• The Thin Air’s Top 100 Tracks of 2020 (#50-1)

    December 17, 2020 - By 

    Ah, 2020 eh? Unless you were living off the grid in a self-made banana bread house whilst rocking yourself gently to various iterations of ‘Happy Birthday’ as you washed your hands, then you will know that despite collectively living through the pandemic there were plenty of Irish songs to get excited about. 100 to be precise. We’ve listened to them on repeat since we couldn’t attend gigs, raves, or house parties so we’re certain we’ve selected the finest this little locked down island has to offer. It’s safe to say this year epitomised the true meaning of community in this…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2020

    December 20, 2020 - By 

    In years to come, when someone asks me what The Thin Air was and represented, I’ll likely direct them to features like the one you have just opened. Much like other publications of our ilk – Nialler9, The Last Mixed Tape, Goldenplec and others – we spend 52 weeks of the year relentlessly championing what truly makes Irish music special and, very occasionally, genuinely world-beating. We all do it in different ways, and to slightly different audiences, but the impetus and desire to shine a light on what we have is one and the very same. Although they’re almost never…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2020 (#100-51)

    December 16, 2020 - By 

    Ah, 2020 eh? Unless you were living off the grid in a self-made banana bread house whilst rocking yourself gently to various iterations of ‘Happy Birthday’ as you washed your hands, then you will know that despite collectively living through the pandemic there were plenty of Irish songs to get excited about. 100 to be precise. We’ve listened to them on repeat since we couldn’t attend gigs, raves, or house parties so we’re certain we’ve selected the finest this little locked down island has to offer. It’s safe to say this year epitomised the true meaning of community in this country…

  • The Thin Air’s Alternative Halloween Playlist

    October 30, 2020 - By 

    Dire though it is we can’t get all get together for a big old Samhain soirée this year, the thinning of the veil is very much upon us. To mark the occasion, as per tradition, here’s our annual seventy-five track alternative Halloween Spotify playlist, featuring everyone from John Maus, Broadcast and The Cramps to Flying Lotus, Suicide and Throbbing Gristle.

  • The Thin Air Podcast: SOAK

    February 5, 2020 - By 

    In our final episode of season 2, Danny Carroll meets Bridie Monds-Watson aka SOAK, to talk about her song ‘Everybody Loves You’.  The first single released from her second album Grim Town (Rough Trade 2019), ‘Everybody Loves You’ sees Bridie’s songwriting and recording process significantly shifting gears.  Here, she breaks down the elements that went into the dream-pop ballad – be it a lush string section or “soggy cardboard” guitars.

  • The Thin Air Podcast: Careerist

    January 15, 2020 - By 

    This week, we speak to Belfast band Careerist about the track ‘Negative One’. A highlight of their excellent debut album Weird Hill (released on Pizza Pizza Records in November), singer/guitarist Carl Eccles and bassist Nathan Rodgers talk to Danny Carroll about the influences that inspired the song, and the recording process. We also get insights from producer Chris Ryan (Robocobra Quartet) about how the song developed in the studio.

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Tracks of 2019 (#100-76)

    December 16, 2019 - By 

    Ahead of our annual Top 50 Irish Releases of the Year (that is to say EPs, compilations, reissues & albums) list later this week, we’re counting down our Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2019 daily. While we always say it, we had a hard time cutting down the list – however, we hope this list will highlight the ongoing mission to promote island-wide solidarity between musicians and listeners alike, turning you on to something you otherwise might never have listened to, whether that be hip-hop loaded with kitchen sink realism, fist-clenched DIY LK indie rock, boundary-crushing experimental composition, or any flavour in between. And rather than giving the game away too soon, we’ve opted for the age-old descending option, starting with 100-76. Dig…

  • 19 for ’19: Tebi Rex

    January 31, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ‘19 – our feature looking at nineteen Irish acts that we’re convinced are going places in 2019 – with Maynooth alternative hip-hop duo Tebi Rex. Photo by Zoe Holman Maynooth’s hip-hop scene may not be bulging, but on the evidence of Tebi Rex’s offerings, we believe it truly homes one of Ireland’s most exciting prospects for 2019. The duo, comprised of Matt O’Baoill and Max Zanga, has swiftly attracted attention following the success of ‘Black Enough’ in 2016, with Word Up signing them to their newly launched collective. Although the collective nurtures hip-hop talent whose music…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2018 (#100-51)

    December 22, 2018 - By 

    Christ on a rickety sleigh, was this tough. But truth be told – it’s rarely easy. As we scramble to bang heads and attempt to assimilate, order and re-order the absolute deluge of excellence that has met our ears over the previous twelve months, it’s instantly clear that there will be some notable omissions. It’s equal parts unavoidable and unfortunate, but more significantly, it’s glowing testament to what we’re dealing with in every pocket of this island. Of course, we can’t – nor wish to – conclusively say this is “the best year for Irish music in recent memory” (the…