Every month we take a look back at the best new releases from Northern Ireland, showcasing the sheer amount of talent coming out of the North in our featured playlist. This month’s cover artist is Dani Larkin. Words by Aaron Cunningham, Will Mac Aoidh, Michael Wilkinson & Éimear Gallagher.
Dani Larkin – To Be Enough
Dani Larkin is fresh from success with her 2025 NI Music Prize win for Creator of the Year and starting 2026 with a bang. ‘To Be Enough’ starts delicate & sparse but erupts into a jubilant celebration of horns, choirs and guitars. A slow build with exceptional payoff, taken from her new album Next of Kin. WMA
Good Swim – Paper Tiger
Under the moniker Good Swim, David McConnell returns from a considerable recording hiatus with ‘Paper Tiger’. Featuring delicate instrumentation and an emotive vocal it’s a great track that sets the stage for his upcoming album The Mountains Sure Don’t Give A Dam About The Sea. MW
Fya Fox – Sweet Goodbye
It’s been over two years since we last heard from Fya Fox, an artist from the North who made a name for herself through her smooth alt-pop. She returns with ‘Sweet Goodbye’, chronicling her experiences over the last few years with grief, loss and the birth of her daughter. The fingerprints of longtime producer Matt Weir are evident, with smart production elevating the emotion of Fox’s voice. AC
Wynona Bleach – Be Positive
‘Be Positive’ is completely full of alt-rock with a dab of a shoegaze sound. Vocalist, Melyssa Shannon, has an exceptionally distinctive voice that blends beautifully with the instrumentation in this song. If you told me that ‘Be Positive’ was a Smashing Pumpkins or Genesis song, I’d believe you! EG
Amanda Fawn, Hutch – Waiting For You
If you could stick on a stetson hat and ride across the prairie, you’d want ‘Waiting For You’ playing in the background as you did. Amanda Fawn & Hutch’s ‘Waiting for You’ is a spacious track with a colourful Western styling, as at home on the prairie as it is looking out the window on a rainy day. WMA
Alice Sloan – Return The Ghost
Alice Sloan’s singing and lyricism alongside her gorgeous chord progression creates a uniquely beautiful sound that reflects a relatable feeling of suppression. Completely ethereal, ‘Return The Ghost’ is similar to those of 90s grunge but also taps into the sound of alt-folk creating something completely new and unique! EG
Virgins – Crucible
Virgins bid farewell with a final single, plus an EP and one more live performance later this month. ‘Crucible’ is a fitting way for the band to bow out with a wash of sound that’s become their signature, fuzzed out guitars giving a warm bed for Rebecca Bow’s ethereal vocal. Virgins pushed their way to prominence over a five year span, releasing an NI Music Prize shortlisted album and flying the flag for Irish shoegaze. AC
Mark Hegan – Warm/Safe
After a breakout year touring the UK and supporting Irish legends Aslan, Bangor singer songwriter Mark Hegan closed out 2025 with ‘Warm/Safe’. An upbeat anthem, immaculately produced and riddled with hooks. Catch it live in Ulster Sports Club on February 27th. MW
Kippysmuse, King Cedar – Midas
Kippysmuse might be known as an eclectic singer-songwriter-composer and King Cedar might be known as a delicate alt-folk troubadour-type, but together the twosome have created a “low-fi blast” of a tune that harkens back to the alt-rock of the US 90’s. A great tune, full of a melancholic optimism you can bop your head to. WMA
Our Krypton Son – The Sea
Chris McConaghy aka Our Krypton Son has been enriching the tradition of wonderful Derry songwriters for over ten years now and he shows no sign of waning. We had to wait a while for his return last year but there’s been a string of singles as he builds to a third album. ‘The Sea’ features all the hallmarks of his songwriting, its measured, darkly beautiful but he releases the reins in the track’s cinematic climax with shades of Pink Floyd. AC
Playlist
