• Stream: Elastic Sleep – Slip

    November 18, 2014 - By 

    Announced last week through the band’s social media and streamed exclusively last night on UK blog More Than Disco, Elastic Sleep‘s new single ‘Slip’, is a step into more steadfast, strident territory, straying from their wandering dream-pop path, with noisy yet dreamy guitars and a Kim Deal-esque bassline being completely battered around by an unreasonably large (and thoroughly satisfying) drum sound and soothed, the edges taken off by the quiet majesty of Muireann Levis‘ vocals. Following on from the haze of this year’s “Leave You” E.P., it makes for a bold next move. From the blurb: Irish quintet ELASTIC SLEEP’s ‘SLIP’ is the…

  • Watch: Jape – The Heart’s Desire

    November 17, 2014 - By 

    What a feast for the senses ‘The Hearts Desire’ by Jape is. Aside from being an incredibly enjoyable slice of fidgety, cosmically-inclined electro-pop, its video – created by Conor Finnegan  – is the most visually satisfying, boundlessly colourful thing we’ve set our eyes on in quite some time. Dig the track? It will feature on Jape’s forthcoming fifth album, The Chemical Sea, which is set for release in January. Watch the video for ‘The Heart’s Desire’ below.

  • Watch: Squarehead – 2025

    November 16, 2014 - By 

    Equal parts wistful and wonderful, Dublin indie-rock trio Squarehead have unveiled the video for their latest single ‘2025’. Created by Domhnall and Brian Gleeson, the video very nicely captures perhaps the biggest of all the big questions: “Where does the time go?” It confronts it and turns it something of rare beauty – the faint sense of melancholy pales into a return to the “good old days”, and a very fun reminder of Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s age-old adage of “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”. It also kind of reminded us of this. ‘2025’ is taken from Squarehead’s exceptional Respect, released last…

  • Stream: Mmoths – Yago

    October 23, 2014 - By 

    Having been taking some time off to focus on the writing and recording of his second studio album, Jack Colleran AKA Mmoths has dropped the rather lovely ‘Yago’. Bearing the marks of some serious transformation over the last twelve months, the track is a subtly ecstatic electronic trawl, culminating in a sigh of quietly shattering, skittering noise. Speaking ahead of the release, Colleran said, “I’ve spent the past twelve months writing this album. ‘Yago’ and ‘Santo’ were both written during that time although they aren’t a representation of the record itself = they come from the same place in a way they’re a sign…

  • Watch: 7.5 Tonnes of Beard – The Fear

    October 19, 2014 - By 

    Comprised of expertly gruesome artwork by Rich Stuart and live footage of the band performing, Belfast-based sludge metal five-piece 7.5 Tonnes of Beard have unveiled the aptly-accompanying video for their pulverizing new single, ‘The Fear’. Released ahead of a run of Irish dates with Hornets, the band – comprised of Johnny Adger and Rory Friers of And So I Watch You From Afar, Blane Doherty of Gacys Threads, Andrew Coles and Micky Higgins – comprehensively pummel over the track’s six-and-a-bit minutes, conjuring everyone from Eyehategod, Burning Witch, Down and Converge in the process. 7.5 Tonnes of Beard play the following shows over the next…

  • Exclusive: Floor Staff – Gift Horse (Live)

    October 17, 2014 - By 

    Set to perform the Oxjam Takeover in Dublin this evening, we’re pleased to present the first of three exclusive live videos by one of the city’s finest alt-pop bands, Floor Staff. Filmed at Elektra Studios, the video – featuring the band performing the earworming ‘Gift Horse’ – was directed by Bob Gallagher. The music was record by Chris Barry and James Feeney. Go here for the Oxjam Takeover Facebook event page and watch the video below.  

  • Stream: Jape – The Heart’s Desire

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    For the last couple of years, Richie Egan has been residing in the Malmö, Sweden, recording material that will rear its head on Jape’s forthcoming fifth album, The Chemical Sea. As was perfectly illustrated in Ian Pearce’s photo feature with Egan last year, there was no shortage of equipment and sonic gadgetry at the latter’s disposal in the studio, something that is more than evident on ‘The Heart’s Desire’, a new track melding Hot Chip-esque electro musing and forward-moving synth-pop that is unmistakably Jape. The Chemical Sea will be released in January. Stream ‘The Heart’s Desire’ right here.

  • Watch: Le Galaxie – Carmen

    October 10, 2014 - By 

    If you weren’t one of the lucky few to witness its launch at Dublin’s Workman’s Club last night, check out Le Galaxie’s video for ‘Carmen’ (featuring Fight Like Apes‘ May Kay and comprised of fan footage) below. We’re fans.

  • Watch: Cal Folger Day – Homez-a-Place

    October 9, 2014 - By 

    The first single to be taken from her new EP, Adornament, Dublin-based New York artist Cal Folger Day has released the wistful, minimalistic ‘Homez-a-Place’. As with her previous EP, Drom-d’reau, the rudiments of Adornament were recorded on an 8-track in Woodstock, New York. According to Folger Day, “Those analog frameworks were then frankensteined to vocal takes captured in Brooklyn and Dublin”. The track – pieced together by Forest Walker Christenson in Columbus, Ohio – features violins, drum machines, guitars, wurlitzer and vocals, evoking the likes of Julia Holter, Lisa O’Neill and Belfast-based musician Caroline Pugh. Watch the video below.  

  • Premiere: Edward F Butler – Running From Fears

    October 7, 2014 - By 

    Originally from London, Belfast-based musician and filmmaker Edward F Butler first made his mark here with the now defunct HOWL, a genre-spanning outfit driven by Butler’s soulful, nigh on beatific vocals. Going several steps further – both in sound and scope – the artist’s debut single, ‘Running From Fears’, is an extremely impressive first gambit, marrying Butler’s idiosyncratic electro-acoustic music with his extraordinary vocals. Conjuring the likes of James Vincent McMorrow, James Blake and Nina Simone, they serve as a transformative centre-piece of a sound bearing the hallmarks of resounding inspiration. And if that wasn’t enough to convince you of his talents, Butler –…