• Video Premiere: Gnarkats – Dreamers

    March 27, 2020 - By 

    Among the many Irish acts to give us some insight into how they’re coping in this unchartered era of self-isolation, Belfast trio Gnarkats know a thing or two about looking on the bright side. On singles such as ‘Take Me Away’, ‘War Cry’ and ‘Enigma’, the band’s slick brand of indie-pop has always felt unapologetically optimistic and forward-looking to its core. Rather than wallow or peer collectively inwards, Louis Nelson, Jordan Evans and Stuart Robinson instead opt to wield hope via their craft. Which is to say, their thoroughly idealistic new single ‘Dreamers’ couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Distilling Gnarkats’…

  • Premiere: Gaze is Ghost – Abacus

    March 23, 2020 - By 

    It’s majorly reassuring to know that, despite these unprecedented times of lockdown and worldly uncertainty, many Irish artists are, despite facing huge limitations, pushing forward and releasing new music as scheduled. One such act is Gaze is Ghost, comprising classically-trained Strabane composer and songwriter Laura McGarrigle, drummer Casey Miller and Keith Mannion aka Slow Place Like Home. Doubling up as the threesome’s first release with Mannion on backing vocals, synths and electronc production, new single ‘Abacus’ is a gossamer and carefully-crafted alt-pop gem confronting themes of environmental destruction, guilt and responsibility, asking “how the individual can respond to issues that threaten to ovewhelm…

  • Premiere: Ghost Office – The Face of Garbo

    March 19, 2020 - By 

    Arguably Belfast’s finest post-punk pragmatists, Ghost Office are back with ‘The Face of Garbo’, the second single from their forthcoming debut album, set for release later this summer. Marrying propulsive – near King Gizzard-esque – psych-flecked chaos with a macro-anthology narrative of fables spanning across time & disciplines, it’s one of their most artistically complete works thus far. The single was produced by bassist Carl Small, with lyrical duties from guitarist/shared vocalist Joe Gilson, who tells us more: “The song tells three stories, of events that cast their makers into myth. The solar eclipse that proved Albert Einstein’s law of relativity, the opera singer Enrico Caruso being threatened…

  • Watch: Joel Harkin – No Recycling

    March 16, 2020 - By 

    The name Joel Harkin is becoming increasingly synonymous with a brand of lo-fi alternative folk that digs a little deeper. Based in Belfast, the Donegal singer-songwriter’s craft brims at every turn with pathos and pure insight, and is rounded off with a melodic sensibility all his very own. Having recently delivered stand-out sets at Output Belfast and Other Voices Ballina, Harkin’s fast rise is masterfully mirrored on new single ‘No Recycling’. The lead single from his highly-anticipated debut album, Never Happy, it’s a wonderfully heart-stung effort ruminating on family life and witnessing inequality first-hand. Accompanied by a stellar and perfectly…

  • Premiere: Angular Hank – On Your Shoulder

    March 17, 2020 - By 

    Thankfully, the other main immunity we don’t have is to sweet jams, and ahead of their hotly-anticipated forthcoming debut album, Brand New Angle – out this Friday – Angular Hank have shared new single ‘On Your Shoulder’. As ever, they’re as taut with subtly-induced discordant tension as they are free-flowing with slack-pop hooks, springing to mind the likes of masterful craft of Irish peers like Postcard Versions & Careerist. As it stands, Angular Hank are set to hold their album launch at the Workman’s Club on April 3 with support from Skinner – keep posted here.

  • Video Premiere: Buí – A Conversation About Punk

    March 11, 2020 - By 

    It’s no bad thing that the indie scene across the island is saturated. If anything, it’s a total boon. That saturation – that heady wealth of artists and collaborative energy – invariably gives rise to scenes and communities that would’ve otherwise lay dormant or just out of reach, fated not to be. Take one look across the country and it’s clear that the scene – cross-country show swaps, co-pros, split releases etc. – is more tight-knit and fertile than ever. One band that both embodies that ethos and manages to cut through the noise to make their own noise heard is Belfast’s Buí.…

  • 10 for ’20: Mob Wife

    March 11, 2020 - By 

    In the latest installment of 10 for ’20 – our series looking at ten Irish acts that are well and truly going places in 2020 – Will Murphy extols the “hefty, passionate punk” of Belfast trio Mob Wife. Photo by Joe Laverty Try as the world might, some pairings can’t be separated. Think of Killer Mike and El-P, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Stills and Nash, and, of course, Eric Clapton and cocaine. No matter what happens, the fates always seem to bring these two back together. With the rhythm powerhouse of Wilson Davidson and Chris Leckey, Belfast’s punk scene…

  • Watch: God Knows – Who’s Asking? (South West Allstars Remix)

    March 4, 2020 - By 

    Prepare yourself for something special. A handful of days on from striking gold with the four-track Who’s Asking? EP, the unstoppable God Knows has unleashed one fierce edit of the release’s title track. Although a highlight in its original form, the Rusangano Family rapper has assembled a veritable dream team for a SertOne-produced South West Allstars remix. Uniting Denise Chaila, Citrus Fresh, Hazey Haze, Gavin DaVinci and Strange Boy Nature, it’s a supreme, frisson-inducing version that – paired with Stephen Hall’s video – absolutely demands your attention.

  • Premiere: Gas Hands – I’m Not In Love (With You)

    March 5, 2020 - By 

    Been missing that singular blend of melodic punk rock and post-hardcore that NI – not least the North-West – has mastered for over two decades? Derry-based trio Gas Hands are here to sort you out with their latest single, ‘I’m Not In Love (With You)’. Formed by frontman & guitarist Dylan Bradley & drummer Michael Brown, formerly of Lost Avenue, they’re joined by Mosmo Strange/Calling All Horses guitarist Nolan Donnelly on bass. Recorded & mixed at Smalltown America Studios by Caolan Austin, the trio’s economical, tightly knit release strikes a midpoint between signature North-West punk and the vitality of a young band hitting their stride. Gas Hands kick off their…

  • Stream: Kyoto Love Hotel – I Float

    March 2, 2020 - By 

    Ever-increasingly over the last few months, the name Kyoto Love Hotel has cropped up left, right and centre. And very deservedly so. The Tipperary pair, comprising Joe Geaney and Laura Sheary, have succeeded in their M.O. of making “songs for thoughts to dance to.” Better still, via tracks including previous singles ‘Still’ and last year’s stellar ‘Shapes That Bond You‘, their live shows – including a stand-out performance at Output Belfast last month – have proven wonderfully escapist affairs, brimming with entrancing electronic pop. New single ‘I Float’ is a textbook case in point. Taken from a new EP, which is expected to drop…