• Premiere: Zizou – Living On A Plateau

    February 14, 2020 - By 

    Zizou is the brand new solo project of Mathieu Doogan – also singer & multi-instrumentalist with Dublin slack post-punks Angular Hank. Today marks the grand unveiling of his debut single, ‘Living On A Plateau’. Recorded and produced by Mark Belsky, and written in Montreál before Doogan relocated to Dublin, the project’s name comes from Mathieu’s French granny (“born before Zidane”). Striking that perfect combination of the emotional nuance and songwriting mastery of Sparklehorse and Wilco, it’s a wistful series of vivid, scattershot, kitchen sink portraits of those 20s wilderness years. The blurb reads: “It’s partly about nudity, partly about urban planning, mainly about the…

  • Monday Mixtape: Cherym

    February 10, 2020 - By 

    From Pixies to Lana Del Rey, Hannah Richardson, Nyree Porter and Alannagh Doherty aka Derry pop-rock trailblazers Cherym take us on a guided tour of their all-time favourite songs. Photo by Ciara McMullan Hannah Charly Bliss – Black Hole Charly Bliss are ultimately my favourite band. This was the first song I heard of theirs. I love how Evas sugary sweet vocals are complimented by the fuzziness of the guitars. The music video for this is everything you expect it to be, full of colour and glitter. Literally everything I have ever loved in a band. Tancred – Sell My Head…

  • Stream: DJ Limewire x Post Punk Podge – Stuck In The System

    February 7, 2020 - By 

    Photo by Eilis Walsh Talismanic Limerick rapper Post Punk Podge has a knack for cutting through to Ireland’s most uncomfortable truths, and one day ahead of the next Irish general election, the Direct Provision system – swept under the carpet by most leading politicians – is in his scope. ‘Stuck In The System’ is a collaboration with DJ Limewire – aka Cathal of Bleeding Heart Pigeons – whose beats accompany Podge with apt clautrophobia and dissonance. As many of you know, Direct Provision is essentially this generation’s Magdalene Laundries. A system in place for over two decades, asylum seekers become institutionalised, having been given just…

  • 10 for ’20: Son Zept

    February 7, 2020 - By 

    In the second installment of 10 for ’20 – our new series previewing ten Irish acts we’re convinced are set for great things in 2020 and beyond – Stevie Lennox introduces one of the most forward-thinking, fast-rising electronic artists, Belfast polymath Son Zept. Photo by Niall Fegan We last chatted to Liam McCartan, aka Son Zept, in 2018 when his debut Q2B EP was released in the early days of his PhD at Belfast’s Sonic Arts Research Centre. A maximalist series of curveballing deconstructed club pieces that landed in the ears of Objekt – who has been closing sets with its cuts – and Avalon…

  • 10 for ’20: Acid Granny

    February 4, 2020 - By 

    In the first installment of 10 for ’20 – our new series previewing ten Irish acts we’re convinced are set for great things in 2020 and beyond – Justin McDaid introduces one of the country’s most singular live acts, Dublin quartet Acid Granny. Photo by Ivan Rakhmanin There’s a celebrated quote on a famous theory attributed to a clever man. Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with Acid Granny for an hour and it seems like time is being pulped into some sort of amniotic goo where we all converge…

  • Stream: Bedrooms – Bus Lanes

    February 4, 2020 - By 

    One listen to ‘Bus Lanes’ and it may comes as no surprise to discover that Dublin indie quartet Bedrooms tip their sonic hat to such luminaries such as Dinosaur Jr, Galaxie 500, Guided by Voices and Pavement. In fact, they go one further and wear the imprint of Galaxie 500 firmly on their sleeve on their new single (reader: this will never be a bad thing.) Doubling up as their third single to date – following ‘Chico’s Bodega’ and ‘Chunky’ last year – the band’s latest effort is the first of two tracks recently recorded with Daniel Fox of Girl Band. Clocking…

  • EP Premiere: Panik Attaks – White Water Rafting

    February 3, 2020 - By 

    There’s timely releases, then there’s White Water Rafting by Dublin five-piece Panik Attaks. Clocking in under 10 minutes, it’s a searing and supremely fucked-off blitz, brimming with full-blown righteous indignation aimed squarely at Varadkar and other such paltry cunts clinging to power. A pay-what-you-like release on Bandcamp, the fury and fist-clenched bombast of tracks like ‘Fear’ and ‘Fire In The Hole’ is nothing short of thrilling to behold. Have a first listen to the release – and have a first look at the video to lead single and outright EP highlight ‘The Boom Is Back ‘ below. White Water Rafting by Panik Attaks

  • SPIES Announce Split, Whelans Farewell Show

    January 29, 2020 - By 

    After ten years, Dublin five-piece SPIES have announced they are to split. Having re-emerged back in 2018 after a three-year hiatus, with the sublime Constancy in tow, the Michael Broderick-fronted band announced the news via social media today. In a statement – which also revealed that their show at Whelans on February 15th will be their last – the band said, “The five of us have had an amazing time playing music together over the last 10 years but we feel the time is right ot move on.” Read the full statement below. All the very best to the guys…

  • Stream: Ciaran Lavery – Can I Begin Again

    January 27, 2020 - By 

    Over the last few years, Ciaran Lavery has proven himself to be, in both song and approach, much more than your cut-and-dry, run-of-the-mill singer-songwriter. The globetrotting Northern Irish artist’s gestation as a songwriting voice, from the days of his old band, Captain Kennedy, via albums such as Sweet Decay and Let Bad In, right up until the present moment has been nothing short of remarkable. All along the way, his clear reluctance to kowtow to expectation has informed easily one of the most colourful and consistently rewarding trajectories of any Irish solo artist in recent years. Lavery’s new single ‘Can…

  • Premiere: Robbie Stickland – Lizard

    January 16, 2020 - By 

    We’re pleased to present a first listen to the debut single from Dublin musician Robbie Stickland. Tackling issues of body dysmorphia and self-care head-on, ‘Lizard’ is a compelling opening gambit from the artist, who is something of a cult figure in Dublin’s indie scene. Having already supported the likes of Fontaines D.C and Paddy Hanna under his previous moniker Spongebob Eyelashes, the song is the first to be taken from Stickland’s forthcoming debut LP, Warm Jeans in the Morning. Speaking about the self-produced track, Stickland said, “I wrote it to explore the relationship I have had with myself over the…