All across 2022 our monthly Best of Irish playlists have remained a treat to put together for our contributors Aaron Cunningham and Ben Magee, selecting over 130 tracks from so many great releases. Here’s a few of our favourites plus the whole year in one wonderful playlist.
Fontaines D.C. – I Love You
Is it Fontaines’ best track since Roy’s Tune? Probably. Elements of The Cure and protest songwriting bleed into this slow builder. Frontman Grian Chatten is on fire throughout, with some of his best lyricism to date. Lined with references to Irish and international tragedy, the new single from the band’s third album has them back on track. BM
Ailbhe Reddy – Inhaling
Her first standalone single since the release of her debut album Personal History back in 2020, ‘Inhaling’ marks a significant development in sound. A song mixed with turmoil and modern restlessness, all shimmering around a hypnotic bassline. AC
Aoife Nessa Frances – Way to Say Goodbye
A masterful second single of 2022 from Aoife Nessa Frances, ‘Way to Say Goodbye’ features a lush and cinematic medley of instrumentation that perfectly compliments her vocals. A love song born from the end of a relationship, released alongside the announcement of a new album this October. AC
Skinner – The Slump
His first release on Faction Records, the Dublin artist’s latest single twists through disco beats, emphatic punk affected vocals and all manner of weaving guitar parts. There’s even time for some saxophone. AC
Sprints – Literary Mind
Another big track from Sprints, following March’s A Modern Job EP. ‘Literary Mind’ builds from quiet to loud, replete with driving bass, pulsing guitar lines and Karla Chubb’s energetic vocals in a song about queer love. AC
Banríon – fooling
Dublin four piece released dreamy single ‘fooling’ at the end of September, ahead of a forthcoming EP. Jangly and fuzzy guitars contrast as Róisín Ní Haicéid’s vocals remain the centrepoint as she deals with difficult events through humour. AC
Ye Vagabonds – Blue Is The Eye
Beautiful folk arrangements are the norm but there’s still something magnetic about every new Ye Vagabnds track. Instantly transportive to misty fields, cloud swaddled peaks and cold valleys awash in winter sunlight, the Irish folk duo deliver a masterclass in melding contemporary and traditional Irish music. Deceptively complex, pitching, sheer, uncompromisingly good music. BM
Kean Kavanagh – Heart Attacks
The follow-up to last year’s brilliant ‘Summer Nights’ is a slow and soulful sway. Kavanagh says the song is about a time traveller reliving his youth, and there’s certainly a sense of nostalgia amongst the retro rhythms, guitar and piano in this fine track. AC
Kez – How Can You Not See
A powerful, stirring introduction to Dublin’s Kez with her first single ‘How Can You Not See’. A long, slow building track that takes clear reference from Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ and featuring a clear and compelling vocal. AC
Playlist:
