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 Rosie Carney, all handily found in our rotating playlist.
Rosie Carney – dad
Her first new music in the best part of a year, ‘dad’ comes with the promise of a second album and a departure in sound. Shoegazed out textures add a different, and alluring dimension to Rosie Carney’s hushed vocals, a versatility that was hinted at by Carney’s lockdown tribute to Radiohead’s The Bends. AC
Wallis Bird – Aquarius
Bordering between dreamy indie productions and driving rhythms, Wallis Bird continues to keep us on our toes ahead of her upcoming album. “I want the right to live, I want to right to die” isn’t the most subtle of openings but Bird seems content to wear her heart on the record sleeve as it were. BM
ROE – I Dare You
ROE returns with a big new single that unmistakably heralds a new period in the Derry songwriter’s career. Moving towards a more organic sound with a live band, ‘I Dare You’ boasts a vibrant chorus that calls for emotion and release. AC
Celavedemai – People Issues
Taken from the explosive rapper’s new EP Both Sides Of The Story. ‘People Issues’ is the highlight of this release. While there’s bedroom lo-fi spin on a trap beat for this track, Mai has lost none of her bite and urgency. She’s magnetic on the track, positively captivating in her delivery and unafraid to speak her mind. One of the more pleasing beat switches about as well. BM
Still Blue – Whatcha Gonna Do
Dublin indie pop four-piece Still Blue are back for their second single with ‘Whatcha Gonna Do’. We swear they were a duo last time out, but regardless their latest single has a compelling chorus, a steady beat and plenty of indie bliss. AC
CMAT – Nashville
I had the joy of hearing this track live in Texas before diving into the country-pop singers album. Deservedly lauded as one of our finest lyricists, CMAT’s stand out track from her album is a winner. Nostalgia, travel, friends and pointed, bittersweet longing all play their part in this wonder track. BM
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
THUMPER – Fear Of Art
Harsh, sheer guitar pervades throughout this track and gives it a sticky, dark edge, but THUMPER aren’t afraid to show some indie roots on this track. Taken from the new album, Delusions Of Grandeur, the Dublin band show off their melodic chops whilst keeping that tough backbone fans fell for. BM
Pillow Queens – Try Try Try
Taken from their second album, out last week, ‘Try Try Try’ embodies much of the new album’s sound but also one of the tracks that provides a sonic link to their debut. And perhaps for that reason this self help anthem is one of the album’s standouts. AC
Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia
The namesake from their third album, Fontaines show they’re not afraid to mess with the formula. Rhythm sections that pull from shoegaze and hip hop are immediate, with the album’s now omnipresent metallic gloom hanging over frontman Grian Chattens whip-smart, dour delivery. If the singles are to be believed, looks like their third go-around could promise to redeem their disappointing second. BM
Melts – Waltzer
The third single release from Dublin’s Melts is a whopper. A persistent synth line carries the momentum through but it’s Eoin Kenny’s deep vocals and the chunky, cavernous guitar parts that raise the drama. AC
Tomike – Another Life
Tomike’s latest is a brief excursion into the warm and soulful, her first release of 2022. Her heavily textured vocals give the song life, as she sings of reuniting on ‘the other side’. AC
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
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