• Gnarkats – The Dreamer

    March 3, 2021 - By 

    Grunge-pop outfit Gnarkats explore themes of heartbreak and insecurity on their new EP, The Dreamer. The three-piece Belfast band, consisting of Louis Nelson, Stuart Robinson and Jordan Evans, examine the ups and downs of love through the lens of an insecure protagonist, grappling to speak his truth while battling with his emotions.  The EP opens with ‘Dreamers’, a bombastic single with riffs and drum rhythms that call to mind the likes of Biffy Clyro. It sets the tone for what’s to follow, with a nod to themes of insignificance and the journey to self-acceptance as Nelson states that he’s “tired…

  • Yurtis Mayfield – Round Trip

    March 2, 2021 - By 

    The first thing the viewer sees is a strip of bright light, shining in front of the rocky path at their feet. Then the framing comes into focus, a dark cave coloured by lush greenery. It’s a glimpse at paradise, but it’s also the album art for Round Trip, the debut release from Galway DJ-turned-producer Yurtis Mayfield aka Adam Ryan. It fuses themes of science and environmentalism within electronic trappings, exploring the realisation that earth’s endangered grandeur is best recognised after a period of inner and outer space travel. Ryan covers these ideas in a pleasingly eclectic selection, incorporating pulsing…

  • This Ship Argo – Always the Bees: Never the Honey

    February 16, 2021 - By 

    Belfast’s Aileen McKenna, aka This Ship Argo, named her new album, Always the Bees: Never the Honey, after an old Irish curse: “May you find the bees but not the honey”. With a vengeful origin encased in natural imagery, it is a fitting title for an album that dwells first on negative emotions, only to later dispel them through pastoral sonic escape. The electronic compositions across these nine-tracks are deceptively low-key. McKenna includes a run of instrumental tracks in the first half, which reward close listening. She pays attention to each track’s subtle development, with peripheral sounds reappearing as primary…

  • Black Country, New Road – For the first time

    February 22, 2021 - By 

    Overnight success is so hot right now, and Black Country, New Road are the latest craze. The sextet formed in Cambridge in the summer of 2018 from the ashes of another project. A performance at London’s Brixton Windmill caught the attention of producer Dan Carey (Squid, Fontaines D.C., black midi), who swiftly ushered them into his studio in Streatham to record their debut single, ‘Athens, France’, released in January 2019. The track, which boasted the best Slint riff this side of Spiderland alongside some striking saxophone and shimmering keys, inspired the usual music press hyperbole; the latest outpouring of praise…

  • R.A.P. Ferreira – Bob’s Son: R.A.P. Ferreira in the Garden Level Café of the Scallops Hotel Bob’s Son

    February 11, 2021 - By 

    R.A.P. Ferreira in the Garden Level Café of the Scallops Hotel, the full title of the latest project from Rory Allen Philip Ferreira, aka R.A.P. Ferreira (aka Scallops Hotel, fka milo) is, according to the his Bandcamp “this album is an ode to the poet bob kaufman / the inventor of frink and beat / the progenitor of abomunism / the chief bomkoff / connoisseur of oatmeal cookies.” There are few rap artists as singular or prolific as Ferreira. The Chicago-born, Nashville-based rapper has released at least one project a year since his Greatest Hits Vol.1 debut mixtape (as Nom…

  • Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams

    January 29, 2021 - By 

    Reflecting on the trials and joys of young adulthood, the eagerly anticipated debut album from young Londoner Arlo Parks basks in the nostalgia of teen love, friendship and heartache, and explores sexuality and mental health in a tone that is both vulnerable and self-assured. With a mature indie-pop sound, Parks divulges sensitive and personal subjects with a complexity that extends beyond her years. At just 20, Arlo Parks has already begun to make her mark on the music industry. With two EPs under her belt, the songwriter has quickly gained a loyal following and earned praise from renowned musicians including…

  • Bicep – Isles

    February 2, 2021 - By 

    To create a dance record during a pandemic must be a particularly daunting task. What’s the point of club music when there’s nowhere to dance? Nonetheless, Belfast-bred, London-based duo Bicep rose to take on this arduous task. The duo’s 2017 self-titled debut was lauded upon its release for its sleek, contemporary take on classic UK dance sounds. 2-step, garage and house music were all present, led by the euphoric ‘Glue’, itself now a go-to soundtrack for car advertisements and social media influencer story posts alike. Isles was pre-empted by the duo as a “home listening” version of what was really…

  • IndieCork – Still, Life – Cork’s Lockdown Sounds

    January 26, 2021 - By 

    As the world settled uncomfortably into lockdown last spring, the impulse to document and artistically interpret this cataclysmic moment was felt by many. Still, Life – Cork’s Lockdown Sounds is the IndieCork collective’s contribution to that global documentation, a 17-track snapshot of Cork’s experimental music scene compiled by Tony Langlois and Arty Pawsey. Compiling work created during spring 2020, it shows creative life continuing, confined to bedrooms and houses, with all its joy, fear, anxiety and beauty shining through. It is an eclectic mix, but a consistent thread is found in the electronics that pulse through Cork’s leftfield. The collection…

  • Shame – Drunk Tank Pink

    February 1, 2021 - By 

    London post-punks Shame’s sophomore album, Drunk Tank Pink, had a lot to live up to. After finding breakthrough success with their 2018 debut Songs of Praise, Shame have risen in stature thanks to their accomplished, energetic sound. Drunk Tank Pink builds upon everything that was so impressive from their first album, amplifying their typically whiney guitars, brilliantly erratic drums and rebellious energy, adding new layers to their songwriting talent and a boat load of cheekiness to boot. This time around, the raucous quintet touch on the common anxieties that underlie the transition from youth to adulthood, with frontman Charlie Steen…