: O Emperor – Lizard

    November 2, 2015 - By 

    Set for vinyl release via Trout Records on November 6, Lizard feels like a real arrival for Waterford quintet O Emperor . A four-track EP of harmony-driven psych-pop conjuring the likes of Gruff Rhys, Ariel Pink and Tame Impala’s more restrained efforts, it’s a suitably kaleidoscopic masterstroke revealing a band on the cusp of potentially extraordinary things. O Emperor play the following dates in November and December: November 15: Theatre Royal, Waterford November 26: Sugar Club, Dublin November 28: Roisin Dubh, Galway November 30: Shacklewell Arms, London December 3: The Pavilion, Ireland

  • Premiere: Extra Fox – Palm of Gold

    November 2, 2015 - By 

    Having played in various outfits including The Cast of Cheers and Abam over the last decade, Neil Adams has also been concocting his very own sounds as Extra Fox. Mastered by Mati Schwartz – who has recently mastered material from the likes of All Tvvins – Adams’ sublime new single, ‘Palm of Gold’, sees the Dubliner marry wonderfully propulsive rhythms with retrofuturistic electronica over five subtly euphoric – all too short – minutes. ‘Palm of Gold’ is available for download from November 12. Stream it below.

  • Watch: Morning Veils – Lady In Red

    October 30, 2015 - By 

    Lending itself very nicely to their furtive and chimeric craft, Cork outfit Morning Veils keep a pretty low-key presence online. Comprised of members including Elaine Howley of The Altered Hours and Roslyn Steer, the band’s tagline on Twitter is “forgotten folk and other stories”, a little offering of insight that firmly nods in the direction of the band’s yearning new song ‘Lady In Red’. Conjuring the likes of early Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Pod-era Breeders and the more ruminating tracks on Queens of the Stone Age’s self-titled debut, the single – recorded by Dan Walsh – will feature on the band’s forthcoming debut album, Her Kind, which be…

  • Watch: Neon Atlas – Get Up

    October 28, 2015 - By 

    Cork grunge-tinged alternative trio Neon Atlas have just released the video for their latest single, ‘Get Up’, following up on July’s ‘I Never Felt So Good‘. With frontman Kieran Ring’s Corganesque vocal qualities and a strong angst:anthem ratio, it’s plain to see in which era these folks’ hearts hark towards. Their knack for a hook has improved tenfold between their new album, Graffiti Reality, and their 2013 debut LP, Absolute Magnitude, given the strength of its two singles. The single is officially released on Friday, November 13 through iTunes, along with the rest of their album, which came out in July. Check it out below:…

  • Watch: All Tvvins – Darkest Ocean

    October 23, 2015 - By 

    Set to feature as one of the tracks on FIFA ’16 – a huge coup by anyone’s standards – ‘Darkest Ocean’ by Dublin duo All Tvvins is arguably their strongest single effort to date. Urgent and hooky in all the right places, the track’s release has been rounded off in style with yet another exquisite video courtesy of Feel Good Lost’s Brendan Canty & co. Speaking to us about the video, Canty said, “It’s was such a privilege to make a music video to one of my favourite songs of the year. ‘Darkest Ocean’ is one of the best indie songs I’ve heard in…