Every month we take a look back at the best new releases from Northern Ireland, showcasing the sheer amount of talent coming out of the North in our featured playlist. This month’s cover artist is Parker. Words by Aaron Cunningham and Robert Brown.
Parker – Holy Communion
Derry band Parker continue their recent hot streak and close out 2024 with the joyously infectious ‘Holy Communion’. The trio turn their razor sharp wit on two starstruck lovers from different NI communities in a buoyant and boisterous pop-punk anthem. RB
The Thing Is… – Weeping Willow
You’d be hard pressed to believe that this is only the second release from Downpatrick’s The Thing Is. This sophomore effort is delivered with the swagger of a band that has been knocking about for years. Those last 20 seconds are as frenetic and delicious an alt rock anthem you’ll hear this year. RB
Makeshift Art Bar – Birthday Party
Just the second release from Makeshift Art Bar but the band has generated a fair bit of buzz through their debut and live show. The band delve into post-punk again, though ‘Birthday Party’ sets a lighter tone built around sharp guitars and the pulsing bassline. Chalk’s success has helped open the door in Belfast but Makeshift Art Bar are taking things in their own direction. AC
beat up car – how are you my love?
The best songs that deal with break ups are usually written by indie emo bands so we were looking forward to our own local sad boys take on the subject. Their track manages to flit between lo-fi indie and dreamy shoegaze, delivering a melancholic earworm to help you through the heartache. RB
Chubby Cat – DEAR DIARY, I WANNA DIE
Both Chubby Cat’s releases and renown have accelerated in the past year with that upward trajectory building to her first EP The Fine Art of Dissociation. Amongst these five alt-pop tracks sits ‘Dear Diary, I Wanna Die’. The production, songwriting and Cat’s vocals are a lethal combination across an unpredictable two minutes thirty. AC
WOHN – Fubar
North Coast noisemakers WOHN have been a little quiet of late but that changes with the release of ‘Fubar’. The first minute and a half lulls you in with slow burning & grave undertones. With Wisener delivering an intense vocal and the drums and bass entering the fray, the song reaches new heights and comes to a satisfying conclusion. RB
The Darkling Air – Pandemonium
It’s been a wait of almost five years since we last had a new release from Rachel McCarthy and Michael Keeney, otherwise known as The Darkling Air. ‘Pandemonium’ continues the high standard the pair have set. Dark folk in nature, but with considered songwriting and the rich instrumentation swirling around McCarthy’s vocals that feels like half the story. Pareidolia, album number three, releases March 2025. AC
MMODE – Shoot Back
Siblings Lucy Gaffney and Thom Southern won’t be unfamiliar to anyone following our playlists, though their MMODE project hasn’t been heard from since 2018. In a month where they’ve both released solo singles, plus Thom’s how r u project, they’ve found time to return to their last major collaboration. That MMODE sound is still there, but its a new approach that reflects where the pair’s own music has taken them. AC
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