• The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2017 (50-1)

    December 8, 2017 - By 

    Boy, was this hard. To say this top 100 countdown could’ve very easily been a top 250 wouldn’t be anything resembling an overstatement. From start to finish, 2017 will go down as one of the most compelling years in Irish music in recent memory. Your move, 2018. Go here for 100-51. 50. Wood Burning Savages – Living Hell 49. Maija Sofia – Persephone 48. Group Zero – Pyramid of Light/Love And The Present 47. Ryan Vail & Jealous of the Birds – Love is a Crow 46. Floor Staff – A Love Sublime 45. Super Silly – Not Ready to…

  • The Altered Hours – On My Tongue EP

    December 8, 2017 - By 

    In many eyes the country’s best band, Cork’s The Altered Hours have just announced details of a forthcoming new EP, On My Tongue, and an accompanying European tour. The follow-up to their stellar 2016 full-length In Heat Not Sorry, the five-piece will release the four-track On My Tongue via Art For Blind Records and Penske Recordings early next year. A typically first-rate effort from the band, lead single ‘Open Wide’ premiered over on Clash. To coincide with the release, the band will also embark on a nine-date European tour across February-April, which incorporates shows on March 29th at Dublin’s DBD Venue, Letterkenny’s Regional Cultural Centre on 30th. Yours truly will…

  • The Altered Hours Announce New EP, European Tour

    December 6, 2017 - By 

    Arguably the country’s best band, Cork’s The Altered Hours have just announced details of a forthcoming new EP and an accompanying European tour. The follow-up to last year’s stellar full-length In Heat Not Sorry, the five-piece will release the four-track On My Tongue via Art For Blind Records and Penske Recordings early next year. A typically first-rate effort from the band, lead single ‘Open Wide’ is currently premiering over on Clash. To coincide with the release, the band will also embark on a nine-date European tour across February-April. Yours truly will host the Belfast date, which will also feature drone pop masters Documenta,…

  • Premiere: Aural Air – The Torpor of Minds

    December 6, 2017 - By 

    It’s released this Friday, December 8, but we’re pleased to premiere today The Torpor of Minds, the debut EP from Aural Air, the project of Sligo native Laura Rai. This EP follows up on her 2016 debut two-track, Edinburgh – both of which are included on this release. The EP is propelled by the pairing of dreamily soaring, ethereal vocals with the kind of ethereal, off-kilter guitar chime you’d hope for on an Angel Olsen, Anna Calvi or Jeff Buckley record. Following a productive 2017 that saw her play the likes of Stendhal Festival and Sligo’s own Live On Air, The Torpor of Minds looks to propel her further again in 2018. With artwork by Tom Doig, it…

  • EP Stream: The Sunshine Factory – Cruelest Animal

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    Cork, ever Ireland’s unexpected cornerstone of hazy psych, can boast another fine release with The Sunshine Factory‘s debut EP proper, Cruelest Animal, the title track of which was released last year following a string of extremely promising demos and homemade recordings. Firmly establishing their neo-psychedelic chops with slots alongside the likes of KXP, The Orange Kyte, and tour support to psychedelic legends The Telescopes on their most recent Irish jaunt it is launched tonight (November 30) at a hometown launch at Crane Lane Theatre. The EP is released through their own independent label, Sunshine Cult Records, and was recorded with Chris Somers at One Chance Out Studios. While Cruelest Animal was recorded a year ago, it seems that a…

  • Five to Two – How Tall Do You Think You Could Grow (If You Wanted To Be So Tall)

    November 25, 2017 - By 

    Dublin jazz outfit Five To Two have just released their debut album at Workman’s Club through Dublin-based indie, Soft Boy Records. The trio, comprising Matthew Breen on piano, Jonah Byrne on double bass & Finn Mac Anna on drums, lean towards a traditional piano-led jazz combo sound, with some of the progressional hallmarks and playfulness of the likes of Kamasi Washington & other contemporary jazz that’s allowed the influence of hip-hop & r’n’b to seep into its blend. It’s out now, available to stream on Spotify, Bandcamp, iTunes and the usuals. Stream it below: How Tall Do You Think You Could…

  • Watch: Silences – L.A

    November 24, 2017 - By 

    Set to play alongside Orchid Collective at Belfast’s Bar Sub tonight, Armagh five-piece Silences have unveiled their new single, ‘L.A’. A strong and typically earworming alt-indie effort from the Conchúr White, it shows the band moving into more full-bodied, electric territory, and is something of a departure from their more acoustic efforts of yore. Accompanied by their most pro visuals to date – courtesy of director Julian Moore Cooke – White said the track stemmed from a realisation Stateside: “I’m proud of the work that has been put in to get to this point and I like that a development can be heard in our catalogue. L.A…

  • Watch: Wastefellow – Enfold You

    November 22, 2017 - By 

    Dublin producer Diolmhain Ingram-Roche AKA Wastefellow has returned with one of his strongest efforts to date, ‘Enfold You’. Featuring visuals from Flann Manning, the single – which is a four-minute traipse of shuffling beats,  thick bass and floaty electronica patterns – is the first in a new series of tracks that Ingram-Roche  aims to put out between now and next Summer. Speaking more about the track, he said: “‘Enfold You’ began as an attempt to write a pop song from somebody who doesn’t necessarily appreciate a lot of pop music. As these pop ideals filtered through my own experiences and workflow, they began…

  • Watch: Slow Place Like Home – Office Dancers

    November 20, 2017 - By 

    Currently working their way around the country on tour, Donegal’s Slow Place Like Home have unveiled the video for their new single ‘Office Dancers’. Shot by Paddy Cahill, directed by Jules Hackett and starring SPLH main man Keith Mannion and Sean McGinley (Braveheart, Love/Hate, Gangs of New York etc.) it’s a first-rate, typically unique accompaniment to the single, filmed entirely in location on Henrietta Street in Dublin. ‘Office Dancers’ is the lead track on SPLH’s new album, When I See You … Ice Cream! Read our review of the album here. Have a peek of the video and check out Slow Place…

  • Watch: The Sunshine Factory – Cruelest Animal

    November 20, 2017 - By 

    Cork’s The Sunshine Factory have steadily earned their reputation as one of the country’s very finest cosmically-inclined propositions. Having shared the stage with the likes of K-X-P and the Orange Kyte, the five-piece will release their highly-anticipated new EP, Cruelest Animal, at Cork’s Crane Lane on November 30. Released today, the title track from the release distils the essence of their neo-psych craft to a tee. A five-minute miasma of hazed-out, slow-burning psych, the song has been granted a whole new dimension of potency via visuals courtesy of For Eyes Creatives. We’re all over this – expect big things from these guys in…