• The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2022

    December 22, 2022 - By 

    “We’re excessively confident we’re set for another year of genre-spanning, forward-pushing greatness.” It feels like an actual aeon since we signed off our Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2021 feature this time last year. Over the last 12 months, we’ve been positively inundated with sounds that fit that description and then some. The ever-arbitrary designation of 100 – as opposed to, say, 250 or 300 tracks – has felt near impossible to adhere to, but we’ve found it has once again served its purpose. Without that curious limitation, we’d be in the even more frustrating position of having to dump hundreds of streaming embeds below and…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 2nd December

    December 2, 2022 - By 

    On this, the final Bandcamp Friday of 2022, delve into the very best Irish releases of the week from Extravision, Krea, Two Nice Catholic Boys, Thumper and more Extravision – Land of a Thousand Unwelcome Advances Land of a Thousand Unwelcome Advances by Extravision Krea – Last Day Of The Year Two Nice Catholic Boys – Seconds Seconds by Two Nice Catholic Boys Hatchet Field – Beneath The Black Mountain Beneath The Black Mountain by Hatchet Field Thumper – Summer Assault Stef and the Sleveens – Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls Moving Statues – You Look Like You’ve…

  • Track Record: Alanah Smith (Problem Patterns)

    December 1, 2022 - By 

    Alanah Smith from Belfast-based feminist queerpunks Problem Patterns selects the albums that left a huge impression on her life from Bikini Kill to Charly Bliss. Photos by Jane Donnelly. Dark Times – Give Dark Times are a band who reinvigorated my love for punk, and more specifically, made me want to try my hand at it properly again. I’m fairly certain I’ve put them on every single list when anyone asks me about influences for Problem Patterns. I found their song, ‘Girl Hate’ years ago, which just blew my mind when I first heard it. It was just a chaotic…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 25th November

    November 25, 2022 - By 

    Aoife Wolf – The Wetlands EP Alpha Chrome Yayo – Tom Waits is There Tom Waits Is There by Alpha Chrome Yayo Meltybrains? – Space Ghetto Celica – Celica EP 02 Celica EP 02 by Celica AOIBHA – When You Hold Her Christian Cohle – Strength Constant Supply – I Keep Hitting Every Wall, Baby Lobotomy by Constant Supply I Have a Tribe – Teddy’s Song Driven Snow – Flickers of You Willzee – Eclipse   Photo credit: Aaron Cunningham

  • Monday Mixtape: M Stevens & The Ghasts

    November 21, 2022 - By 

    Popical Island founder and M Stevens & The Ghasts main man Mike Stevens reveals some of his all-time favourite songs, from Silver Jews and Weyes Blood, to Wilco and Lankum Birds by M Stevens & The Ghasts Brigid Mae Power – ‘Mother in the Sky’ At the end of a recent gig of hers in the Bello Bar, I said to an embarrassed Brigid Mae Power that it was maybe the best gig I had ever seen. In the cold light of the next morning, I cringed not a bit, realising it wasn’t just the drink talking, that it was…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 18th November

    November 18, 2022 - By 

    Here’s the very best Irish tracks of the week, featuring Joshua Burnside, Nine Raths, Lisa O’Neill, Mount Palomar, Anna Mieke and more Joshua Burnside – Late Afternoon In The Meadow (1887) Nine Raths – EP002 EP2 by Nine Raths Lisa O’Neill – Old Note Mount Palomar – Brace for Impact EP Lauren Ann – Adelaide Anna Mieke – Theatre Theatre by Anna Mieke M Stevens & The Ghasts – Birds Def Nettle – Architecture The Barbiturates – Pollitricks Pollitricks (Single) by The Barbiturates

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 11th November

    November 11, 2022 - By 

    Here’s the very best Irish releases of the week, featuring Icebear, New Pagans, Comrade Hat, Ailbhe Reddy, Kate Geraldine O’Neill and more Icebear – White Dove Dream White Dove Dream by Icebear New Pagans – Karin Was Not A Rebel / Fresh Young Overlook Comrade Hat – Old Gods, Vol. II Old Gods, Vol. 2 by Comrade Hat Katie Geraldine O’Neill – Vacuum Ailbhe Reddy – Shitshow Tr One – Never Be As Much Fun Never Be As Much Fun by Tr One ZOID & Inni K – Strong Strong (feat. Inni-K) by ZOiD Amy Montgomery – Meet You In…

  • Monday Mixtape: Beauty Pageant

    November 7, 2022 - By 

    Dublin indie-rock sextet Beauty Pageant delve deep into some of their all-time favourite songs, by Cocteau Twins, Osees, Slowdive and more Ash – Angel Interceptor Several members of the band have been Ash fans for a long time. I’ve always loved their blend of chunky fuzzy layered guitars with Tim wheelers naive-romantic lyrics and power pop melodies. Angel Inteceptor I think has always been my favourite. Cariño – Si Quieres I stumbled upon this Spanish indie-pop band last summer while looking through the small-print names on the twice postponed Primavera Barcelona line-up. I find the mix of analogue drum machine…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 28th October

    October 28, 2022 - By 

    It’s another hefty Tracks of the Week, with stellar releases from the Mary Wallopers, Aoife Nessa Frances, Jape, One Leg One Eye, Ciaran Lavery and more. Definitely something in the water. One Leg One Eye – … And Take The Black Worm With Me …. And Take The Black Worm With Me by One Leg One Eye The Mary Wallopers – The Mary Wallopers The Mary Wallopers by The Mary Wallopers Aoife Nessa Frances – Protector Protector by Aoife Nessa Frances Ciaran Lavery – My Body’s a Zombie For You Everything Shook – Three Crows Drew Makes Noise – Something To…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 21st October

    October 21, 2022 - By 

    Featuring two of our albums of the year, here’s the best Irish music released this week, from Clara Tracey, Crispy Jason aka Rian Trench, Meljoann, Joshua Burnside, Aoife Wolf and more. Clara Tracey – Black Forest Black Forest by Clara Tracey Crispy Jason – Laminated Jason Laminated Jason by Crispy Jason Joshua Burnside – Rough Edges Aoife Wolf – The Wetlands Invaderband – Octopus Part 10 OCTOPUS part 10 by Adam Leonard Paddy Hanna – Imagine I’m Hoping Imagine I’m Hoping by Paddy Hanna Comrade Hat – I Love To Take The Train I Love To Take The Train by…