10 of the best Irish songs this week

Dumb Posh Hippies

Scrunched Up Fists

Dublin psych-punk-rock band Dumb Posh Hippies follow up their recent remix EP with a fun little colloquial ditty, a mix of apology, regret and rage with a wry smile.

Dumb Posh Hippies are:

Ciarán Fitz – Lead vocals, Guitar

James Hutcheon – Bass, vocals

Matthew Lynch – Drums

Olive Hatake, Daryl Bengo

Ghosts

I hosted a listening party for Olive Hatake and his new album Boys Need Love last week, and what struck me about the Kildare producer’s outlook is one of chasing joy and euphoria, even in the face of grief and personal loss.

Olive also competed at the Jiu-Jitsu European championships in Paris earlier this year, along with finishing this album, which takes that euphoria and embeds it on these songs.

Along with the epic reaching ‘Ghosts’ there are features with Jafaris and regular collaborator Tony Konstone (Hare Squead).

Live shows:

Crwst, Cardigan (Other Voices): Nov 1st

Angel Upstairs, Cardigan (Other Voices): Nov 2nd

National Gallery, Dublin: Nov 7th

Workman’s Cellar, Dublin: Nov 10th

Yenkee

Southside

The Cork artist Graham Cooney has released his debut album Night Golf on Soft Boy Records, and Yenkee leans soft glow daydream indie pop and mellow psych guitar music he’s known for across the record.

‘Southside’ with its Thriller-esque pulsing bassline and hooky chorus is my current favourite of the non-single album tracks so far.

Yenkee has live dates in Dublin, London, Brighton and Cork in December- tickets are on sale now.

1st Dec: Whelans (Upstairs), Dublin

10th Dec: Old Blue Last, London

15th Dec: Folklore Rooms, Brighton

21st Dec: City Hall, Cork

shiv

truth be truthin’

There are a lot of hard truths arrived at during shiv’s debut album the defiance of a sadgirl, which recounts how the Irish-Zimbabwean producer and singer-songwriter blew up the bones of her life – relationship, moving home and country, leaving her label and manager and more (As she told us on the podcast this summer )

‘truth be truthin’ is a song about doing the brave and hard thing and leaving that person when plans are coagulating to spend your lives together.

Problem Patterns, Beauty Sleep

Bigger, Shoutier

Belfast band Problem Patterns released a remix album of their debut called Blouse Clubland featuring dance remixes of their pop-punk originals.

Beauty Sleep’s rework takes things in a piano house direction, a kaleidoscopic swirl of the original’s edgy voals and softer synthesized sounds.

Blouse Clubland will be available on limited edition pink cassette tape with a limited edition shirt/blouse in collaboration with clothing range The Dude.

Messyng

This My Town (This My Chip Van)

“Don’t you be coming to Kenmare like a big man, this is my town, this is my chip van.“

This is why we need staggered closing times in clubs lads, so the chip van in the town doesn’t become a regular flashpoint of booze-fuelled scraps, as laid out by Culchie Surrealists Messyng’s electro-rock track ‘This My Town (This My Chip Van)’.

Kerry band Messyng’s latest EP is LISSELTON JOHN STREET FOOTBALL 2K12, “a fictitious football themed tactical RPG video game funded by the Arts Council of Ireland in a parallel timeline to our own.”

The EP features girlfriend., Aponym, Nude Cleaning Service and Dr Roger Breeze and a nu-metal screamo song about the merits of an Eircode and titles like ‘Bertie Bowl’ and ‘Messyng Is The Kerry Captain’.

Pippa Molony, Rory Sweeney

A Woman Lies In Bed Asleep

The Dublin artist Pippa Molony collaborates with Rory Sweeney throughout the Hungry Ghost EP with a conceptual theme that explores dreams and folklore. ‘A Woman Lies In Bed Asleep’ is a highlight from it.

“Hungry Ghost is a concept record that explores the theme of ‘consumption,’ with each track offering ethereal, experimental electronic sounds inspired by the overall theme, Irish folklore and dreams. Much like the Hungry Ghost in Buddhism, the music speaks to a longing for more, for a place I don’t quite belong, for connection with otherworldly creatures—always yearning, never satisfied. It’s about a feeling of being on the outside, looking in, always on the cusp of something, but never there.”

Blue Deputy

Cypress

The Belfast indie bedroom-pop trio impress with their dreamy midwest emo-inspired single ‘Cypress’, from a forthcoming EP on Under The Rolling Y/Dalliance Recordings.

The band were actually formed in Philadelphia in 2020, before transplanting to Belfast in 2022.

Blue Deputy are Andy Bunting (vocals and guitar), Caoilfhinn McFadden (bass) and Cathal Francis (guitar and vocals).

mokusla

Enjoy Tomorrow

Donegal-born visual artist Lou Rowland aka mokusla released a second EP of dreamy ambient pop and folk music called lovely people here, but it’s just not the same EP last week.

The EP is a celebration of friendship and came from a time of feeling lost, craving old connections and deep nostalgia.”

‘Enjoy Tomorrow’ is the opener from the release, and reminds me of the delicate orchestral drema pop of Julia Holter, and yes, fellow countywoman Enya in the vocals.

Sell Everything

Landlord Blues

Is there any song title more apt for Dublins’ current housing sitch than ‘Landlord Blues’?

Sell Everything are the Dublin jazz indie band lead by Tom Kelly responsible for the title and song.