• Irish Tracks of the Week – 15th December

    It’s our final weekly round-up of the year, featuring new music from Cathal Francis, ALYXIS feat. CMAT, Anderson Nightmare, Sinéad White and more Cathal Francis – Elle ALYXIS feat. CMAT – Grip Anderson Nightmare – Ready For You Sinéad White – Common Denominator Common Denominator by Sinéad White Erika Severyns – Ireland Erika Severyns · Ireland Rory Nellis – Forget You Love (Live) Owls – Bury Me Big Tears – I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend Conor Furlong – In My Arms

  • L’esprit de l’escalier: An interview with Perlee

    Ahead of playing Dublin and Belfast this weekend, Berlin-via-Navan duo Perlee discuss the magic of taking chances, putting their stamp on dream-pop and releasing one of the Irish LPs of the year, Speaking From Other Rooms Speaking From Other Rooms is one of the most accomplished Irish albums of the year. It spans soundworlds and explores some really strong themes like self-actualisation, destiny and long-distance love. It feels like you invested a lot of your soul into the release. Looking back, does it feel that way to you? Thanks for saying so. There were so many beautiful Irish releases this…

  • Track Record: Alpha Chrome Yayo

    One of the island’s finest genre-spanning savants, Alpha Chrome Yayo takes us on a guided tour of his all-time favourite records, featuring Enya, Mort Garson, Mariya Takeuchi, Sigh, Tom Waits, Minako Yoshida and more Photo by Aislinn Mcginn Singles are great and all, but for me nothing compares to the experience of listening to an honest-to-goodness album, especially if it involves physical media. The ephemeral quality of music made somehow tangible, cloaked in artwork to luxuriate in, liner notes to pore over. Beyond that, listening to an album is like fulfilling an unknowable contract. One between the artists who made…

  • Inbound: Spit

    ‘Indie rock’, ‘Post-punk’ – the music industry does an effective job of co-opting and commodifying terms originally defined by their reaction to stagnation, creating a deluge of so-close-yet-so-far simulacra. We’ve noticed young artists, of late, pushing back against algorithmically-pleasing confines, into creatively fertile territory. Dublin’s Spit are doing just that with their abrasive, experimental punk that conjures the essence of the movement. Guitarist Alex and bassist/violist Sarah connected with drummer Conor, and just days before their first gig, their first music was written, its credos tantamount to its sound.  Part of a crop of forward-thinking acts emerging in the wake…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 1st December

    As we swiftly approach our end-of-year round-up of the best Irish releases of the year, delve into our pick of the best singles and albums of the last week, featuring Yinyang, Stefan Murphy, Villagers & Lisa Hannigan, Connor McCann and more Stefan Murphy – Hospital Verses Hospital Verses by Stefan Murphy Villagers & Lisa Hannigan – The Little Drummer Boy Connor McCann – These Fires Yinyang – Kill Jester Bitch Falcon – Staring at Clocks (Remixes) ​​ Preference w/ Plus One Remix – Pinch Molly O’Mahony – Quietly T.A. Narrative – Loves Hold Retro Futurism by T.A. Narrative Hotgirl –…

  • Inbound: Connor McCann

    This summer I attended the Fête de Rosette, in the Savoie region of France. A fledgling festival of Irish talents both established and fringe, Connor McCann was a highlight among his contemporaries – his Americana-infused balladry, married with the atmosphere of the Alpine valleys, was a treat for the senses. That’s not to say he’s any less enthralling when playing closer to home. The influence McCann is having on the candle-lit folk sessions of Belfast’s music bars seems initially novel, but in fact has been brewing for some time. While the Glenravel-born artist has pedigree as frontman of disbanded alt-rockers…

  • Inbound: Search Results

    The most interesting sounds tend to come from those unencumbered with risk aversion. Take Devo, whose five gestative years before releasing a debut album bought them creative armour, allowing them to hone their worldview and arrive fully-formed. Search Results started writing in Dublin within a week of meeting in 2020, having moved from Waterford, Sligo, and Tipperary just prior to Covid. Drummer Jack Condon explains: “We assigned ourselves different instruments to the ones we would have been most comfortable on. Myself and Adam had more training in guitar, and Fionn in bass, so that took away any safety nets and…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 24th November

    Some serious big-hitters among this week’s best Irish music. Dive into new Junior Brother, Lemonade Shoelace, Chalk, Two Nice Catholic Boys, Sly, Ciaran Lavery and more Photo by Adam Heffernan Junior Brother – The Men Who Eat Ringforts Two Nice Catholic Boys – Three Cheers for the Distant Observer Three Cheers for the Distant Observer by Two Nice Catholic Boys Ciaran Lavery – Shame (10 Years Later) Lemonade Shoelace – Soul Syndrome THEE U.F.O – Junk Funk Garbage Uly – Alex Chalk – The Gate Eoin Dolan – The Most Important Thing Is Peace Within Yourself ZOiD – Internal Space…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 17th November

    It’s another stacked week for new Irish music. Delve into the best albums and singles of the last seven days from Joel Harkin, Nealo, pôt-pot, Akrobat, Stefan Murphy and more Joel Harkin – Sham Supermarket Sham Supermarket by Joel Harkin Nealo – November Medicine November Medicine by NEALO pôt-pot – No Friends Akrobat – Verlaine Stefan Murphy – Athlete of Seoul Sprints – Shadow of a Doubt Moon Landing – Blink Once and Miss the World Go By Blink Once and Miss the World Go By by Moon Landing Aoibha – Muddy Water

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 10th November

    Delve into the very best new singles and albums of the week from Pillow Queens, David Holmes, John Francis Flynn, Phil Kieran, Alpha Chrome Yayo and more Pillow Queens – Suffer David Holmes – Blind on a Galloping Horse David Holmes ft. Raven Violet – ‘Blind On A Galloping Horse’ by David Holmes Rachael Lavelle – Big Dreams Big Dreams by Rachael Lavelle Phil Kieran – The Strand Cinema Live Nealo, Morgana, Uly, Rach – Cereal Alpha Chrome Yayo – Heart Engine Heart Engine by Alpha Chrome Yayo Two Nice Catholic Boys – Never Wonder John Francis Flynn – Kitty…