Friday 4 July 2014

New Irish Music - The Daily Howl, Self-Titled E.P.




The Daily Howl, 'Hang It On A Hook'

Info: The Daily Howl are a roots / rock / pop group who are heavily influenced by Americana and blues, which is something incredibly refreshing with regard to the Irish music scene at the moment. There is a wealth of new talent and gifted bands at the minute, more than I can ever remember over the last twenty years, we are spoilt for choice. At times though there is over-reliance on indie / electronica and emulating British bands who have achieved great success, and that's to be expected, and not a bad thing, but it's nice to be able to dip into something that's grounded in genres which are not only a rarity at the moment, but always have been in Ireland, particularly blues.

The Daily Howl's debut E.P. opens with the catchy and melodic 'Hang It On A Hook' (above) which is reminiscent to my mind of a Bluetones / Belle & Sebastian country mash-up. The second track's intro and harmonies are a wonderful throw-back to The Dubliners' or Luke Kelly in a strange way, 'Haulin'' by name and nature has a pop / country feel, with it's marching band drumming and feel good guitar riff throughout. My personal favourite is the final track 'I Will Let You Down' which really captures what I think is the band's strength, fast-paced rhythm with nailed on harmonies, and toward the end of the track some excellent lead guitar which will hopefully feature more on future tracks, but that's just me being selfish. As I mentioned earlier it's great to see a new band inspired by genres that aren't commonly explored, as a big fan of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marty Robbins, Neil Young and The Everley Brothers and contemporary bands like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses, it will be interesting to see how The Daily Howl evolve, there's already plenty to suggest that they are on course to gain much wider public recognition.


The Daily Howl, 'I Will Let You Down'

Who are they? The Daily Howl are an energetic 5-piece Roots/Rock/Pop band from Wicklow with a passion for vocal harmony, a catchy chorus and infectious rhythm. A distinctive Americana & Blues influence is also evident in their sound and style. Having just recorded their debut EP, the band look forward to it's release on July 4th. They are, however, also writing and road testing material for their debut album which will be recorded in October/November in Serra Vista Studios, Portugal, with Morrissey's Musical Director, Boz Boorer. 

Where Can I See Them? After treading on the edges of the festival circuit last summer, playing a number of Arts Festivals, The Greystones Americana & Roots festival and the Jack of Diamonds Americana & Roots festival, this summer looks to be a breakthrough one for the band. Having so far been confirmed for a number of festivals including Castlepalooza and Light Colour Sound Kilkenny, more festival dates will be announced soon along with a nationwide tour surrounding the release of their debut EP.

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