• Stream: Saint Sister – Blood Moon

    October 12, 2015 - By 

    Having made a big impression at Hard Working Class Heroes last weekend, Irish duo Gemma Doherty and Morgan MacIntyre AKA Saint Sister have hit the ground sprinting with their new single, ‘Blood Moon’. Taken from the band’s forthcoming Madrid EP – set for released via Trout Records on October 30 – the track is a brilliantly earworming three minutes of drifting and empyrean folk-pop. Madrid was recorded in a short, “intense” session at County Kerry’s Noise studio by Alex Ryan of Hozier. Stream ‘Blood Moon’ below. Photos by Deborah Sheedy.

  • My Tribe Your Tribe – Ghost With You

    October 8, 2015 - By 

    The follow-up to the sublime ‘Will To Survive‘ – one of our favourite Irish tracks of the year thus far – Dublin’s My Tribe Your Tribe are back with a new single, ‘Ghost With You’. Marking their expansion to a three-piece with multi-instrumentalist Colm Daffy entering the fold, the track – yet another instantly impressive slice of anthemic indie-pop from the George Mercer-fronted band – is accompanied with a self-made video featuring the band playing and recording the single. Check out the video below.

  • Watch: Sleep Thieves – High

    October 8, 2015 - By 

    Set to play New York next week, Dublin threesome Sleep Thieves have unveiled the video for their new single, ‘High’. Directed by Canada-based Irish artist and filmmaker Claire Byrne in Toronto, the video presents an otherworldly Arcadia of tripped-out, anonymous fantasy land; one that fuses extremely well with the Sorcha Brennan-fronted trio’s dusky electro-pop.

  • Premiere: Empty Lungs – ‘Medicine/Bernadette’

    October 2, 2015 - By 

    Ahead of launching it at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall on Wednesday, October 7, we’re pleased to present an exclusive first listen to the new double A-side from Belfast alt-punk band Empty Lungs. Tracked by Andy Coles, ‘Medicine/Bernadette’ – was mixed by Chris Ryan and mastered by Dan Coutant in New York – captures the Kev Jones-fronted quartet at their emphatic best. See below for the band’s upcoming tour dates and our premiere of the release. The online sales from Bernadette will be donated to womenonweb.org.

  • Watch: Participant – A Change

    October 1, 2015 - By 

    Featuring images of 1980’s Ireland lifted from a VHS cassette of corporate videos encouraging tourism, the video for ‘A Change’ by Dublin-based musician Stephen Tiernan AKA Participant possesses a curious, otherworldly charm, wonderfully reflected in the track’s jittering, symphonic alt-pop spell. The first single to be lifted from Tiernan’s forthcoming Content EP, the track fuses heartfelt lyrics and field recordings & samples with acoustic guitar and burgeoning ambience; plinking synth notes and synth strings marrying in a haze of experimental pop triumph. Participant performs at Dublin’s Mercantile on Friday night as part of Hard Working Class Heroes 2015 (9.20pm –…

  • Stream: My Tribe Your Tribe – Ghost With You

    September 30, 2015 - By 

    Following a packed summer schedule that included slots at Electric Picnic, Body & Soul, Valentia Isle, Spirit of Folk and Secret Village Festivals, eclectic Kildare duo My Tribe Your Tribe have released their third single this year, ‘Ghost With You’. With their debut album due in 2016, this cut fuses their anthemic pop sensibilities with jagged, alt. rock guitar lines and electro-pop synth use. They play The Academy Green Room this Thursday for Hard Working Class Heroes at 9pm, and you can preview the rest of their material on Bandcamp. ‘Ghost With You’ will be released on October 30, but you can stream it…

  • Premiere: SlowPlaceLikeHome – Cesare’s Principle

    September 25, 2015 - By 

    One of our must-see acts at this year’s Hard Working Class Heroes, Donegal producer Keith Mannion AKA SlowPlaceLikeHome has summoned some spectacular sounds over the last few years. “Finally the album it as supposed to be,” Mannion will released a rebooted version of his sublime debut album, Romola, on October 27. A largely re-recorded version of the original, Mannion says it will close the chapter on the album, with new material planned for early next year. The penultimate track on Romola, we’re very happy to premiere the latest incarnation of Cesare’s Principle, featuring guest vocals by the Masterson sisters. SlowPlaceLikeHome play Dublin’s…

  • Stream: Galants – Out of Sight

    September 24, 2015 - By 

    It comes as no surprise that the five artists listed under the “influences” section of Dublin noise-pop band Galants‘ Facebook page read as a veritable “who’s who” of the genre’s exalted heyday. Evoking the varyingly shimmering, feedback-soaked lulls and barrages of the aforesaid imperial quintet – Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver and Yo La Tengo – their new single ‘Out of Sight’ presents a fleecy levee of fuzz with perfectly languid vocals, throwing back and looking forward in wonderfully realised unison. Throw in Connor Walls’ guest guitar solo – knowingly reminiscent of Lord J Mascis’s more intent-drenched lead forays – and you are very…

  • Stream: Edward F Butler feat. Katharine Philippa – Futures Full

    September 22, 2015 - By 

    Ahead of premiering its (really quite brilliant) video tomorrow, we highly recommend taking five minutes out of your evening to stream ‘Futures Full’, the new single by Edward F Butler featuring Katharine Philippa. Easily two of Northern Ireland’s more idiosyncratic musicians over the last couple of years, a collaboration between the pair should come as little surprise to anyone who has kept up with their respective journeys to date. Having both featured in Oh Yeah Centre’s Scratch My Progress programme (NB: Butler in his previous outfit HOWL) ‘Futures Full – “a song about relationships, purpose and identity – melds the very best…

  • Watch: Runaway Go – Lover to Lover

    September 22, 2015 - By 

    Belfast indie-pop duo Fiona O’Kane and David Jackson AKA Runaway Go have long earned their stripes as one of the country’s finest purveyors of the genre. With their boundlessly compatible vocal styles, the pair’s music has always burst forth with a vitality and joie de vivre that’s never wanting in the realms of pathos and perspective. With their debut album, Alive, set for release in November, the duo have went down the PledgeMusic route with the aim to secure its release. In the meantime, they’ve given us a taste of what to expect from the record in the form of ‘Lover to Lover’, a wonderfully…