• Album Premiere/Q+A: Bamboo – Prince Pansori Priestess

    January 21, 2016 - By 

    Comprised of Rachel Horwood and Nick Carlisle (originally from Northern Ireland) London duo Bamboo are a curious proposition in the most nonpareil sense of the term. Melding influence from various folk tradition with far-reaching synth-pop, their sound (and new debut album, Prince Pansori Priestess) is a feat of spirit and ingenuity. We chat to the pair about their craft and process. Hi Nick, Bamboo are based in London but you’re originally from Northern Ireland. Did you make music or play as part of any band(s) when you were based here? Nick: The first band I was serious about was Peepholes, a band I am (still) doing with…

  • Stream: Goldie Fawn – Savages

    January 21, 2016 - By 

    Having launched the project back in early 2014, Belfast’s Katie Richardson AKA Goldie Fawn has never been one to conceal her outlook on the inner workings of what it means or feels to be an artist. Mirroring the largely contemplative nature of her electro-inflected pop craft, the accompanying proviso to her long-awaited debut single as Goldie Fawn, ‘Savages’, taps into the uncertainty and spectre of self-doubt that all often too creeps in uninvited. “On of the biggest frustrations of being a musician/artist can bee sitting on work for months or even years until ‘the right time,’” Richardson says. “Sometimes this magical…

  • Stream: Wyvern Lingo – Letter to Willow

    January 20, 2016 - By 

    Off the back of the release of their cover of Hozier’s Run (which we covered here), Bray trio Wyvern Lingo’s new single ‘Letter to Willow’ reveals a band brimming with confidence ahead of what’s almost certain to be a massive few months. Brilliantly bobbing and funk-inflected in all the right places, the song is driven forth with a nicely understated groove allowing exceptionally-crafted harmonies and the threesome’s seasoned musicianship to take centre-stage. ‘Letter to Willow’ is the title track from Wyvern Lingo’s forthcoming EP, set for release on March 4. The band play Dublin’s Button Factory on Friday, April 1.

  • Watch: Cry Monster Cry – Old At Heart

    January 19, 2016 - By 

    Dublin alt-pop brother duo Richie and Jamie Martin AKA Cry Monster Cry well and truly made their arrival with the release of their acclaimed debut album, Rhythm of Dawn, last March. A highlight from that, their new single ‘Old at Heart’ tells a tale of what it means to belong and exist in a sprawling urban jungle, where disconnection and wearing a mask to get by are all but two sides of the same coin. Tempering the stark reality with quiet, almost romantic objectivity – helped along with the song’s delicate acoustic arpeggios and warm electric swells – it makes for the pair’s strongest single…

  • Inbound: Mongrel State

    January 19, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of the launch of their their debut album, Mestizo, at Dublin’s Whelan’s on Saturday, January 30, we get the lowdown on Dublin-based Americana-tinged rockers Mongrel State. Photos by Brian Mulligan. Hi guys, first off, for the unacquainted: when did you form how did the band come about? Was it destiny? Compromise? Start off as a Boney M cover band and decide to keep it going with original material? Darren Flynn (bass/vocals): Hah! No, not Boney M! Claudio (Mercante; guitar/vocals) and I originally met when he joined a cover band I was in – more old school rock n’ roll though (lots of Stones…

  • Stream: Bear Worship – Our Friends

    January 18, 2016 - By 

    Evoking everything from the chamber folk balladry of Department of Eagles to the floaty dream-pop of Candy Claws, ‘Our Friends’ by Dublin’s Karl Knuttel AKA Bear Worship is a track revolving around the ever fractious realms of belonging/non-belonging and friendship. Released as a Double A-Side alongside ‘Pagodas’, the opening decree of the track – “I don’t belong here at all” – most certainly holds a sense of import throughout its four-odd minutes of brilliantly burrowing, subtly infectious chimera. Heck, we’ll go out on a limb here: four/five listens in, it’s one of the best tracks from an Irish solo artist we’ve heard in ages.

  • Stream: Hot Cops – Passive Passive

    January 18, 2016 - By 

    Tipping the proverbial hat to a profusion of well-established indie-rock hallmarks whilst successfully maintaining a unique sonic identity is no mean feat in 2016. Belfast trio Hot Cops‘ are one such act who fall under that slimmest of brackets – something their diffident, zig-zagging new single ‘Passive Passive’ nicely attests to. Stream it via Soundcloud below. ‘Passive Passive’ and it’s b-side ‘Scared of Everything’ will be released on teal vinyl via Paper Trail Records (limited to 100 copies) on February 8.

  • 16 For 16: Naoise Roo

    January 18, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For 16 – in which we profile sixteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going to do great things this year – Stevie Lennox lauds Dublin chanteuse Naoise Roo. Photo by Pedro Giaquinto Dublin’s Naoise Roo is a rare talent who arrived seemingly fully-formed, arriving last year with her debut release in the form of the full band LP, Lilith, resulting in slots at Electric Picnic, Vantastival and Valentia Island. She’s fortunate enough to possess one of the most evocative and texturally-rich voices on the island, and skilled enough to match it with a knack…

  • Premiere: Tuskany – Better Time

    January 15, 2016 - By 

    Formed in mid 2015 as a writing project on the side from their respective musical ventures, Belfast indie-pop trio Tuskany are Owen McGarry, Mick McDowell and Thomas Bannon. A new-fangled act in the truest sense of the word, the band’s debut single ‘Better Time’ is a slick, funk-tinged effort that wastes very little time in declaring its FM-leaning intentions. With an EP set for later in the year, the band said: “The writing process was rather casual though after time we started to treat it like a full time job, giving ourselves certain days during the week to write as many songs as we…

  • Stream: Wyvern Lingo – Run (Hozier Cover)

    January 14, 2016 - By 

    One of our favourite Irish acts at the minute, Bray trio Wyvern Lingo will launch their debut, four-track EP, Letter to Willow via Rubyworks on Friday, March 4 – three days after playing their biggest Dublin show to date at Dublin’s Button Factory on Friday, April 1. Currently on tour in the UK with Hozier, the trio have unveiled a rendition of their fellow Wicklow artist’s ‘Run’. Very nicely capturing their keen ear for harmony, it’s a first-rate re-imagining from a band who came to the forefront of our attention with the release of ‘Subside‘ last year. Wyvern Lingo also play Galway’s Roisin Dubh on…