Without a shadow of a doubt, more new Irish music has flown into our inboxes over the last 12 months than any year since we launched back in 2013. As we low-key stressed out on a shared Google doc to compile our annual end-of-year lists, it got us wondering: was it all happenstance or, you know, a direct result of [gestures wildly] all the shite that’s been going on?
We can’t say for sure but the latter definitely checks out. Whether for release, distraction, or escape – stemming from time freed-up or inspiration en masse – artists from every corner of the island have far from faltered in the face of worldly doom. And we’re not one bit surprised. Last year was much the same and, no matter how things look come December 2022, we’re excessively confident we’re set for another year of genre-spanning, forward-pushing greatness.
Over the next few days, we hope to illustrate just how good we’ve had it in 2021. Ahead of the Top 100 Irish Releases of the Year at the start of next week, here’s our Top 100 Irish tracks of the year.
100. [Indistinct Chatter] – Essential Services
99. Beauty Sleep – Go
98. Let’s Set Sail – Toledo
97. Invaderband – Handcuffed Man Shoots Himself
96. Nylophone – Shy One
95. Boyfrens – Kiss Dance Sweat Move
94. Rory Nellis – Strange Behaviour
93. Niamh Regan – Happy Again
92. Ships – Ode to the Ward
91. Aonair feat. Caoi De Barra – Think Twice
90. Rosa Zajac & Daragh Lynch – The Burning of Auchindoun
89. Chris Con – Around She Goes
88. Wynona Bleach – Aubergines
87. Robin Olly James – Red Tor
86. Kyoto Love Hotel – Saithnín
85. étáin – bone house
84. Daithí – An Irish Goodbye
83. Ciaran Lavery – I Love The Inevitability of Death
82. HAVVK – Automatic
81. Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke – Far Away The Hills Are Green
80. Clara Tracey – Soap Girls
79. Neil Brogan – New Development
78. F.R.U.I.T.Y. – U.P.S.
77. NUXSENSE – Pendulum
76. Jackie Beverly – Temporary State
75. Lilac – Remember, No Regrets
74. it’s just Cat – baby blue.
73. Sprints – Modern Job
72. Vivamagnolia – 990 Miles
71. The Disco Participation Matrix – High Rise [Kevin Blake Remix]
70. Zizou – After It’s Done
69. Cobra Truth – DUSST
68. Smoothboi Ezra – Stuck
67. Hannah Peel – Emergence in Nature
66. NewDad – Slowly
65. Loner Deluxe – Tin Foil Hat
64. Laurie Shaw – Bargain Hunt
63. Acid Granny – I Love The Brits and I Love The Queen
62. This Ship Argo – Hum
61. Tolü Makay – Aye
60. Erica Cody – Queen
59. Slomatics – Kaān
58. Skinner – Beer Me, Jim
57. Shaun O’Connor & Alan Daniel Tobin – The Consequences of Breaking The
Heart
56. Cherym – Gone Girl
55. Elaine Mai feat. MayKay – No Forever
54. Ordnance Survey – Vico Road, July 1984
Ordnance Survey – Vico Road, July 1984 from Gavin O’Brien on Vimeo.
53. David Holmes – Hope Is The Last Thing To Die
52. Fixity – [Do The] Bits and Pieces
51. Maria Kelly – Martha
50. Soda Blonde – Holy Roses
49. Celaviedmai feat. Alan McKee – Upset
48. April – Piece Of Me
47. Saint Sister feat. Lisa Hannigan – The Place That I Work I Am You
46. Sun Collective – Ogham Scars
45. Soulé – Queenish
44. AILSHA – FBOY
43. Lighght – there are parts of my soul i don’t dare speak
42. New Pagans – Christian Boys
41. Kynsy – Mr Nice Guy
40. Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – I didn’t love you when I said I did and I don’t now
39. Bobbi Arlo – Fever Thoughts
38. Katie Kim & Seán Mac Erlaine – Empire One
37. Maria Somerville – Seabird
36. God Knows feat. Senita – Glory
35. Just Mustard – I Am You
34. Frog of Earth – OY SEH UM
33. Sinéad O’Brien – Girlkind
32. Tuath – That Looks Like A Good Spot For Some Luxury Apartments
31. nimf – The Faery Sea
30. Stella – you are here
29. windings – The Ground
28. Æ MAK – New Friend
27. Myles Manley – Shiteshow
26. The Bonk – Ten Thousand Steps
25. Kineograph – PacketCity
24. An Cárthach – Arbatax
23. For Those I Love – I Have a Love
22. Gaze Is Ghost – Wild Geese
21. Sorbet feat. Maija Sofia – I Heard His Scythe
20. Murli feat. Gemma Dunleavy – Odyssey
19. CMAT – No More Virgos
18. Brigid Mae Power – Mother In The Sky
17. Meljoann – Overtime
16. Denise Chaila – ANSEO feat. Jafaris
15. Whozyerman? – Why What?
14. Arthur Itis – Am I Dancing?
13. Strange Boy – Waiting
12. Pretty Happy – Sudocream
11. piglet – mill
10. Documenta – Silverwood
9. Jack Name & Aoife Nessa Frances – Watching The Willows Burn
8. Eimear Reidy & Natalia Beylis – They Rustle And Blink In The Hawthorn
7. Silverbacks – Wear My Medals
6. Cormorant Tree Oh – Zip Issues
5. John Francis Flynn – My Son Tim
4. M(h)aol – Asking For It
3. Kojaque – Town’s Dead
