• Album Stream: Mark Waldron-Hyden – Future Life Continuity

    April 29, 2020 - By 

    Back in the mists of time – Monday – we happily premiered ‘I Can’t See You: Where Did You Go?’ by Cork musician Mark Waldron-Hyden. Subtly scopic and immersive in all the right places, it doubled up as a suitably emphatic first taste of his stellar new album, Future Life Continuity. Released today via Cork imprint Sunshine Cult, it’s a masterfully mottled full-length effort that, perhaps more than any other Irish release we’ve heard this year thus far, fully rewards a repeated listen – not least on good speakers or headphones. Recorded over a two-month period, “in pretty intense solitude” in his studio…

  • Premiere: Mark Waldron-Hyden – I Can’t See You: Where Did You Go?

    April 27, 2020 - By 

    On Wednesday, Cork artist Mark Waldron-Hyden releases an album that is surely going to go down as one of the Irish titles of the year. Recorded over a two-month period, “in pretty intense solitude” in his studio in the Nagle mountains of rural North Cork, Future Life Continuity is a clear-cut statement of intent, melding singular abstract ambience via prismatic noise and first-rate polyrhythmic forays. Lead single, ‘I Can’t See You: Where Did You Go?” is one of many gems here. Across five minutes, it makes for a masterfully shapeshifting trip, melding widescreen, Kranky-leaning ambience with submerged Brainfeeder-esque textures. Featuring visuals by Con O’Brien, have a first listen to…

  • Premiere: The Mad Dalton – Skeleton Waltz

    April 27, 2020 - By 

    Belfast-based songwriter Peter GW Sumadh aka The Mad Dalton first appeared on our radar back in 2015, via the release of his ruminating, Americana-tinged debut EP The Little Belfry. Five years on, Sumadh’s craft has evolved to a point where harmonic savvy and incisive turns-of-phrase effortlesly take centre-stage. Having finished 2019 with gigs supporting both Malojian and Junior Brother, new ‘Skeleton Waltz’ arrives, fittingly, in surreal times. Recorded at Millbank Studios, this latest offering featuring Michael Mormecha on drums and artwork by renowned Belfast creative Andrew Train (Giraffe Stairs Tattoos), it follows cancellation of recording sessions and ahead of the…

  • Premiere: Bedrooms – Party Piece

    April 21, 2020 - By 

    Back in February, we flew the flag hard for Dublin quartet Bedrooms. Bearing the imprint of indie rock royalty including Dinosaur Jr, Galaxie 500, Guided by Voices and Pavement, we lauded their ability to bridge the gap between dream-pop and gazed-out indie via a straight-up slowcore sensibility. Recorded with Girl Band’s Daniel Fox in his Stoneybatter studio last November, new single ‘Party Piece’ delivers much of the same, the song conjures Dean Wareham stepping in on a stripped-back Cocteau Twins jam. “We sort of wrote this one backwards,” Devin from the band told us. “We had the second half of the song for a…

  • EP Stream: Vivamagnolia – Queen of the Rodeo

    March 27, 2020 - By 

    If there’s one thing we learned from hosting packed-out tributes to U.S. musician Mark Linkous aka Sparklehorse back in 2017 it’s that there is still a sizable audience for brooding, Americana-tinged indie rock here in Ireland. Better still, beyond the likes of Tom McShane, Pixie Saytar, The Mad Dalton and Heliopause (all of whom faithfully covered the music of Linkous as part of the aforesaid tribute ensemble) there are musicians here crafting equally earworming and inward-peering sounds in a similar vein. One such example is Vivamagnolia aka Belfast-based alt-country singer-songwriter Patrick J. Hodgen. Tipping his stetson hat to lo-fi indie luminaries such as Linkous, Bill Callahan, Will…

  • Watch: Joel Harkin – No Recycling

    March 16, 2020 - By 

    The name Joel Harkin is becoming increasingly synonymous with a brand of lo-fi alternative folk that digs a little deeper. Based in Belfast, the Donegal singer-songwriter’s craft brims at every turn with pathos and pure insight, and is rounded off with a melodic sensibility all his very own. Having recently delivered stand-out sets at Output Belfast and Other Voices Ballina, Harkin’s fast rise is masterfully mirrored on new single ‘No Recycling’. The lead single from his highly-anticipated debut album, Never Happy, it’s a wonderfully heart-stung effort ruminating on family life and witnessing inequality first-hand. Accompanied by a stellar and perfectly…

  • Kneecap Launch Fundraiser Following Cancelled U.S. Tour

    March 13, 2020 - By 

    Like musicians, promoters, crew and venue owners right across the world, the Irish music industry is being hit hard by the global spread and broader ramifications of COVID-19. One such act is fast-rising Belfast Hip-Hop threesome Kneecap. Thrown into the deep-end following several US dates falling through, the group have launched a fundraiser on PayPal to cover a whole host of costs incurred by the forced cancellations. In a statement, the trio said, “A chairde. Like everyone else we are struggling quite a lot now, financially and mentally. In the absence of a record label we had self financed a US Tour,…

  • Stay at Home With the Mary Wallopers This St. Patrick’s Day

    March 13, 2020 - By 

    Yep, the shit has well and truly hit the fan. With gigs and get-togethers being cancelled or postponed left, right and centre, clinging on to any semblance of hope of some sort of real-world St. Patrick’s Day shindig on Tuesday is now out of the question for us all. But all hope is not lost. Yes, Dundalk’s finest forward-pushing folk formation The Mary Wallopers have it all under control. From 8pm on Tuesday evening, the trio will host Stay at Home with The Mary Wallopers, live on YouTube. Posting online, the lads said, “So get a few cans in or a few biscuits and prepare…

  • David Keenan – The Beginner’s Guide To Bravery

    March 9, 2020 - By 

    In the past few years, every town and every genre in Ireland has seen great new talent rising, each pushing the boundaries of what’s to be expected from its scene. While this means the bar is continuously being raised,  and no matter what your tastes might be, there’s an Irish act for it, ready to prove their mettle. But while a rock n’ roll renaissance occurs in the kitchen, and the techno and hip-hop scenes flourish in the basement, in the attic David Keenan quietly tunes his strings, ready to raise the aforementioned bar.  After a string of noted singles…

  • Watch: God Knows – Who’s Asking? (South West Allstars Remix)

    March 4, 2020 - By 

    Prepare yourself for something special. A handful of days on from striking gold with the four-track Who’s Asking? EP, the unstoppable God Knows has unleashed one fierce edit of the release’s title track. Although a highlight in its original form, the Rusangano Family rapper has assembled a veritable dream team for a SertOne-produced South West Allstars remix. Uniting Denise Chaila, Citrus Fresh, Hazey Haze, Gavin DaVinci and Strange Boy Nature, it’s a supreme, frisson-inducing version that – paired with Stephen Hall’s video – absolutely demands your attention.