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 Morgana. All found in our rotating playlist.
Morgana – I’ll Cry When I’m Dead
Emotional and cinematic from one half of Saint Sister, just what the doctor ordered and the masses expected. Morgana’s solo debut is world’s apart from the music that launched her, and we’re all the better for it. Janky acoustics and booming rhythm section makes this track an addictive one. BM
Villagers – Mountain out of a Molehill
Months after the latest Villagers album, ‘Mountain out of a Molehill’ is a surprise release ahead of an upcoming tour (Belfast – 7th December). The kind of gorgeous song we’ve come to expect from Conor O’Brien with persistent piano surrounded by mellifluous sounds and vocals. AC
Big Sleep – Pianoland
Some of the best work yet from the young rising Dublin band. There’s a post-punk/guitar rock staccato in the vocals and arrangement here, but the product is anything but. Fuzzy, jazzy, alternative and a joy from start to finish. BM
Skinner – Geek Love
Skinner is at his best when he’s pushing buttons – as evidenced in his latest single. A sheer, angular math-jazz-prog fusion track with a droning delivery. More of this, please. BM
Filmore! – Lady Luck
From his eclectic EP Idle Death Gamble, ‘Lady Luck’ opens the door to the Tebi Rex man’s genre-mixing nicely. Combining elements of rock and hip hop with its uptempo beats and injections of guitar. AC
The Fae – Like Your Man
Dripping in malaise and shoegaze, this is a stomper of a track. Buoyed by beautiful, ethereal vocals and undercut byt gritty, wall-of-sound acoustics, I can’t stop listening to this one. BM
Soda Blonde – Bully
Alt pop quartet Soda Blonde release their first single since last year’s Dream Big album. ‘Bully’ is a characteristically smooth track with a bright 80s sheen exploring vocalist Faye O’Rourke’s ‘brain rot’ and internal dialogue. AC
shiv – freedom juice
Five years since her debut single shiv releases her debut album, the defiance of a sadgirl. An album of varied sounds and often laid back R&B from an artist who is adept at it all. ‘freedom juice’ sits towards the end of the album’s fifteen tracks and captures her at her best, flourishing alongside the track’s colourful mood. AC
Niamh Bury – Geordie
Has it only been a few months since Bury’s debut? Judging from this new track, it could have been years. There’s a rise in confidence and maturity on Geordie, one that pulls from the dark roots of indie and folk into a swirling, sinking, beautiful collapse of a single. BM
Passersby – indigo
Passersby is the musical alias of Dublin based and ‘indigo’ is taken from his second album HEX KEY, released this month. An album filled with experimental soundscapes under the loose umbrella of folk, ‘indigo’ is one of the more upbeat tracks with the uplifting chorus in contrast to the lyrical themes. AC
Pastiche – Abandon the Planet
It’s pop all the way on the latest single from Dublin-born Pastiche, dealing with the tribulations of her 2024. ‘Abandon the Planet’ features a big electro-pop sound that defines her recent releases. AC
The Wood Burning Savages – Grind Your Teeth
Derry boys The Wood Burning Savages return with their first release in over a year. Following vocalist Paul Connolly’s health issues, ‘Grind Your Teeth’ sets them back on the path to a February 2025 follow up to their 2018 NI Music Prize winning album Stability. Never short on something to say, ‘Grind Your Teeth’ channels that anger into a fiery new single. AC
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