Category Archives: You May Like This

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Bitch Falcon – new single Clutch, appearing at Body & Soul

What you may need to know…

01. Alt-rock trio Bitch Falcon emerge from writing & recording-induced hibernation.

02. Forming in January 2014, and turning initial heads for their fusion of grunge’s dirtier take on pop with their own stellar musicianship, their string of singles early last year helped put them front and centre in Irish independent music in short order.

03. Streaming above: brand new single Clutch, which premiered on Nialler9 yesterday.

04. Get an earful tomorrow night at Body & Soul festival if you’re about – they’ll be playing the Midnight Circus stage at seven bells. Failing that, they’ll also be at Sea Sessions and Indiependence.

Verdict: Clutch tackles tough subject matter with a purpose and aplomb that’s fast outgrowing the whole “grunge/pop” label. Glorious.

Bitch Falcon

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Low Sea – touring Ireland in support of new album

What you may need to know…

01. Ireland-resident duo Low Sea draw on ’80s synth-pop influences and their own experiences/internal narratives.

02. Second album Remote Viewing is now available online and physically thru Dell’Orso Records.

03. Streaming above is the video for leadoff track When I’m Feeling Down.

04. Playing next at the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork on July 21 and Brewery Corner in Kilkenny on the 23rd.

Verdict: Noirish pop with a synth-laden sheen and emphasis on “noir”.

Low Sea

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FIXITY – Cork percussionist leads sonic explorations

What you may need to know…

01. More improv from Leeside courtesy of drummer extraordinaire Dan Walsh and an assortment of collaborators.

02. He of The Great Balloon Race, Cork Improvised Music Club, jazz night Blue Note, and formerly of a million other bands and outfits, both as composer and session performer, of course.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is his new album Fixity, released on tape label KantCope.

04. Appearing last night as part of the label’s triple album launch at St. Luke’s in Cork, Fixity “represents the beginning of a project that will manifest itself in many ways”, according to Walsh himself.

Verdict: One of the country’s most prodigiously talented percussionists continues to explore his and his collaborators’ horizons.

Fixity

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Meltybrains? – rearranging the national anthem as part of Rising Against Homelessness

What you may need to know…

01. Dublin post-rock/experimental five-piece Meltybrains? have been garnering serious momentum in recent times.

02. The masked marauders’ journey has taken them around the world and back, including appearances at SXSW and Electric Picnic. Following 2013 EP, Attention! Now That We Have Your Attention, the band turned heads with last year’s Donegal/IV double a-side. Naturally, the next step was a mad tropical tune (and accompanying dance!) called The Vine, which has broken out en masse at subsequent live outings.

03. Streaming above is the band’s take on Amhrán na BhFiann, recorded for the Rising Against Homelessness fundraiser compilation. A bold move to say the very least, the band builds a longform, experimental piece around the anthem’s lyrics. CD available at (evil-empire record shops) and (corporate coffee) around the country.

04. Proud inheritors of the question-mark-suffix tradition in great Irish alternative music, also.

Verdict: One of the country’s most forward-thinking and fearless outfits. Capable equally of breathtaking sonics and moments of unbridled derangement.

Meltybrains?

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Pleasure Beach – on the festival rounds

What you may need to know…

01. Belfast dream-pop five-piece Pleasure Beach are busy on the summer’s festival bills.

02. Signed to local label Faction, the band emerged late last year with debut single Go, which quickly made radio rounds, and got a Choice Music Prize nomination for Song of the Year.

03. Streaming above is the video for Go, taken from their Dreamer to the Dawn EP, released this past February.

04. Catch them next on the 25th at Sea Sessions, Longitude on July 15th, and at Indiependence on July 30th.

Verdict: Their EP is one of the strongest by a debuting Irish band in recent years. Ramshackle songcraft with much to like for shoegazers and synth nerds.

Pleasure Beach

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All Tvvins – touring and playing the Marquee

What you may need to know…

01. Unlikely to have flown under very many radars in the past year or so, Dublin/Wexford duo All Tvvins‘ DIY pedigree makes their polished pop all the more of a departure.

02. Emerging properly from their former bands in late 2013, they’re comprised of a core membership of Lar Kaye (Adebisi Shank) on guitars and Conor Adams (The Cast of Cheers) on bass/vox, and joined live by Lewis Hedigan (Elk and Guilty Optics) on drums.

03. Streaming above is the video for most recent single Unbelievable, a big aul’ pop tune with more than a few hat-tips to their math-rock roots.

04. Obligatory soccer reference for the week that’s in it – the band appeared on the soundtrack to this year’s instalment of the annual FIFA videogame, with single Darkest Ocean.

05. Playing the Marquee in Cork on July 5th in support of Foals, the band come back in October from extensive UK/EU touring to play Dolan’s in Limerick on the 29th, and Belfast’s Limelight on the 30th.

Verdict: An adjustment, admittedly, for fans of the lads’ previous outfits, All Tvvins has grown over the last year or two into very much its own beast, and you can expect bigger things from the Warner-signed group in the years to come.

All Tvvins

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Oh Boland – new split tape and gigs this week

What you may need to know…

01. Oh Boland are a three-piece indie/pop band from Galway. Jangles and riffs in equal measure.

02. They’re on the road all this week in support of A Litany of Failures, their new split cassette via Little L Records. Also appearing on tour (and on the tape) are Belfast lads Junk Drawer, Broadsheet faves Shrug Life, and That Snaake.

03. Streaming above is the video for most recent single, Where’s the Beach?

04. Tomorrow night sees all the bands involved with the aforementioned release play McHugh’s in Belfast, they’ll be at Sweeney’s in Dublin on Thursday, and wrapping up with a show in Galway at the Roisin Dubh on Saturday night.

Verdict: Straight-ahead, no-nonsense but likeable tunes.

Oh Boland

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Thumper – new EP and festival appearances

What you may need to know…

01. Dublin five-piece Thumper have been carving out a niche in the city’s lo-fi/pop community.

02. Starting as a solo project, Thumper’s debut EP released in March of least year, and led to regular gigging around Dublin, as well as a run of dates with Blades Club.

03. Streaming above is the video for new single Rent is Due, available with a pre-order of their new E.P., magnum opuss, releasing June 17th via Little L Records. A limited run of tapes is also on the way.

04. Appearing next at Knockanstockan, Electric Picnic, and the UK’s Truck fest.

Verdict: Noisy, jagged poppy ruckus covered in tape hiss and overdrive.  No-nonsense action.

Thumper

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King Kong Company – new single Scarity Dan hits the charts midweek

What you may need to know…

01. Waterford-based outfit King Kong Company have become somewhat of a fixture on the Irish festival circuit.

02. The band’s self-titled debut album releases on the 17th of this month, after a build-up of over a year having first been hinted at with single Spacehopper last year.

03. Streaming above is the vidjo for new single Scarity Dan, released last week. As of yesterday, it’s number seven in the Irish pop chart, still an achievement for a DIY release.

04. Upcoming appearances on the festival grind: June 4th at Vantastival, June 11th at BARE in the Woods, June 24 at Sea Sessions, and July 1 at Waterford’s Daytripper fest.

Verdict: Madcap synth-pop, made specifically for going ape. Pun intended.

King Kong Company

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Enemies – playing ArcTangent festival in August

What you may need to know…

01. Wicklow math-rock four-piece Enemies have been knocking about for the bones of the past decade now, making all manner of bright and fanciful noises. They’ve toured the world in the process, including sold-out shows in New York and Tokyo.

02. Currently resident on Topshelf Records, the band were formerly part of the much-missed Richter Collective, on which debut album We’ve Been Talking was released. Follow-up effort Embark, Embrace is arguably one of the best Irish records of recent years.

03. Streaming above is the video for most recent single Play Fire, taken from their upcoming third LP. Directed by Finn Keenan, it’s a fairly handsome piece of cinematography.

04. If you’re hankering for more, they did a live session for Chicago music channel Audiotree in April. Stream it in full, along with interviews, here.

05. Next appearing at ArcTangent, Europe’s leading fest for all things instrumental, noisy and/or in odd timings, happening August 18-20 in Bristol. Among the frankly insane line-up are fellow Irish soundscapers Alarmist.

Verdict: Play Fire represents a turn to broader strokes and a poppier feel. It suits their more blissed-out moments of old, and this next LP might well be the one that puts them in front of a wider audience.

Enemies