• Watch: Eoin Dolan – It Is Good That We Dream

    September 19, 2017 - By 

    Eoin Dolan‘s music has always been characterised by its appreciation of the simple, finer things that we capture in moments and hold onto for years. Be that reminiscence of a holiday (‘Spain’), the rustic technicolour imagery of a seaside casino (Placid Ocean) or the woozy glue of a lost romance (‘Heavenly Possessed’), the tempered psych-folk backdrops have always fit beautifully with the Galwegian’s storytelling. Next week, Dolan will release his second full length album, UBIQUE, via Galway’s Citóg Records the singles from which have indicated a sharper turn into the psych pop “revival” stylings championed by the likes of Devendra Banhart and O Emperor. ‘It Is…

  • Watch: Naive Ted – Only The Oppressor Knows Peace feat. MuRli

    September 11, 2017 - By 

    Limerick-based scratch master and frenetic, experimental hip hop producer Naive Ted has shared the first single from his new album The Minute Particulars // Episode I – The death of my trust is sincerely yours.  ‘Only The Oppressor Knows Peace’ is a fired up, sample-heavy venture into energised electronica with a typically excellent and socio-politically charged vocal feature from Rusangano Family‘s MuRli. All rattled melodic samples, cacophonous percussion and wiry synths, there is something suitably dystopian about this release. With lyrics like “Your love for power overpowered love. Now the death of my trust is sincerely yours” it is hard to escape the sense of…

  • The Rubberbandits confront Ireland’s suicide epidemic on ‘Sonny’

    September 11, 2017 - By 

    The Rubberbandits have shared a new single confronting the suicide epidemic that has led to Ireland being declared the country with the fourth highest teen suicide rate in Europe. ‘Sonny’ provides a raw insight into the misconceptions, ideas and conversation points that have surrounded the country’s dialogue on suicide in recent years. Lyrics include: “He isn’t lonely or addicted to drugs, he doesn’t owe his mother’s money to thugs, he’s not an alcoholic, he isn’t depressed, and he’s going to break a lot of hearts when he hangs himself.” The song ends with the message: “It’s always dark before the light…

  • Stream: Tandem Felix – Were You There (When They Crucified The Birthday Boy)?

    September 1, 2017 - By 

    After two years of near total silence, Dublin’s Tandem Felix have returned just in time for Autumn’s drowsy descent. Picking up where 2015’s Comma left off, David Tapley’s soft-tempered croon floats along atop a trademark alt-country backdrop courtesy of Éna Brennan (Dowry, Bad Sea), Jeffrey Courtney (Spies), Evan Keogh and Conor Muldowney. Re-introducing some of the bockety-toy-electronics that brought so much charm to 2013’s Popcorn, ‘Were You There (When They Crucified The Birthday Boy)?’ shows us Tandem Felix back on playful, tongue-in-cheek form, giving us plenty to be excited for when it comes to their debut LP, set to land in 2018. Were You There (When…

  • Watch: King Kong Company – Involved

    August 29, 2017 - By 

    Photo by Tara Thomas The mighty King Kong Company have shared their first new music since last year’s self-titled LP. ‘Involved’ marks the drawing to a close of the band’s busiest summer to date, having become vital stalwarts of the festival circuit in the past couple of years. Recorded on the road, ‘Involved’ is a typically high-energy, melody strewn kicker that has been opening the band’s sets throughout the summer. It comes paired with a classic tour-video, comprised of videos taken on their travels and clips from gigs and festival slots sent in by people in attendance. King Kong Company will be capping of…

  • Watch: Video Blue – Magpies at Dawn

    August 24, 2017 - By 

    We’re big fans of Video Blue here at The Thin Air. The London-based, Dundalk native’s brand of DIY indie-pop has rarely been far from our respective speakers since the release of his debut album Love Scenes in March of this year. Now the solo-crooner – real name Jim O’Donoghue Martin – returns with yet another single to be lifted from the album, and with some charming visuals to boot. Following the snappy minimalism of  ‘Hold Muzik’ and the scratchy insecurity of ‘Dust Moves’, ‘Magpies at Dawn’ is the LP’s slow-burning closer, all woozy guitars, layered vocals and subtle, glittery synths. We’ve said it before…

  • Stream: James Vincent McMorrow – Pink Salt Lake (Kobina Remix)

    August 18, 2017 - By 

    After the release of True Care, James Vincent McMorrow released the stems for two album tracks ‘Pink Salt Lake’ and ‘Holding On’, opening up the floor for remixers to explore and interpret the album in new ways. In an Instagram post he said: “Everything about True Care has been different. I want that reality to extend to the remixes.” Dublin-native Amsterdam-based producer Sean Arthur AKA Kobina has stepped up to the plate with a languid remix of ‘Pink Salt Lake’, taking the hushed, velvety ambience of the original and decorating it with light, pulsing beats, down-pitched vocals and giving the gospel choir backdrop a welcome…

  • Stream: Hvmmingbyrd – Gozo

    August 1, 2017 - By 

    Dublin-based ethereal pop duo Hvmmingbyrd have shared ‘Gozo’, their first new music in nearly a year. Ahead of a string of Irish dates starting this month, Deborah Byrne and Suzette Das’ latest outing is a warm, R&B-tinted slice of soulful pop. With vocal harmonies and delicate rhythms invoking the likes of fellow Dublin act Saint Sister but with their own electronic flavours giving it a life that is entirely its own, ‘Gozo’ is a step in the right direction for the duo and one that is making us eager to hear more. Hear the track below, and have a look at the marvellous poster for details…

  • Stream: Elephant – Mirrors

    August 1, 2017 - By 

    Dundalk-based artist Elephant has shared ‘Mirrors’, the third single to be taken from his forthcoming second album. Following 2015’s promising debut Hypergiant and the subsequent singles ‘Stay With Me’ and ‘Waiting Game’, the project, lead by Shane Clarke, continues to move away from its indie-folk origins and ventures further into a more ornate, full-band sound. Where Hypergiant was a feat in atmospheric acoustics and tempered vocals, ‘Stay With Me’ saw Clarke veer down the same R&B infused path as James Vincent McMorrow. ‘Waiting Game’ then, from May of this year, was a full bodied, indie-rock masterstroke complete with a woodwind interlude, chunky guitars and textured vocals. Now,…

  • Premiere: the 202s – Dash For The Exit (Real Love Doesn’t Lie)

    July 26, 2017 - By 

    Dublin trio the 202s have shared the third single from their forthcoming third album. Following from ‘Up In Thin Air’ earlier this year and ‘Oh My My’ in January 2016, the band’s own brand of indie-pop shines through once again on ‘Dash For The Exit (Real Love Doesn’t Lie). With a healthy dose of krautrock’s percussive clatter, coupled with ambient, melodic textures and a distorted vocal, the track is one that rests in your mind for hours after listening, tickling the nerves in head that nudge you back to it again and again. Our Will Murphy described the 202s as a band…