• Paper Mario: The Origami King

    October 7, 2020 - By 

    In 1981, an unknown character called Jumpman first appeared in the arcade game Donkey Kong, bounding up a lattice of wonky girders to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the titular ape. Four years later, the same rotund yet nimble character – now, inexplicably, an Italian plumber named Mario – appeared in Super Mario Bros., still valiantly coming to the aid of his girlfriend, and the rest is gaming history. There are few franchises that can compete with the longevity and universal appeal that Mario has held over the video game industry since its inception, and fewer still that have placed…

  • Osees – Protean Threat

    October 7, 2020 - By 

    Another year, another album, another confusing name change. After a flurry of name variations in their earliest years, John Dwyer and co. seemed to finally settle on Thee Oh Sees for nigh on a decade, releasing 12 albums under the monicker before suddenly deciding in 2017 that it must be shortened to simply Oh Sees. Along the way, a one-off return to the band’s original OCS moniker allowed Dwyer and former member Brigid Dawson to revisit the band’s quieter, folkier roots, but only served to confuse archivists further. Now, a further contraction sees them rebrand once more as Osees for…

  • Pillow Queens – In Waiting

    October 5, 2020 - By 

    Pillow Queen’s anthemic indie-rock has seen them gain incredible momentum as one Ireland’s most refreshing musical exports. On their debut album, In Waiting, the Dublin group take the very best aspects of themselves and craft a magnificently poignant collection, exploring the emotional transition from adolescence to adulthood in a repressed society. With two highly-acclaimed EPs under their belt, along with a Choice Music Prize Nomination for their track ‘Gay Girls’, the four-piece set a high standard for their debut LP to meet. In Waiting exceeds all expectations, and offers a comprehensive showcase of Pillow Queens’ talent for captivating, emotional ballads.…

  • “Is There Ever NOT More To Say About the Institutional Oppression of Women?” – M(h)aol Release First Single in 5 Years

    October 5, 2020 - By 

    Having releasing one single (‘Clementine‘ – featuring guest vocals from none other than Dara Kiely) in 2015, laying out a pointed intersection feminist & animal welfare-centred manifesto across their raw, visceral 15-minute sets, fast becoming one of the most talked-about bands in Dublin – their bassist the titular Jamie on Girl Band’s debut album – before inexplicably withdrawing with the same unpredictable energy they rode in with, M(h)aol, are the stuff of punk legend. As you well know, the intervening years in a post-referendum and post-Girl Band Irish landscape have seen a seismic transformation – with peak post-punk dude fecundity. Things were supposed to improve. Women were to experience something resembling equal representation on every…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – October 2nd

    October 2, 2020 - By 

    It’s the first Friday of the month, which can only mean one thing: it’s also Bandcamp Friday. As ever, if you’re going to pick up some great new Irish music, best make it today. Here’s our round-up of the best of this week, including Denise Chaila, Kynsy, Arvo Party, Katie Kim, Neil Brogan, Ailbhe Reddy and, because we couldn’t possibly choose just one track, A Litany of Failures Volume III. Denise Chaila – Rí Rá Go Bravely by Denise Chaila Go Bravely by Denise Chaila Various Artists – A Litany of Failures Voume III A Litany of Failures: Volume III…

  • Premiere: nimf – Space

    October 1, 2020 - By 

    Kaleidoscopic Wicklow sugar-pop performance artist nimf has returned with new single ‘Space’. Its production is as synapse-firing it is personal, a bricolage that effortlessly conjures the 3D candied earfloss dreamscapes nimf speaks of when discussing its themes of imagination, and “the beautiful worlds within our own minds”, which open up “endless possibilities when overwhelmed by the day-to-day” on when left to our own devices. Certainly, the young singer-songwriter’s singles thus far are not just accomplished as elements of a bigger body of pop artistry, but of an already fully-realised sound world. Listen to ‘Space’: nimf · Space