A lot of Irish music comes Nialler9’s way and there’s little time to feature everything we think is worthy of a thumbs up or more ears. Every week, we collate the songs that pass our writers that deserve to be heard by you. For more extensive Irish coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section.
1.
Somebody’s Child
Toes
Somebody’s Child is proving to be a very exciting new prospect for the Irish alt-pop music scene. The 24-year old caught our attention last year with his debut single ‘Make You Alright’ and its follow ‘Toes’ up is of similar calibre. Produced by Ross Dowling (James Vincent McMorrow, Bell X1), ‘Toes’ is melodically driven by swelling synth lines and grating guitar chords worthy of Tom Walker. Somehow, the track manages to exist somewhere between the intimate and the grand, melancholy and bliss. More of this please.
2.
Dego
Plus One
Kildare hailing Dego is one busy bee. Declan Gorman has been making beats since the 90s and his latest album ‘Ten Plus One’ is his tenth full length release (he boasts three albums and seven EPs). The music is electronically hinged with myriads of assimilating percussion lines and synth textures that develop very gradually. This is most apparent in Plus One, the closing track on the album: think lo-fi grainy beats mixed with layers of 80s synths.
3.
TAU
Craw
Now for something totally different: TAU are a Berlin based psych-collective whose debut album TAU and The Drones of Praise is due for release this 2nd February. ‘Craw’ is the latest single from the record and it gives a good indication of whats to come. The word ‘craw’ is derived from old Irish vernacular and means that something needs to be purged or set free. The track boasts an eclectic mix of instruments including dense strings and tribal percussion rhythms, as well as vocals that verge on atonality, the combination of which makes it hard to pinpoint one genre. A deftly original piece.
4.
Solkatt
Meridian
Solkatt is the moniker of production duo Leo Pearson and Peter Lawlor, and ‘Meridian’ is the latest single from their forthcoming debut album. The record’s inception was derived from left overs of an ambitious project that saw them create 90 minutes of original music for a 46 speaker geodesic dome, which was premiered at Electric Picnic 2017 as part of the RedBull Soundome Stage. This track and the rest of the album were created from the sounds that didn’t make it to the dome, but based on ‘Meridian’, we’re glad that they’re getting a new lease of life.
5.
Crome Yellow
Wash Basket Earpiece
Crome Yellow are your favourite raincoat donning band from Waterford. We featured their last single ‘Lately’ here recently and they haven’t been long producing a follow up: the ambiguously titled ‘Wash Basket Earpiece’ contains all of the bright guitar tones and synth swells that we know them for but this track boasts a little more grit than previous releases with a bouncy bass line and syncopated backing vocals à la Vulfpeck.
6.
The Murder Capital
Feeling Fades
The Murder Capital were one of the buzziest bands to come out of 2018 (they were one of our best new Irish acts last year) and they have just released their anticipated debut single. ‘Feeling Fades’ is a ferocious 4-minute romp, complete with a driving bass line, thrashing high hats and layers of squealing guitar lines that render head bobbing an automatic reflux. James McGovern’s vocals are poignant, almost spoken word-esque at times above the raucous of the instrumentation. It’s a literal, blunt form of rock we like it a lot.
7.
Nogymx
No Emperors
‘No Emperors’ is the title track from Nogymx’s (formerly known as ‘No Gimmicks’) sophomore album. All of the producer’s work has an ethereal, other worldly quality to it and this album is no different. ‘No Emperors’ draws its listener in slowly with ambient soundscapes and smooth textures that wouldn’t feel out of place on a large screen.
