• Wild Nothing – Indigo

    October 2, 2018 - By 

    It’s difficult to listen to a Wild Nothing record and not think of Gemini, Jack Tatum’s 2010 debut. Not simply for nostalgia-induced reasoning, though the record’s dreamy ambience may lead one in that direction. Rather, Tatum himself won’t let us forget Gemini. While there’s nothing wrong with self reference and a narrative of progression throughout an artist’s lifetime, Indigo and the previous two Wild Nothing releases – Nocturne and Life of Pause – are overshadowed by that charming debut and Tatum does himself no favours in trying, quite half heartedly, to move on. When Gemini was released to the world,…

  • One Vision: An Interview with 20:20

    September 30, 2018 - By 

    Tucked away in a side-street of bustling Belfast City is Accidental Theatre, a relatively-fangled DIY space that plays hosts to a cavalcade of events, both illustrious and wonderfully unassuming. Sitting somewhere in between the two is 20:20, a monthly charity songwriter night that takes over the venue’s upstairs – and singularly cosy – book bar. Giving rise to a whole new kind of “intimate” gig experience, the night takes place on the second Wednesday of every month and – full testament to its stripped-back, yet carefully-curated M.O. – delivers something special, time and time again. Ahead of its next outing on October 10th…

  • Christine and the Queens – Chris

    September 29, 2018 - By 

    Taking control over identity and self expression is a trait we saw so vividly when Héloïse Letissier initially broke onto the scene in 2016 as Christine and the Queens. Her androgynous fashion, tell-all lyrics and gusto along with her seamless flitting between singing in French and English made her the divergent pop star of the year. Where she boldly claimed ‘I’m a man now’ on Chaleur Humaine’s ‘iT’, the French performer continues to tackle gender binaries on her second album by taking on the identity of ‘Chris’. It’s an obvious forward step away from her debut with more funk and…

  • Watch: Gnarkats – War Cry

    September 27, 2018 - By 

    Recorded with The Answer guitarist Paul Mahon, ‘War Cry’ is a statement of intent from Belfast trio Louis Nelson, Jordan Evans and Stuart Robinson AKA Gnarkats. Having already revealed their knack for blending heavy rock riffs with indie-pop melodies via previous effort including ‘Something to Say’ and ‘Enigma’, their new single shows a band whose huge choruses and fuzzed-out tangents are quickly setting them apart. Check out the band’s DIY video for the single below.

  • Premiere: Eoin Dolan – Lunar Drift

    September 20, 2018 - By 

    The closing track from one of the EPs of the year, Superior Fiction, ‘Lunar Drift’ by Galway’s Eoin Dolan is a slow-burning masterclass in the realms of wistful alt-pop. Released today, the single – which carries one of the finest refrains we’ve heard from an Irish artist in quite some time – comes accompanied with visuals by Dolan’s friend and collaborator David Boland AKA New Pope (who also created the video for the release’s title track).

  • EP Stream: Fox Colony – Fragile

    September 11, 2018 - By 

    Launched at Voodoo in Belfast tonight, Fragile is a statement of intent from Belfast quartet Fox Colony. From the fuzzed-out tangents of opener ‘Supermarkets’ to the synth-driven ‘Don’t Keep Me Here’, the EP is every bit as much about hooks as it is heart. In fact, equal parts impassioned and vulnerable, Fragile finds Darren Hill, Aaron Crowther, Aidan Lavery and Daniel Hoadley-Simpson strike an all-too rare happy medium between slick and lo-fi – something FM-friendly ode to bygone times, ‘Fractured’, and the EP’s title track confirm. Recorded and mixed by Rocky O’Reilly at Belfast’s Start Together Studio, and released via…

  • Monday Mixtape: Glass Wings

    September 2, 2018 - By 

    Ahead of its release in October Belfast-based singer-songwriter Stephen Jones AKA Glass Wings reveals the artists and tracks that made an imprint on his forthcoming debut album, Everything and Nothing. I’m under no obligation to be cool in these choices right? Sit back and relax as I take you on a tour of some of the greatest melodicists who inspired me in the making of this album. Hiatus Kaiyote – By Fire I’m always a little suspect of people who say they have a favourite band. But if pressed, Hiatus Kaiyote might have it for me. I’ve been lucky enough…

  • EP Stream: Eoin Dolan – Superior Fiction

    August 28, 2018 - By 

    Released via Galway imprint Citog Records, Galway singer-songwriter Eoin Dolan’s new EP Superior Fiction is a four-track distillation of his yearning, sci-fi-tinged surf pop craft. Steeped in the imagery and atmosphere of a vintage seaside town, it confines within its minutes Dolan’s remarkable knack for marrying heartbreaking melodies and gentle instrumentation with the sadness and beauty of 1960s surf pop. Featuring an animated video created by Galway songsmith David Boland AKA New Pope, the EP’s lead single and title track – a self-proclaimed “ode to truth” marrying breezy, full-band balladry with Dolan’s incisive lyrics – is a perfect case in…

  • Watch: Arvo Party – D U S T

    August 11, 2018 - By 

    In July last year, Belfast electronic/ambient producer Herb Magee AKA Arvo Party arrived via his self-titled, Northern Irish Music Prize-nominated debut LP. Recorded and written in Belfast, Bangor, Bushmills, Denver, Strasburg, London, Holland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Dublin and far beyond, it was a carefully-crafted trip veering between drone, dense ambience, and shapeshifting electronica à la Wolfgang Voigt, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Tangerine Dream. Having bridged the gap with the sublime ‘Liberté ’ back in May, Magee is back with his strongest single effort to date, ‘D U S T’ . Marrying bushwacking beats and propulsive synth-bass with submerged vocals that sees…

  • Line-Up Unveiled For Hard Working Class Heroes 2018

    August 8, 2018 - By 

    Hard Working Class Heroes have revealed their line up for this year’s festival, taking place on September 27-29 across various venues in Dublin city centre including The Workman’s Club, Tengu, and The Grand Social. The 50 local acts announced in alphabetic order are: 1000 Beasts, A. Smyth, AE MAK, Alan Finan, Awkward Z, Bad Bones, Beauty Sleep, Bicurious, Brenna Carroll, Chanele McGuinness, Crook, Damola, Darce, Evans Junior, Feather Beds, Flynn, Hand Models, Hunkpapa, I Have A Tribe, Jack O’ Rourke, Josh Gray, Joshua Burnside, Just Mustard, Kitt Philippa, Laoise, Leila Jane, Malojian, Maria Kelly, Molly Sterling, New Atlas, New Pagans, Ódú, Owen Denvir,…