• Irish Tracks of the Week – 15th March

    With not a single St. Paddy’s-angled misfire among them, today sees essential new albums from Blue Whale and HAVVK, Fight Like Apes covering a Sinéad O’Connor classic in aid of Palestine, stellar new tracks by Garrett Laurie, Ciaran Lavery and more Blue Whale – Last Immediate Images Fight Like Apes – Black Boys on Mopeds Garrett Laurie – No Warning Ciaran Lavery – Honeybun HAVVK – To Fall Asleep To Fall Asleep by HAVVK Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin – Siren Spring Siren Spring by Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin The Guilteens – The Boat

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – March 8th

    From a brace of beautiful LPs by Anamoe Drive and Oisin Leech to new tracks by Casavettes, Blue Whale, Cherym, Thom Southern and more, here’s the very best Irish music of the week just gone Photo by Greg Purcell Casavettes – Cois Farraige/Fold Cois Farraige by Casavettes Anamoe Drive – Breakfast in Bed Blue Whale – Carpet Man Oisin Leech – Cold Sea Cherym – Boss Bitch Boss Bitch (Doja Cat Cover) by CHERYM Nahreally + The Expert feat. Hemlock Ernst – Movement and Light BLIP by NAHreally & The Expert Thom Southern – The Guy In The Suit and…

  • Whaling On: An Interview With Blue Whale

    Next Friday, March 15, Belfast jazz-punk band Blue Whale return with their highly-anticipated second LP, Last Immediate Images. The follow-up to 2018’s Process, it’s another masterfully shapeshifting leap forward from one of the island’s most fiercely unpigeonholeable bands. Recorded and produced by Gilla Band’s Dan Fox, the album is a remarkable expansion, and deft deconstruction, of what the Quietus once hailed as their “chaotic, yet controlled experimental rock.” Ahead of its release, Cathal McBride spoke with guitarist Ben Behzadafshar about prolonged experimentation, the magic of biding one’s timing, being ‘sound carriers’ for Damo Suzuki and more. Blue Whale launch Last…

  • Track-by-Track: Chalk – Conditions II

    Ahead of what looks primed to be a breakthrough year for the fast-rising electronic/noise rock Belfast trio, Chalk vocalist and producer Ross Cullen takes us on a track-by-track tour of the diverse influence and inspiration behind their brand new EP, Conditions II The Gate Conditions II by Chalk ‘The Gate’ is all about pressure and the pressures of being in a band. It began with a drum and bass loop I found on Splice alongside some 1/16 notes from a preset called Demented Percussion on Logic. Combining those two sounds set up the energy of the track fairly quickly. There’s a…

  • Monday Mixtape: Pissed Jeans

    It’s early days but if Pennsylvanian hardcore heroes Pissed Jeans didn’t just return with one of the records of the year in Half Divorced, recorded sound – I’m afraid to report – is officially over. Released on Friday, it doubles as the band’s first album in seven years and delivers a dozen sludge-punk face rippers that rank right up there with their very best. Good luck finding fucked-off finesse more compelling than this in 2024. Which is to say we seriously wouldn’t advise that you pass on the band’s show in Dublin next month. Taking over Whelan’s main room on…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 1st March

    Have at the very best Irish tracks and albums out today – and from the final week in February just gone – from Chalk feat. Fears, Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra, M(h)aol, Connor McCann, THEE U.F.O., Oisin Leech, Danny Carroll and more M(h)aol – Pursuit Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – Problem Child Reevah – Golden Danny Carroll – I Am The Cheese I Am The Cheese by Danny Carroll Oisin Leech – One Hill Further THEE U.F.O – Bursting Egos Chalk feat. Fears – Bliss Connor McCann – Ever The Dreamer Shark School – 411

  • A Band Apart: An Interview With Gilla Band

    Next year marks a mind-melting decade since we hosted two sold-out headliners by Gilla Band at Belfast’s Bar Sub. Coming off the back of a trouncing set in support of Slint at the Limelight – and their second EP The Early Years – the shows confirmed the arrival of a blitzing force in forward-pushing noise rock. Three genre-defining LPs, a two-year hiatus, one name change, and heaps of well-earned international recognition later, the Dara Kiely-fronted four-piece are on the cusp of a thrilling new era. Ahead of their long-awaited return to Belfast next week, we chat to guitarist Alan Duggan…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 23rd February

    Take it from us, it’s a bumper week for world-beating Irish music. Get lost in the very best of it, from Blue Whale’s perfectly-titled ‘I Wanna Be Your Da,’ to HAVVK, MELTS, PANIKATAX, Chubby Cat, Conn Thornton, Anamore Drive, KAJA and beyond Blue Whale – I Wanna Be Your Da HAVVK – Take It From Me MELTS – Altered Fishwyfe – Ricky Peer Pleasure – Rest In Bits PANIKATAX – Hand In Hand KAJA – MRNG TRX MRNG TRX by KAJA Chubby Cat – 100 Miles an Hour Conn Thornton – Acrobat Mathman – Show Me Anamoe Drive – Procrastination…

  • A Strange, Much-Missed Feeling: The Return of Casavettes

    Last month, the news of return of Limerick emo legends Casavettes after four years away was met with no shortage of rejoicing on Irish music Twitter (and Instagram etc. etc.) Ahead of a handful of eagerly-anticipated shows from the band – kicking off in Galway on Friday – Mike Ryan picks the brain of frontman Diarmuid O’Shea about second acts, sonic evolution, Ireland’s DIY scene and – an old classic to end all old classics – the strange passing of time. It’s been 5 years (almost to the day) since your debut album, Senselessness, and just over 4 years since…

  • Monday Mixtape: Trá Pháidín

    In our debut – that is long overdue – Monday Mixtape as Gaeilge, Connemara’s many-headed experimental enigma Trá Pháidín takes us on a sonic traipse via Astrid Sonne, Little Simz, Mabé Fratti and more Image provided: The Human Bridge of Carrick-on-Suir, sponsored by Paolo Soprani An 424 by Trá Pháidín Floyd Tillman – I Love You So Much it Hurts Chuala mé seo don chéad uair ar cheirnín de R. Stevie Moore darbh ainm “Glad Music” agus tháinig mé ar aríst i bailiúchain ceol tíre darbh ainm “Colombia Country Classics” ar útube. Cíneal gas é cloisteáil i gcomhthéacs eagsúil den…