• Somadrone Announces Sixth Studio Album ‘Wellpark Avenue’

    December 11, 2017 - By 

    Dublin producer Neil O’Connor AKA Somadrone has announced details of his forthcoming sixth studio album. The full-length follow-up to 2015’s stellar Oracle, Wellpark Avenue will be released on February 1. According to O’Connor, the album will mark a departure to previous outings. With “dystopia, LSD, Timothy Leary and TV music of the 1970s” all contributing to the sound of the album, it will forsake drum machines and heavy synth in favour return to traditional song and instruments akin to his 2010 album Depth of Field. O’Connor has also said that the album also has “a sound that references the likes of seminal British…

  • Watch: Fox Jaw – Heel To Toe

    December 11, 2017 - By 

    With over 300 shows, nine singles, two albums, two EPs, one live album, Limerick’s Limerick five-piece Fox Jaw have really put the legwork in since forming back in 2006. Having spent the guts of 2017 to focus on songwriting, the Ronan Mitchell-fronted five-piece are back with the latest single, ‘Heel To Toe’, an unravelling four-minute lament conjuring the slow-burning introspection of The National and the more orchestral chamber-rock of Hope of the States-esque circa The Lost Riots. The single – which is accompanied by a video directed by the band’s drummer Shane Serrano – is released in conjunction with a…

  • Mark Lanegan @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    December 7, 2017 - By 

    Upon its release back in April, Mark Lanegan’s tenth studio album, Gargoyle, not only strongly reiterated his contemporary relevance but also further revealed the multiplicity of artist who – just like his good friend in Joshua Homme – has zero intention of roaming the trodden sonic path ad infinitum. His return to Belfast’s Mandela Hall after five years tonight only serves to confirm that fact tenfold. Following two strong sets from Joe Cardamone and long-standing blues rock co-conspirator Duke Garwood, Lanegan – visible limp notwithstanding – tails his three-piece band on to stage tonight with zero fanfare. Bursting into ‘Death’s Head…

  • The Altered Hours Announce New EP, European Tour

    December 6, 2017 - By 

    Arguably the country’s best band, Cork’s The Altered Hours have just announced details of a forthcoming new EP and an accompanying European tour. The follow-up to last year’s stellar full-length In Heat Not Sorry, the five-piece will release the four-track On My Tongue via Art For Blind Records and Penske Recordings early next year. A typically first-rate effort from the band, lead single ‘Open Wide’ is currently premiering over on Clash. To coincide with the release, the band will also embark on a nine-date European tour across February-April. Yours truly will host the Belfast date, which will also feature drone pop masters Documenta,…

  • Stream: A Co-Present Christmas

    December 5, 2017 - By 

    Let it be known: A Co-Present Christmas really is a beautiful thing. Compiled by good friend of The Thin Air, Dwayne Woods of Dublin Digital Radio show The Co-Present, the fifteen-track compilation was put together to raise funds for Pieta House and features festive covers and originals from the likes of Villagers, Junior Brother, Montauk Hotel, Hvmmingbyrd, Elephant and Session Motts. Speaking about the release Pieta House said, “Christmas is a time of year when friends and family come together and enjoy each others company. Unfortunately, for some, it is a time of remembrance for those we have lost and for others a…

  • METZ Set For Whelan’s Return

    December 5, 2017 - By 

    Two years on from their barnstorming show in the same venue, Canadian noise rock trio METZ have announced that they’ll return to Dublin’s Whelan’s on May 1. The Toronto-based band released their third, Steve Albini-produced album, Strange Peace, via Sub Pop back in September. In his review of the album, TTA’s Cathal McBride said, “What it all adds up to is the band’s most complete and rewarding work to date.” Tickets for the Whelan’s go on sale this Thursday at 10am, priced €17.50.

  • Premiere: Yankari – Enyimba

    December 1, 2017 - By 

    And now for something completely different. We’re delighted to present a first listen to ‘Enyimba’, the sublime new single from Dublin-based band Yankari. A collective luminously bearing the imprint of their main influence of the legendary Fela Kuti, the band “aspire to advance the original Afrobeat genre by incorporating contemporary sounds, such as, jazz, funk, dance, rock-and-roll whilst keeping the traditional groove elements of Afrobeat.” Nowhere is that more on display than ‘Enyimba’, a six-minute burst of beatific, masterfully-layered Afrobeat incorporating guitar, bass, percussion, brass, keys, vocals and more. The track’s title stems from “Enyimba enii” meaning ‘the elephant is coming’ a traditional…

  • EP Stream: The Sunshine Factory – Cruelest Animal

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    Cork, ever Ireland’s unexpected cornerstone of hazy psych, can boast another fine release with The Sunshine Factory‘s debut EP proper, Cruelest Animal, the title track of which was released last year following a string of extremely promising demos and homemade recordings. Firmly establishing their neo-psychedelic chops with slots alongside the likes of KXP, The Orange Kyte, and tour support to psychedelic legends The Telescopes on their most recent Irish jaunt it is launched tonight (November 30) at a hometown launch at Crane Lane Theatre. The EP is released through their own independent label, Sunshine Cult Records, and was recorded with Chris Somers at One Chance Out Studios. While Cruelest Animal was recorded a year ago, it seems that a…

  • New Cork Festival It Takes A Village Announced

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    For all the country has to offer in the way of festivals, Ireland has largely lacked one properly centred around its non-camping accommodation. That’s where new festival It Takes a Village comes in. Set for its inaugural outing in Trabolgan in East Cork across April 13-15, the Good Room-curated festival offers an ATP-esque alternative in the form of 150 self-catering houses and apartments, as well as 35 fully-serviced campervan sites in Trabolgan Holiday Village. Better still, with the village featuring three main venues, as well as a multitude of pop-stages across a 120 acre site, the festival’s first line-up announcement…

  • Premiere: Let’s Set Sail – 1560 Powell

    November 28, 2017 - By 

    Taken from their forthcoming, Homebeat-released EP The Nothingness Of Now, we’re pleased to present a first listen to ‘1560 Powell’ by Dublin electronic folk quartet Let’s Set Sail. A masterfully slow-burning effort from the quartet, the track marries Warren McCarthy’s vocals with twinkling synth patterns and textured atmospherics. Disentangling over six minutes, Marian Hughes’ subtly-woven counter harmonies seal the deal, conjuring the likes of Julia Holter and Low’s Mimi Parker. Recorded with Stephen Dunne in Lamplight Recording Studio, the five-track The Nothingness Of Now will be launched as part of the multi-date Homebeat Christmas Cracker at Studio 10 in Dublin on Wednesday, December 13. Go here…