James Joys
Info: For REMY's latest playlist of the best Irish single releases from the past fortnight we have a wide array of genres and styles. From ambient techno, experimental pop, indie rock, electro-pop and alternative folk, I hope your ears become as pleased as mine are.
1) James Joys - 'Fugitive Wound'
Belfast solo act James Joys released a piece of highly addictive ambient electronic music in the shape of single 'Fugitive Wound', and I mean highly addictive. I keep getting to just over 4 minutes in the track, and realising I'm two thirds of the way through in the blink of an eye, pinging back to the start again. The unholy chaos that warbles and snakes through this six minutes of nirvana is strangely the antidote to the hustle and bustle of real life. The pace becomes so intense it almost trips over itself, and then there's the drift into calm inflections, calm yet nightmarish, unreal stuff.
2) Digg Deep - 'Soak It Up'
What a warm and incredibly pleasing fusion of multiple pop sub genres 'Soak It Up' is courtesy of Dublin's Julia Mahon aka Digg Deep. The opening first minute races through dream, downtempo, synth and electro pops, before settling into an almost calypso meets ska manoeuvre. Sometimes with singles you get that moment of euphoric joy, 'Soak It Up' fires them out everywhere with great generosity.
3) Jafaris - 'Time'
Jafaris releases his best single since 2017's 'If You Love Me' from his Velvet Cake EP. 'Time' feels unleashed, free and centred all at once, the unwillingness to stand still and a deep dive into 80's-centric funk-pop unravels any strings that were present on previous releases. When you think of experimentation you think of a deliberately considered direction, however, here there is experimentation in abundance but it feels like an after-thought, the music and delivery is unleashed.
4) Gorilla Troubadour - 'Tom Cruise Does All His Own Stunts'
Channelling early, mid, and late noughties indie-rock with a crushing hard edge, Dublin four-piece Gorilla Troubadour barge their way through a rambunctious just shy of three minutes haymaker in the form of 'Tom Cruise Does All His Own Stunts'. Bass and percussion act as a dual machine-gun of rapid-fire rock outbursts that explode in your face and leave you dizzied and delighted.
A. Smyth
5) A. Smyth - 'Fever'
You can find stepping stones in A. Smyth's solo debut single 'Into the Darkness' and 'Coming Back to You' (both released last year) that led directly to 'Fever'. The latest single opens with a very, very early Larry Mullen drum intro circa October, waves at Springsteen's 'Thunder Road', flirts with Ryan Adams' early 2000 output, and then spits them all out into a trundling pop-rock gem. Smyth is churning out the singles over the last 12 months, a song-writer in bloom.
6) Dean Maywood - 'Jane'
A song-writer who is fully immersed in classic folk, and who can bend those sounds into some mighty fine 21st century interpretations, Donegal's Dean Maywood has been on REMY's radar since his heart-breaking single 'Oileán na Marbh' last year (below - read about the uninhabited island here). Latest track 'Jane' entwines bone fide country trysts with a surprise, and to die for, rock riff between 2:00-2:35, Maywood leads the way within a genre that battles against popular demand.
7) Somebody's Child - 'Toes'
The second single from Dublin electro-pop act Somebody's Child acts as a counter-banger to stellar debut 'Make You Alright', that's two on the bounce, 'Toes' doesn't hold back in its aggressiveness, a key component to what makes his music stand apart from the pack. The punch, the release, the outburst, the bravado, all vacuum packed into a glorious package of angst. How hard is it to not love this single? What elevates both singles and pushes them far over the line is the vocal, and its personality.
8) Motions - 'Play the Hits'
Why is it that I can't get the image of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence bopping to this track with massive 80's headphones on his head, out of my head. Dublin band Motions keep on track with hot synth beats and guitar on their latest single 'Play The Hits', the slam is hard, the delivery is soft, and it's lovely plus.
To listen to our last Irish independent playlist, go here! https://thebestofmusicandfilm.blogspot.com/2019/01/irish-playlist-045-murder-capital-john-blek-SYLK-SOAK.html
