• 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

  • Deftones – Ohms

    September 30, 2020 - By 

    Starting their fourth decade together as a cohesive unit, the critical darlings of alternative metal, Deftones, have created one of their finest albums to date with Ohms.  Re-entering the studio with producer Terry Date (who was behind the desk for their first four studio releases, not to mention the shelved project Eros), the band come out with all guns blazing, rejuvenated, motivated, and at the top of their game. Their most accomplished release since 2000’s White Pony, Ohms offers much by way of depth. For the first time in a long time, the band focus on pure song writing as opposed to…

  • Watch: MuRli – Till The Wheels Fall Off

    September 28, 2020 - By 

    If you told us MuRli didn’t sleep we’d believe you. Hands down one of the busiest heads in the scene, the Limerick rapper, producer, songwriter and Narolane Records co-founder has made lockdown, and the strange no-mans-hand we currently inhabit, work for him. Right off the back of a breathtaking takeover at the National Concert Hall alongisde Denise Chaila and God Knows last night, the video for new single ‘Till The Wheels Fall Off’ is power and joy in inclusivity distilled. Filmed at Dublin’s Dalymount Park, check it out below

  • Monday Mixtape: Arborist

    September 28, 2020 - By 

    As a counter to my aimless life as a singer-songwriter, my wife works in bioengineering, researching the cause of pelvic floor muscle injuries during childbirth, contributing to the mitigation of the life-impacting disorders that result. In what is ultimately a human rights issue, the physical price paid by women, stemming from discrimination to lack of basic support in such a fundamental and necessary area, is symptomatic of a wider issue and the music industry is not immune. As grim as these times are for the arts, we probably will have an opportunity to build things from the ground up again, with…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – September 25th

    September 25, 2020 - By 

    Once again, it’s been a ridiculously strong week for Irish music throughout. Here’s the very best, from Post Punk Podge & TPM’s toxic masculinity takedown, wonderfully-constructed modern classic pop from Paddy Hanna, CMAT, Wyvern Lingo, Jackie Beverly, Dark Tropics, twisted Donegal Lynchisms from Shammen Delly, Bitch Falcon’s dreamy post-punk, and the inimitable Myles Manley, and wonderful new EPs from Gadget & the Cloud and Damien Lynch. Denise Chaila, Sorcha Richardson, God Knows, Murli – Out The Gaff Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies feat. TPM – Hard Man Paddy Hanna – Sinatra Cmat – I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby! Myles Manley –…

  • Watch: Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies feat. TPM – Hard Man

    September 22, 2020 - By 

    If there’s a scene in Ireland right now that best embodies the power of a diverse, unified voice for disseminating positive change, then it’s without a doubt the hip-hop community. An all-star pairing of independent acts, Limerick’s Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies have paired with Dundalk counterparts TPM to give toxic masculinity the acerbic skewering it needs in a collaboration that more than delivers on its ear-watering potential. Podge, no stranger to exploring personal and societal issues without filter or pontification, tells us: “it’s a comedic look at the nature of being a ‘hardman’, and how those who portray machoism in a very direct way are often masking their own vulnerability.…

  • New Music Initiative Safe In Sound Launches in NI

    September 23, 2020 - By 

    Just announced today, Safe in Sound is a new initiative set to provide a safe space for underrepresented voices in the Northern Irish music sector. The organisation is spearheaded by six women who are heavily involved with and working in music in NI; Aine Cronin-McCartney (Artist Manager, Journalist), Ciara McMullan (Music Photographer), Hannah Richardson (Musician), Jo Wright (Artist Manager, Music Development), Katie Richardson (Musician, Composer, Facilitator) and Francesca O’Connor (Artist Manager, PR). The announcement of the initiative came alongside the following statement: “As individuals, we felt that there was a lack of recognition, respect and support for minority voices working in…

  • Motherhood in the Music Industry: An Interview with New Pagans

    September 21, 2020 - By 

    Belfast’s New Pagans make evocative music, using the tried-and-tested soft-loud dynamic to marry massive riffs with socially-conscious, challenging lyrics with a view to starting important conversations. Catching up with vocalist Lyndsey McDougall over Skype offers just such an opportunity. Forming in 2016; Lyndsey’s recollection of the band’s formation makes it sound like it was an inevitability. “I met Cahir (O’Doherty, guitar and vocals) years ago. We eventually got married but I had been a massive fan of his music (Jetplane Landing and Fighting With Wire). He knew that I had written or had always dabbled in music but I went…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – September 18th

    September 18, 2020 - By 

    Whew, talk about a busy New Music Friday. Here’s the very best Irish tracks from today – and the rest of the week – including Sinead O’Brien, God Knows, April, Magazines, Pillow Queens, SORBET and more. Sinead O’Brien – Most Modern Painting SORBET – Birth (My First Day) Arvo Party – Kyoto Kyoto by Arvo Party God Knows – Mup I Said (feat. Hazey Haze) Pillow Queens – Liffey Tolü Makay – You Are Enough Æ MAK – hey driver (!) April – Watching You Disappear The Zang – Drugs Kojaque – Shmelly Mark Loughrey – Nothing On A Truth…

  • Bill Callahan – Gold Record

    September 21, 2020 - By 

    Despite having an impressively prolific career behind him, after the long gap between Bill Callahan’s last two albums – 2013’s Dream River and 2019’s Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest – you’d be forgiven for not expecting a follow up any time soon. But the fact that the latter record was a 20-track double album should have been an ample warning that after taking some time away to get married and have a child, the songwriting floodgates had well and truly reopened. And so we find that, just a year on, we have Gold Record in our midst – his seventeenth…