Our first Best of Irish round up of the year and there’s plenty to get your ears around. December 2021 feels a world away. Aaron Cunningham and Ben Magee select some of their favourite releases of the month, including cover artist SPRINTS, all handily found in our rotating playlist.
Sprints – Little Fix
‘Little Fix’ channels those early Fontaines rhythms and timings and Murder Capitals vocal intensity. Don’t get the comparisons twisted however, Sprints are entirely themselves on their new single, tightly wound and ready to explode behind an air tight arrangement and magnetic singing. BM
Rowan – Irish to My Bones
Fast paced and fleeting, ‘Irish to My Bones’ sees vocalist Dylan Howe’s dealing with damaging Irish stereotypes and emotional suppression. Punctuated by screams and unhinged guitar that seems to veer off as the song rises to its conclusion. Released with news of a debut album this May. AC
THUMPER – Overbite
It’s nice to hear some guitar music not wrapped up in psuedo-post-punk-apocalyptica. THUMPER deliver on this relentless, distorted mess of a track that’s brimming over with alternative energy. BM
Pillow Queens – Be By Your Side
Released into the world with the news of a second album this year, Pillow Queens continue to impress with new single ‘Be By Your Side’. An emotional thread runs through their quickly maturing indie sounds. Softer with a beautifully stripped back reprise, always set to crescendo. AC
Wallis Bird – What’s Wrong with Changing?
Combining bardic, bombastic spoken word, protest song fury, hip hop traditions, alternative stomping rhythms and organic production methods, Wallis Birds newest is as we expected. Interesting from start to finish and blisteringly raw. BM
Maverick Sabre – Good Man
Never one to spurn his roots, Sabre’s swooning jazzy brogue dances over an soulful arrangement and understated, lo-fi production. And as always, that joyfully inventive hip-hop backbone keeps things from getting static. BM
Yenkee – Soft Satellite
Despite its lyrical subject matter, Yenkee’s latest is a blissed out celestial track, resplendent with soulfully high vocals and all manner of synths, strings and glistening texture. AC
banríon – end times
The first solo single from Róisín Ní Haicéid, ‘end times’ despite its name starts a new period in a new year. Stripped back to quiet acoustic guitar, hushed vocals and delicate textures, it’s a beautifully soft restart. AC
SOAK – last july
Taking a nod from fellow Irish stars Pillow Queens in the acoustics in this number, SOAK makes their welcome return with this romping single. More bombastic than we’re used too, Bridie showcases a new, exciting chapter of their discography. BM
Junk Drawer – Tears In Costa
One of Junk Drawer’s best, it found its place on the Irish indie compilation A Litany of Failures a couple of years ago but we’re thankful its been given a wider release. Riffs and rhythms that sit slightly askew, a big chorus and some of the band’s smartest lyrics – ‘at least Heaven’s Gate had an action plan’. Roll on the new EP in March. AC
Lucy Blue – Postman
Lucy Blue’s latest EP Suburban Hollywood has charm aplenty, but the meld of acoustic guitar plucking and the track’s alt-pop instrumentation brings out the best in Lucy Blue’s warm vocals. AC
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