Damsel - Photo: Fergal Hennessy
Another week, another slew of great Irish singles, so much variety, "genre-spanning" as they say in 'the industry'! Above and below are a selection of Irish singles which were released in the last week or so that I have taken much enjoyment from. Familiar faces, debut singles, blasts from the past! I hope you enjoy too.
1) Damsel - 'Head Hum'
So this is the aforementioned 'blast from the (recent) past'. Around the time Luke O'Neill released his debut EP, the wonderful Boy On The Rocks at the beginning of 2016 I got to see him performing at Whelan's Ones to Watch. One of those acts that every now and again you wonder what they're up to musically. New single 'Head Hums' proffers quite a different sound, still lo-fi in a sense, but a more crisp and alt-rock sound from Damsel. The perky rock riffage at the 2 minute mark is a delightful aural experience, and coupled with O'Neill's enticing vocal, this track pours feel-good breeziness very generously.
2) J.J. Lee feat. SCENES - 'Thursday'
Susie Blue - Photo: Audrey Gillespie
3) Susie Blue - 'She Is'
I'm a big fan of Northern Irish alt-pop act Susie Blue for a number of reasons, obviously I love her music! But also I have a lot of respect for how she articulates the themes that drive her song-writing, it's not served directly up on a plate, but it's not subtle either, there's a nice balance there. To digress slightly, despite recent draining social battles here in the South, I still think we take for granted how lucky we are compared to our sisters and brothers in Northern Ireland. Our landmark votes in 2015 and 2018 must still seem decades away despite the overwhelming consensus among the younger generation in the six counties. That frustration is delivered so well in 'She Is', a conversation about true love, acceptance and being forced away. The music is moving, intoxicating and very catchy, few artists capture dreaming of a future they should have already had better than Susie Blue.
4) Feibhár - 'Forfeit'
Hailing from Kilkenny and currently Dublin-based, Feibhár released her debut single 'Forfeit' yesterday. In her own words, paraphrased, it was originally a poem, written over a year ago, that was borne out of a place of despair and longing, putting the pursuit of your passion in a cupboard you know may never be opened again. An operatic piano intro accompanies Feibhár's strident vocal, the song suddenly shifts into a folktronica landscape which is visually grey and blurred, but punches upward courtesy of its strong pop hue.
5) OTHERKIN - 'All That Remains Won't Be The Same'
Oy oy! You would never guess in a million years that the first 33 seconds of OTHERKIN's latest single 'All That Remains Won't Be The Same' was, well, them. A scything 80's retro-synth you would usually associate with leading to the dramatic hair-rock era of the same decade (think Kix, Ratt, or Twisted Sister and swap piano for synth), this feels like a fairly drastic shift from their critically acclaimed OK album. Shimmering guitar wobbles, hard-rock riffs (2:42 - yum) and a gravelled vocal all make for a stomper of a single. The siren recalling Thin Lizzy's 'Jailbreak', it's really good that they have moved forward from an already great platform sonically. Was OK their rock version of With The Beatles? Will their next album be their Revolver?...
Midnight Wayne - Photo: Rob Benson Photography
6) Midnight Wayne - 'Someone Like You'
Ex-The Hot Sprockets man Wayne Soper has released his first single as a solo act under the moniker of Midnight Wayne, and it is decidedly, not what you would expect, the only link is the psych vibes, but it's more electro-pop than rock. The first feelings are of calm and escapism, a really enjoyable drift into blissful nothingness, if I were to be blunt I'd be thinking of something halfway between Beach House and Tame Impala, but a redux version, here I think less is more, with the track focusing more on its core sound rather than being distracted by the temptation of imitation. The Hot Sprockets were together for 10 years, and I always love when band members deep-dive into sounds that have probably been swirling around their head for a long time, but were never able to express individually due to gruelling commitments, that's not to say obviously that I'm glad THS split, but here's a silver-lining if there ever was one.
7) Lazyrevs - 'Inside Out'
Sometimes liking songs comes via a subconscious echo from the past, for me, on the opening bars of 'Inside Out' by Sligo duo Lazyrevs it's Sam Cooke's 'Cupid', the rhythm and vocal drawing that feel out of my head. From that point the track spreads out into a colourful summery breeze, snappy percussion, addictive indie-pop hooks and a flurry of deep acoustic progressions are unavoidably enjoyable.
8) Moylan - 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'
Despite a childhood sat in front of repeated watches of Annie, The Sound of Music and Oliver Twist on VHS, I have never liked musicals at all. That said, singer-songwriter Moylan's push of 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' from Grease through the electro-grinder is fairly majestic. The groove and slick waves of beats and bass bubble over the top of the musical barrel here, also, that vocal is effortlessly amiable to say the least.
Maydar - Photo: Sandra Thorsson
9) Maydar - 'Body Bag'
Currently based in Stockholm, Irish / Italian electro-pop and rn'b act Maydar dropped her latest single 'Body Bag' last week. The first half of the track sees well put together genre standards, it's the final third that really makes the single stand out, reminiscent of the industrial grimace of local Dublin duo SYLK, Maydar funnels her sound through a twisting and dark tube of bent sounds.
10) Arcwords - 'Toughen Up'
Dublin band Arcwords released their debut single 'Toughen Up' yesterday, very loosely falling into the indie-rock pigeon-hole, there's a lot more to their sound than that initial impression. An odd but working off-kilter percussion engages in a tug of war with the vocal that neither seem overly interested in engaging in, but without which the song would be lacking. The quartet cite Bloc Party and The Smiths among their influences, and I can certainly hear both, especially the former in the drumming. For me though, the appeal draws from linking a strand of one of my favourite albums, 100 Broken Windows by Edinburgh's Idlewild, 'Toughen Up' pings 'Little Discourage' and 'Mistake Pageant', if a bit less abrasive than those hard-rock sounds. A very interesting opening jaunt that potentially has broad scope.
Arcwords - Photo: Imagery by Ró
To listen to our last Irish independent playlist, go here! https://thebestofmusicandfilm.blogspot.com/2019/03/irish-playlist-uly-old-hannah-third-smoke-lisa-hannigan-sylk.html
