Tag Archives: new music

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1. HAWK is the brainchild of London-based Galwegian Julie Hawk and Matt Harris, with a full live band emerging in 2013 from initial excursions as a duo.

2. They’ve been getting adoring glances for their noirish alt-rock on either side of the pond, with airplay from BBC Radio 6 and XFM in the UK, and garnering a fancy among Irish muso media, including Nialler9 and Paul McLoone, whose show aired their upcoming self-titled EP in its entirety.

3. Streaming above is single Once Told, released this past January. It’s a rail against Ireland’s attitudes towards women’s rights and reproductive health, in a similar vein to last year’s pro-marriage equality piece Glass.

4. On tour throughout June, taking in London, the usual Irish city stops, and the Carlow Arts Festival. Full rundown of dates here.

Verdict: A Venn diagram of sounds, influences, references, and themes taking in indie, alt-rock, and post-rock.

HAWK

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SlowPlaceLikeHome – playing the Workman’s with Bantum and Carriages next month

Here’s what you may need to know…

01. The nom-de-beats of Donegal man Keith Mannion, SlowPlaceLikeHome brings forth electronica of various shades in an eclectic, yet accessible manner.

02. Having done the rounds of Irish festivals a few times, he’s also trod stages in support of Squarepusher, Glass Animals and Pantha Du Prince among others.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is Romola, Mannion’s most recent album under the moniker. For a taste of a full-band live show, check out their live performance of She Comes in Colour Stereo from St. Anne’s Church.

04. Next appearing live at the Workman’s Club on July 9, as part of a Dolittle-curated series of nights highlighting Irish artists at the venue. Also appearing are Carriages and former YMLT featuree Bantum.

Verdict: A broad range of sounds and moods, from atmospheric, post-rock-inflected moments to synthy bangers. Last year’s full-length was a bit of an unsung gem.

SlowPlaceLikeHome

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August Wells – touring Ireland and the UK throughout the summer

What you may need to know…

1. The brainchild of Ken Griffin (ex-Rollerskate Skinny, Kid Silver, Favourite Sons) and pianist John Rauchenberger (Daniel Carter, among others), August Wells specialise in baritone, world-weary ballads.

2. The project’s debut album, A Living and a Dying Game, was released in March 2014, and ensured them a busy touring cycle in support, culminating in recent supports in New York’s Bowery Hall for noted Rollerskate Skinny nerd Glen Hansard.

3. Streaming above is A Little Too Real, taken from their recent Windmill Lane session. New single She Was a Question is slated for release shortly through FIFA Records.

4. The band has announced a full schedule of dates around venues and festivals throughout the country for June and July, including Indiependence, BARE in the Woods, and Clonmel Junction festivals. More info here.

Verdict: Another chapter in the accomplished bodies of work of its members, August Wells pack croon-alongs big and strong enough to stand up on their own.

August Wells

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Malthusian – playing Dublin, Cork and Galway

What you may need to know…

01. Death metallers Malthusian arrived in earnest in 2013, and made an immediate impact on Irish metal with debut release MMXIII.

02. Named for the theory that dictated that population overgrowth would coincide with depleted resources and lead to various reckonings to right itself, the band explores such aesthetic and influences in this comprehensive 2013 interview.

03. Streaming above is Forms Become Vapour, taken from new EP Below the Hengiform, released this past April on Dublin’s Invictus Productions.

04. Next gigs are this Friday at Fibber’s on Parnell St, Dublin, as part of Carnage Metal Club, and June 11 at Cork Community Print Shop. Both dates alongside Limerick’s Zealot Cult, with Coscradh supporting on the Dublin date. They’re also off to Galway for Dark Arts Festival on August 13th, before hitting Norway for Beyond the Gates festival.

Verdict: An atmospheric blend of uncompromising death metal aggression and doom metal’s heft and recrimination.

Malthusian

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Sister Ghost – Growing Pains

What you may need to know…

01. Sister Ghost is the garage-rock/punk project of Co. Derry’s Shannon D. O’Neill, formerly of all-girl post-punk trio Vanilla Gloom.

02. The project has quietly been turning out singles for nearly two years now, progressing nicely from quick-and-dirty grunge, to the sum of a wide palate of influences and reference points held together by O’Neill’s distinct voice and muddy/jangly guitar dynamic.

03. Streaming above is the video for new single Growing Pains, premiering yesterday on The Last Mixed Tape. Practice is hard sometimes.

04.  Shannon is joined in a live four-piece by an assortment of good buddies from various bands on the Northern scene (that might also be familiar to Irish music blog nerds). Last seen live at Dublin’s F_ Festival, more gigging activity is sure to follow off the back of the new release.

Verdict: Think a shiny, ’80s indie-pop bijou roughed up to bejaysus with squally alt-rock and punk influences. Glorious.

Sister Ghost

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Myles Manley – touring Ireland this weekend

1. Emerging from Sligo, Myles Manley is a songwriter that is Ireland’s (definitely-not-self-proclaimed) “foremost highbrow, underground popstar”.

2. He’s grand for a tune, though – past the sarky sense of humour lies a penchant for pop goodness, as ably demonstrated in debut album Greatest Hits 2012-2013 and last year’s More Songs. It’s translated to UK, European and Russian touring, as well as love from BBC Radio 1 and the Irish music media.

3. Streaming above is the Arsenal-tastic vid for Pay Me What I’m Worth, described by Radio 1’s Phil Taggart as “an anthem for anyone who works below middle management”. ***NSFW bit at the end.***

4. He’s playing a free gig at the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork this Friday 13. He’s also at Broken Home in Galway on the 14th, and the Swagman in Sligo on the 15th.

Verdict: World-weary troubadour, or grinning smart-alec with an ear for pop? Worth the while to find out in a live environment.

Myles Manley

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Zealot Cult – Eternal Winter

What you may need to know…

1. Hailing from Limerick, four-piece Zealot Cult offer up an uncompromising slab of death metal heft, paying homage to the the genre’s old masters.

2. Appearing regularly on metal bills and all-dayers around the country over the past few years, the band have notched up a solid live rep, including shared stages with Exhumed, Primordial and Decapitated among others.

3. Eternal Winter is taken from their new EP Karmenian Crypt, available directly from the band on CD. No digital downloads or any other such fripperies exist as of (Word)press time.

4. The band appear next on May 13th in Fibbers on Parnell Street, as part of Carnage Metal Club, with Malthusian and Coscradh.

Verdict: As mentioned on other online outlets, there’s a bit of Floridian genre legends Obituary here, right down to the Tardy-esque vocals. There’s polish and weight to it, without sacrificing the intensity that makes them worth seeing live if you’ve the chance.

Zealot Cult

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Kojaque – Sunday Roast mixtape and upcoming YESTIVAL appearance

What you may need to know…

1. We’ve been sleeping on Kojaque. A confessional, Dublin-accented patter is married to polished, jazzy self-production.

2. Garnered attention online last year from the likes of Noisey, for the video to single Midnight Flower, in which he rhymes for over three minutes with his head underwater.

3. Streaming above is his recently-released Sunday Roast mixtape in its entirety. It’s also available for download here, via his own Soft Boy Records.

4. Next appearing at Mother’s inaugural YESTIVAL on May 21 at the Tivoli, Francis Street, Dublin, a fest marking the first anniversary of the marriage equality vote. Also confirmed are Peaches (!), the Rubberbandits and Sugar Rush (girlband/supergroup featuring Panti) among others.

Verdict: Capable of vitriolic outbursts and noise, but more given to cool, cracked-leather holdings of court, suited to his more subdued sonics.

Kojaque

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exmagician – Job Done

Here’s what you may need to know…

1. Some of the component parts of Belfast rockers Cashier No. 9 have returned, regrouping after a hiatus as exmagician, and maintaining their relationship with UK indie institution Bella Union.

2. The band have picked up where they left off, with Job Done, streaming above, showcasing their ever-expanding predilection for big aul’ songs, fleshed out with layered, reverb-heavy production.

3. The song comes from the band’s debut album, Scan the Blue, available now from the usual streaming and download haunts and in physical formats from Bella Union.

4. The duo turn up next at the Interlude Fest at the RHA Gallery in Dublin, on June 24-26.

Verdict: Grand psych-pop tack for the encroaching summer and the long evenings therein. Approved.

exmagician

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Wastefellow – Wonder

Here’s what you may need to know…

1. Diolmhain Ingram Roche is the name and face behind Wastefellow, an experimental electronic project that draws from a wide array of Ingram Roche’s influences, from Tim Hecker to Sunn O))).

2. Another from the Little L Records stable, debut EP Amazed A-Maze is available for free download from the label’s Bandcamp. It’s a conceptual piece, drawing on deja vu and ennui, equating real life’s loops with his own sonic ones.

3. The label also has a frankly ridiculous sale on, with its entire discography to date (over a hundred releases) in a digital bundle for a little over six quid.

4.  The video for lead-off single Wonder comes from 21-year-old director Conor Donoghue, who’s taken the whole glitch/digital artefacting phenomenon to the streets of Dublin.

5. Wastefellow’s next appearance is at LIFE Festival, with a DJ set as part of Dublin promoters Welcome’s contribution to proceedings. 27-29 May, for those what wants it.

6. Our top newshounds were, as of press time, unable to confirm if this was the inspiration for Ingram Roche’s nom-de-guerre.

Verdict: Glitchy, blissed-out, yet somewhat unsettling visuals accompany glitchy, blissed-out yet somewhat unsettling electronics.

Wastefellow