Every month sees more and more great Irish music released to the world. Aaron Cunningham and Ben Magee select some of our favourite releases of last month, including cover artist . All found in our rotating playlist.
Negro Impacto – 1800
Dundalk duo Negro Impacto marked the turn to winter in November with this summer loving track, their second release of the year. A track that evokes the haze and the colour of the warmer months as the pair mix beats and genres.
Arn. – Talk is Cheap
New single ‘Talk is Cheap’ is a first release in two years from Donegal’s Arn. A indie track with laid back charm, and lyrics that deal with moving to Australia and the difficulties and expense of living in Ireland.
Laura Elizabeth Hughes – Swear to God
Laura Elizabeth Hughes’ strong voice and plentiful vocal harmonies take centre stage in her latest single. The stirring reprise, full of romance, jumps into life alongside the Dublin songwriter’s dramatic vocal. A song about ‘seeking out the light in life’ despite your own apprehensions.
DREAM BOY – bleed
First emerging last year DREAM BOY have marked 2024 with a trio of great releases, with single number three released last month. ‘bleed’ is a slow burner, shrouded in moody atmospherics before the crash of shoegaze guitars builds into something bigger.
Adore – Can We Talk
Garage punk is the order of the day with three-piece Adore and ‘Can We Talk’. Their third single to date, it’s a track with an urgent tempo with the trio laying a strong bed for Lara’s vocals. A track made for a live show.
Pebbledash – Soak
More shoegaze coded music comes in the form of Pebbledash’s latest, ‘Soak’. A six-minute track of two halves from the Cork six-piece, guitars and bass weave around each other underneath a spoken vocal before the wall of guitar kicks in with a screech of feedback at the halfway point.
Slow Skies – Way Down Low
‘Way Down Low’ is an ode to motherhood from Karen Sheridan, aka Slow Skies. A songwriter who has largely stepped away from music, ‘Way Down Low’ describes finding beauty in the mundane and letting go. Gently picked acoustics and strings swell around Sheridan’s melodious voice.
Tom Gato – Oileán
Taken from Cave Painting, the debut EP from Tom Gato, ‘Oileán’ closes out a productive 2024. The closer to the five track EP, it follows the release’s understated nature with nothing more than some slowly picked guitar reverberating under Gato’s quiet vocal.
Chubby Cat – DEAR DIARY, I WANNA DIE
Both Chubby Cat’s releases and renown have accelerated in the past year with that upward trajectory building to her first EP The Fine Art of Dissociation. Amongst these five alt-pop tracks sits ‘Dear Diary, I Wanna Die’. The production, songwriting and Cat’s vocals are a lethal combination across an unpredictable two minutes thirty.
Soda Blonde – The Saddest Thing
Soda Blonde have their alt-pop game down to a tee once again. New single ‘The Saddest Thing’ dropped ahead of a handful of UK dates and a Whelans December show. Pitch perfect production and instrumentation pairs with Faye’s distinct vocal lines.
Good Skin – Living Proof
A new find from an artist we know little about. Only his second release, and the second of two tracks released this November from songwriter Sean Meehan released under the name Good Skin. The effect laden vocals stand out amongst the retro sounding production and synth pop.
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