We’re marking the end of summer but looking back at September. Aaron Cunningham selects some of his favourite releases of the month, including cover artist Skinner. All handily found in our rotating playlist.
Skinner – Commander Trainwreck
Taken from an EP of the same name released tomorrow, ‘Commander Trainwreck’ is the latest in a rich vein of form from fast rising rocker Skinner. Combining grunge, new wave and his own style of slacker rock and built around the eponymous character dealing with modern life, ennui and ‘complicated stuff’.
NewDad – ILY2
Galway’s NewDad follow up February’s Banshee EP with a cover of Charli XCX’s ‘ILY2’. This NewDad rendition combines the light and dark of their shoegaze sound to make the song their own, the harder pop sound of the original replaced by NewDad’s softer vocals and textured guitars.
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.
Rosa Nutty – Wildcard
Dublin songwriter Rosa Nutty, now living in Cavan, releases her first new music since 2017 with ‘Wildcard’. Indie guitars and soft vocals mark this sweet vignette.
Joshua Burnside – Late Afternoon in the Meadow (1887)
Released with the promise of a new EP later this year, ‘Late Afternoon in the Meadow (1887)’ is a compelling vignette of Belfast and the Westlink, which fastens light and dark together, wrapped in intimately fingerpicked guitar, gentle rhythms, strings and looped textures.
Susan O’Neill – Something Better
The distinctive husky voice of Susan O’Neill softly opens ‘Something Better’, taken from new EP Now You See It. A soulful and considered number that builds with lush instrumentation and horn inflections.
Anna Mieke – Mannequin
The third single from her new album set for release in November. Rich and intimate fingerpicked guitar lays the foundations for Mieke’s vivid imagery as the song weaves away into dreamlike moments.
Trick Mist – Willingdon Island
The closing track from Cork producer Trick Mist’s latest album out now on Pizza Pizza Records. An atmospheric track with an unusual bed of acoustic sound, featuring Elaine Howley (who released debut album The Distance Between Heart and Mouth in August.
Aonair – There Ain’t No Easy Way Out
Big and gorgeously lush radio pop from retro lover Aonair. 80s guitars and solos elevate the catchy chorus on a track with a little War On Drugs’ feel. A new EP and a debut headline show follow this week and next.
Rachel Mae Hannon – Breathe
A new smooth and soulful single from fast rising Monaghan songwriter Rachel Mae Hannon. Pop and neo-soul come together through steady beats, lazy guitars and occasional saxophone. Hannon makes full use of her voice with gorgeous harmonies and melodies that rise from smoky low verses to the call of the chorus.
Fya Fox – Like Loving Jesus
Fya Fox’s latest leaves nothing to chance with its varied sound. The track’s alt pop ambitions jump from the piano softness of the verses to the idiosyncratic pop of the chorus with organ swells and roving bass underpinning Fya Fox’s strong vocals.
Playlist
