• Autre Monde – Sensitive Assignments

    October 11, 2023 - By 

    It feels fitting for Dublin label/collective Popical Island to re-emerge from hibernation with the release of this second album by Autre Monde – something of a supergroup of Popical Island alumni, fronted by Paddy Hanna along with members of Ginnels, No Monster Club and Land Lovers. Produced once again by Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, on Sensitive Assignments the quartet stray further still from the more conventional indie pop of their early singles, taking the more synth-heavy direction of 2020 LP The Imaginary Museum into deeper oddball territory than ever before. While the excellently titled ‘Road to Domestos’ – an ode…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 23rd June

    June 23, 2023 - By 

    It’s been another stellar week for Irish music. Here’s the very best tracks and releases from Gemma Hayes, Midnight Wayne, Saint Sister, Tandem Felix, Sister Fenix, Search Results, Proper Mirco NV, Mik Pyro & May Kay, Autre Monde and more. Gemma Hayes – High and Low Midnight Wayne – Get What You Got Saint Sister – Where I Shound End Remixes Tandem Felix – There’s a New Sheriff in Town Search Results – Flower Rock Rain Proper Micro NV – Never Go On Sister Fenix – Gentle Life EP Autre Monde – Sensitive Assignment, Parts 1-4 Sensitive Assignment, Parts 1-4…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – March 3rd

    March 3, 2023 - By 

    It’s Bandcamp Friday once again, and it’s been yet another stacked week for Irish releases. Dig into the best of them featuring Lankum, Aoife Nessa Frances, Gareth Quinn Redmond, Conor Mason, Hands Up Who Wants To Die and more Lankum – The New York Trader False Lankum by Lankum Aoife Nessa Frances – Automatic Love Automatic Love by Aoife Nessa Frances Gareth Quinn Redmond – Ar Ais Aris Ar Ais Arís by Gareth Quinn Redmond Hands Up Who Wants To Die – Nil All HANDS UP WHO WANTS TO DIE – Nil all by FONORADAR brawni – Amber Brawni –…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Tracks of 2019 (#75-51)

    December 17, 2019 - By 

    In the second of a four-part series, we continue our island-spanning, genre-leaping countdown of the best Irish tracks released in 2019, from Belfast alt-pop trailblazer Rebekah Fitch to a truly stellar track courtesy of Ordnance Survey. Miss out on 100-76? Go here to catch up. 75. Rebekah Fitch – Poison 74. New Pagans – Charlie Has the Face of a Saint 73. Casavettes – Imposter Syndrome Imposter Syndrome by Casavettes 72. Not I – Please, No Kindness, Please 71. Sorbet – Born Purple (feat. mickeykiiatein) Born Purple by SORBET 70. Autre Monde – On The Record 69. His Father’s Voice – In…

  • A Litany of Failures Announce Volume III and Fundraising Gig

    October 21, 2019 - By 

    After triumphant failures in 2018 and 2016, A Litany Of Failures – an independent, cross-border compilation series featuring the best in alternative Irish music – is back.  Ahead of another double-vinyl release in July 2020, A Litany Of Failures is curating a series of fundraiser gigs around Ireland. These will feature the curdled cream of the indie scene, with the first gig taking place on Friday 25th October in JaJa Studios in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7.  A BYOB show, music on the night comes from Belfast indie psych quartet Junk Drawer – check out their NI Music Prize-nominated single ‘Year of the Sofa‘ – the Paddy Hanna fronted…

  • Watch: Autre Monde ‘On The Record’

    October 7, 2019 - By 

    Autre Monde have returned with their second new single of the year, ‘On The Record’. Following summer’s ‘Fever In May’, the Dublin supergroup of sorts comprising Padraig Cooney, Paddy Hanna, Eoghan O’Brien and Mark Chester are joined by saxophonist Félim Gormley and guest vocalist Naoise Roo on the typically bockety indie-pop number. Set to appear on the band’s forthcoming LP debut, The Imaginary Museum, the lyrics to ‘On The Record’ confront “the addiction to making pop songs and irresponsibly chasing the perma-receding horizon of professional musicianship”. The Imaginary Museum is slated for release via Strange Brew – also home to…

  • Paddy Hanna – Frankly, I Mutate

    February 14, 2018 - By 

    It’s been a long time coming, but singer-songwriter Paddy Hanna‘s new album Frankly, I Mutate, is upon us through Strange Brew on March 2. This follows his 2014 debut album, Leafy Stiletto, and the string of strong singles he’s since released – the likes of ‘Unprotected’ and ‘Bad Boys‘. Also the frontman of supergroup Autre Monde, it’s a long-held view of ours that Hanna is one of Ireland’s most accomplished true songwriters; elusive, nuanced, capable of broad truths, while invoking the kind of Elvis Costello, Jarvis Cocker or Scott Walker-esque dark humour & vulnerability that catches one offguard in an otherwise ’70s pop tune. Frankly, I Mutate is filled with rich, retro-current…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 15 Irish EPs of 2017

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    Looking back at the sheer breath and wealth of EPs that were released from artists across the country this year made us giddy with joy and excitement. The boundless evolution of style, diversity, experimentation and confidence on display in 2017 was as momentous as we had ever seen or heard and, as such, narrowing this list down to 15 was no easy task. The following is a list of artists who we felt pushed themselves to new, ambitious heights and creative territories this year, who delivered both on record and in live settings and who proudly represented the fecund growth…