• Chatting To The Cheesemonger: An Interview with Danny Carroll

    A quintessential indie rock showman-turned-millennial songsmith in the classical mode, we have a chat with Danny Carroll ahead of the release of his solo debut LP I Am The Cheese, out this Friday. Your debut LP I Am The Cheese shares its title with a 1977 young adult fiction novel, written by Robert Cormier. Could you tell us about the poignancy of that title to yourself and this body of work? It’s a book I read when I was 12 and was pretty haunted by. The final lines of the novel refer back to the folk song ‘The Farmer In…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Releases of 2023

    When we signed off our top releases of 2022 this time last year with “Your move, 2023,” we honestly couldn’t fathom what was to come. With Elaine Howley, Gilla Band, Aoife Nessa Frances and One Eye One Leg among countless heavy hitters in a truly banner twelve months, there was a sense that, for all our limitless belief in what sets us apart as an island, we had hit a bit of a peak – one to be equalled, at best, in the coming twelve months. Blessedly, how wrong we were. Lifting our collective jaw off the floor to compile…

  • A Litany of Failures: Volume IV is Announced

    Irish compilation series A Litany of Failures, which features independent acts from all corners of the island, has just announced the pre-order and tracklisting for its fourth volume.  Set for release on double vinyl and digitally on September 8th, it’s available via Bandcamp. The compilation features 22 brand new, exclusive tracks from some of our favourite acts on the island, as well as some exciting new prospects. The double vinyl set once again features artwork by Pipe & Pallet, and the first 30 pre-orders feature a bespoke print from Belfast-based artist Phantom Powered Pixels.  The Litany of Failures series aims to document the grassroots music community…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 9th June

    Honestly, how is it not Bandcamp Friday? Delve into the best Irish tracks and releases of the week from Problem Patterns, Chubby Cat, Aoife Wolf, The Low Field, Slouch, Brand New Friend, Akrobat, Mineral Stunting and more Problem Patterns – Letter of Resignation Chubby Cat – 21st Century Panic Attack The Low Field – ‘Heaviness/Tachycardia’ Heaviness / Tachycardia by The Low Field Aoife Wolf – A Ringing in the Ear Slouch – I Get What’s Mine Akrobat – Air Station 2.0 Brand New Friend – Talk It Out Ezra Williams – Skin Sprints – Adore Adore Adore Trophy Wife –…

  • Video Premiere: Slouch – I Get What’s Mine

    Rising tides, self-help gurus, pricey new age answers to the unanswerable, unfettered capitalism, shitposting, a new video from Slouch; these are the harbingers of end times. Out today – and directed by Hugh Cannon – the video for their odyssey on the alpha male phenomenon, ‘I Get What’s Mine’ is a maelstrom of all of the above and more. It channels the likes of Ween and Brainiac, condensed into the kind of omni-layered satirical slacker noise they’ve near enough mastered. Long one of the most interesting bands operating in the Irish indie rock sphere, Dublin quartet Slouch have been working away behind closed doors on new material,…

  • Hamer Place Releases Debut Single ‘A Tribute To Tina’

    As a member of Postcard Versions, Safe Neighbourhood, and Oh Boland, Ross Hamer’s place in the furniture of Dublin indie rock furniture is fairly well cemented. Enter new project Hamer Place and debut single ‘A Tribute To Tina’, another joyous guitar-led nugget brimming with all the immediacy you’d come to expect from him. Led by Hamer, the band features David Tapley, Hugh O’Dwyer and Neil Dexter, and was recorded by O’Dwyer in Hodland Studio earlier this year. On ‘Tribute To Tina’, Ross told us: “I’ve written lots of songs in my life, mostly miserable ones, but recently I felt like a change. Inspired by some of the greatest musicians of…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 31st March

    Stretching across synth-pop, fuzzed-out riffs, hip-hop, psych and beyond, here’s our selection of the best tracks from every corner of Ireland this week. Everything Shook – Blacking Out Blacking Out by Everything Shook Loud Motive – Money Jealous of the Birds – Morse Code Lemonade Shoelace – I Think My Heart Is Set On You Daniel Luke – Chatterbox 1000 Beasts – Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Bardot by 1000 Beasts Cinder Well – A Scorched Lament Badhands – For A Little While The Wheel by Badhands ZOiD – Internal Space Element Internal Space Element by ZOiD Dutch Schultz – Whose Is…

  • Watch: Gilla Band – Sports Day

    Gilla Band have dropped a new single, ‘Sports Day’. The b-side to Eight Fivers – which was accompanied by the announcement of their third album Most Normal last July – it’s a slowly unfurling and suitably stifling effort from the Dublin quartet. Today, the band have also announced four more UK/EU dates in what’s shaping up to be a busy schedule in 2023.  Check those and Michael Speed’s visuals for ‘Sports Day’ below.

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

    As we rapidly approach our 10th birthday in May, it’s safe to say we’ve never been as assured of the game-changing depth and breadth of independent music on these shores. Granted, it could well be a hallucination caused by the sway of the ever-present now, but has it truly ever been better? Spending time with the following albums, EPs & compilations, spanning every sub-genre under the winter sun, we would need some persuading. Your move, 2023. Revisit our Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2022 100. Peng Weng – Six Of The Best Of The Worst Of Peng Weng Six Of…

  • Merchy Christmas Set for The Grand Social

    The third annual Merchy Christmas takes over the Grand Social this weekend. Organised by One Stop Band Shop, it’s set to be another unmissable two days at the Dublin venue, with over 60 Irish acts coming together to sell their merch for a great cause. Taking place from 11am to 5pm on Saturday, 17th December and Sunday 18th, the get-together will feature pop-up stalls Aoife Nessa Frances, Gilla Band, Lankum, Junior Brother, Loah, Acid Granny, Gemma Dunleavy and many more. Check out the full list of artists below. At the heart of the annual event is a fundraising drive to combat…