• “Is There Ever NOT More To Say About the Institutional Oppression of Women?” – M(h)aol Release First Single in 5 Years

    October 5, 2020 - By 

    Having releasing one single (‘Clementine‘ – featuring guest vocals from none other than Dara Kiely) in 2015, laying out a pointed intersection feminist & animal welfare-centred manifesto across their raw, visceral 15-minute sets, fast becoming one of the most talked-about bands in Dublin – their bassist the titular Jamie on Girl Band’s debut album – before inexplicably withdrawing with the same unpredictable energy they rode in with, M(h)aol, are the stuff of punk legend. As you well know, the intervening years in a post-referendum and post-Girl Band Irish landscape have seen a seismic transformation – with peak post-punk dude fecundity. Things were supposed to improve. Women were to experience something resembling equal representation on every…

  • Premiere: nimf – Space

    October 1, 2020 - By 

    Kaleidoscopic Wicklow sugar-pop performance artist nimf has returned with new single ‘Space’. Its production is as synapse-firing it is personal, a bricolage that effortlessly conjures the 3D candied earfloss dreamscapes nimf speaks of when discussing its themes of imagination, and “the beautiful worlds within our own minds”, which open up “endless possibilities when overwhelmed by the day-to-day” on when left to our own devices. Certainly, the young singer-songwriter’s singles thus far are not just accomplished as elements of a bigger body of pop artistry, but of an already fully-realised sound world. Listen to ‘Space’: nimf · Space

  • Watch: MuRli – Till The Wheels Fall Off

    September 28, 2020 - By 

    If you told us MuRli didn’t sleep we’d believe you. Hands down one of the busiest heads in the scene, the Limerick rapper, producer, songwriter and Narolane Records co-founder has made lockdown, and the strange no-mans-hand we currently inhabit, work for him. Right off the back of a breathtaking takeover at the National Concert Hall alongisde Denise Chaila and God Knows last night, the video for new single ‘Till The Wheels Fall Off’ is power and joy in inclusivity distilled. Filmed at Dublin’s Dalymount Park, check it out below

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – September 25th

    September 25, 2020 - By 

    Once again, it’s been a ridiculously strong week for Irish music throughout. Here’s the very best, from Post Punk Podge & TPM’s toxic masculinity takedown, wonderfully-constructed modern classic pop from Paddy Hanna, CMAT, Wyvern Lingo, Jackie Beverly, Dark Tropics, twisted Donegal Lynchisms from Shammen Delly, Bitch Falcon’s dreamy post-punk, and the inimitable Myles Manley, and wonderful new EPs from Gadget & the Cloud and Damien Lynch. Denise Chaila, Sorcha Richardson, God Knows, Murli – Out The Gaff Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies feat. TPM – Hard Man Paddy Hanna – Sinatra Cmat – I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby! Myles Manley –…

  • Watch: Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies feat. TPM – Hard Man

    September 22, 2020 - By 

    If there’s a scene in Ireland right now that best embodies the power of a diverse, unified voice for disseminating positive change, then it’s without a doubt the hip-hop community. An all-star pairing of independent acts, Limerick’s Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies have paired with Dundalk counterparts TPM to give toxic masculinity the acerbic skewering it needs in a collaboration that more than delivers on its ear-watering potential. Podge, no stranger to exploring personal and societal issues without filter or pontification, tells us: “it’s a comedic look at the nature of being a ‘hardman’, and how those who portray machoism in a very direct way are often masking their own vulnerability.…

  • Stream: Our Krypton Son – Bloodletting

    September 18, 2020 - By 

    A highlight from his recently-released third album Modern Ruins, ‘Bloodletting’ captures exactly what sets Derry singer-songwriter Chris McConaghy aka Our Krypton Son apart. Distilling the essence of his latest LP down to four minutes of sublime balladry, weaving Sun Kil Moon-like classical guitar arpeggios with skeletal beats and Cohen-esque refrains, it’s gossamer yet hard-hitting in all the right places. Speaking about the track, McConaghy said, “’Bloodletting’ is a medical procedure no longer offered on the NHS. It’s also fisticuffs in the street, in the bedroom, in the shadowy vestiges of a dream. It’s an I love you and I’m sorry…

  • Premiere: Mark Loughrey – Nothing But A Truth / Strangled Birds

    September 16, 2020 - By 

    Having relocated to Berlin in 2017 shortly after the release of debut album Treppenwitz, Sion Mills, Tyrone native Mark Loughrey is back with his first release in three years. Loughrey’s stay in Berlin  has seen him engage with and draw inspiration from its community, with A-side ‘Nothing But A Truth’ being another marked progression from a songwriter who effortlessly marries his own fernweh with a voyeuristic glimpse at the lives and insights of strangers. The single is taken from his forthcoming home-recorded EP, On Through the Veil Anew, completed during a period of self-isolation. As Loughrey tells us, “each track was written to a third person, and all address change in some way, be it physical, spiritual,…

  • Watch: SORBET – Birth (My First Day)

    September 16, 2020 - By 

    Ahead of the release of his debut solo EP, Life Variations this Friday, producer/songwriter/vocalist – and bandleader with Robocobra Quartet – Chris Ryan, AKA SORBET has lifted the cloche on the video for opening track ‘Birth (My First Day)’, which conjures the all-too-real sensation of impostor syndrome. Directed by Dominic Curran with AR motion graphics by Fabiano Benetton, the piece is a magic-realism expression of the singular, otherworldly feeling of the writing alone through his period of home-studio isolation. The seed of Life Variations grew from meditations upon two piano chords to which Ryan was repeatedly and profoundly drawn. Each of its three tracks takes this notion and explores cyclical threads and progression through key stages…

  • Premiere: Kate Nicholson – Freedom Calls

    September 11, 2020 - By 

    It’s safe to say that solidarity and hope are more vital than ever. It’s something artists across the globe have been expressing over the last few months, not least in the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. Kate Nicholson is one such artist. Hailing from Draperstown in Co. Derry, and currently based in the North Coast, her debut single ‘Freedom Calls’ is a rallying cry written in the days following the death of Floyd back in May. Drawing inspiration the likes of The Cranberries, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix, the track was recorded and producer by Michael Mormecha in the…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – September 11th

    September 11, 2020 - By 

    From right across the island, here’s the very best Irish tracks of the week, featuring Róisín Murphy, Ciaran Lavery, Æ MAK, Ailbhe Reddy, Sam Comerford, Arvo Party and more Róisín Murphy – Something More (Soulwax Remix) Æ MAK – wedding day Ciaran Lavery – Count To Ten (CUT-Remix) Ailbhe Reddy – Looking Happy For Those I Love – I Have a Love Sam Comerford – Last Light Out Stillorgan by Thunderblender Arvo Party – God Is In The Window  Somebody’s Child – We Could Start a War (Le Boom Remix) Rebekah Fitch – Dust Gareth Dunlop – In a Hundred Years