• Stream New Irish Grassroots Compilation: Live @ Fennor Lane

    Tucked away amongst castle ruins and relics of history on the outskirts of Slane town, Mark Carolan runs the intimate Fennor Lane Studios. Like the encouraging number of grassroots Irish compilations and splits that have graced our Bandcamp accounts in recent times to act as connective tissue between previously-disparate scenes, Live at Fennor Lane was made with the same philosophy of shared elevation in mind, as Mark tells us: “The idea behind this album was simply to create a record worth listening to, and the live method of recording gives a characterful and natural feel to it. I hope we can bring new music to all the followers of each band involved in this project and help everyone to expand their audience. Aaaand it was great craic making it!” Featuring several of our favourite bands in the land, each more idiosyncratic than the last, contributions range from Slouch‘s submerged psychogroove, to the…

  • Premiere: Via: Barvikha – Willie Woods

    Today, we’re delighted to be able to premiere ‘Willie Woods’, the second single from Via: Barvikha‘s new EP, Chengdu.  The song sees songwriter Chris Leckey make some concessions about himself directly to an unknown listener (‘I moved away, or so I thought’), which take on a deeper profundity within the frame of the EP, written around a period of significant life change, namely songwriter Chris Leckey’s uprooting to a new home 5329 miles away – the titular Chengdu – and then coming back five months later. Channelling a brooding intensity never articulated as dynamically with his past hardcore outfit PigsAsPeople, Leckey has found a waypoint via common denominator Brand New to the…

  • Premiere: Hand Models – TV Kids/Wednesday

    Having pulled back the cloche on their debut tune, a fine slice of fuzzy surf-pop, ‘TV Kids’ last week, young Belfast indie rock upstarts Hand Models have now unveiled both sides of their debut single, ‘TV Kids/Wednesday’. Assisted by the hushed tones of vocalist/guitarist Gareth Murray, B-side ‘Wednesday’ calls to mind the phase-heavy, rhythmically-light likes of Kurt Vile and Mac DeMarco. It’s a slight ditty that’s so chilled it’s practically horizontal, an apt flip side to its jaunty, grunge-lite A-side. Both tracks were recorded & produced by Niall Doran at Start Together Studio, Belfast. Hand Models hold their single launch at McHugh’s Basement on April 26, with support from Bdbr & LetGo Dive. TV…