A lot music from Ireland and Northern Ireland comes Nialler9’s way and every week, we listen through it all and select the tracks from emerging artists and some established acts that deserve to be heard by you.
For more extensive Irish and new music coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section for individual track features.
1.
Jehnova
Cape Of Good Hope
A brand new tune from Jehnova keeps his score card high. It’s from a forthcoming mixtape St Ivy. Production is by Sivv.
2.
49th & Main
Human Condition
Kilkenny duo 49th & Main continue their ascent with their second single on Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records, further displaying their alt-electronic pop smarts.
It’s from their debut EP called Must Be Nice set for release July 22nd.
” To be human is to make mistakes, to feel emotion and to seek connections. We tried to capture that in a song. We probably did a bad job but hey after all we are human.”
49th and Main are among the many Irish acts announced for Glastonbury Festival 2this month playing the The Acoustic Stage at 12:45pm on Saturday 25th June.
3.
Demigosh
First Son
Demigosh follows up last year’s collaborations with producer Moiré, the London-based Dublin singer brings together alternative, afro-future and ambient styles in the one track here.
4.
Big Love
Sirens
Big Love’s third single following the powerful ‘Lily’ and ‘I Hope You Sleep Tonight’, atmospheric tune with a heart-on-sleeve with tension and extreme-emotion-filled indie arrangement, on a song concerning trauma.
“Sirens is my first hand depiction of a traumatic experience that happened to me in a chaotic period in my life. I was getting in a lot of trouble at the time and the event felt like the culmination of years of anger and frustration bottled into one night. The song is an attempt to describe the events of that night, its language and structure reflect how I felt at different times throughout. Moments of pure calm turn to rage and violence and then back again. For me the song is written in the form of a diary entry. Writing it all out in this way proved really cathartic and I believe it was necessary for me to get out like this.”
Singer, Cian Ó Maonlaí
Frendan
Name
Frendan is an Irish producer and songwriter and this tune reminds of the vocal stylings of Nealo at times while musically, there’s a slow-motion smashed rap feeling to the beat.
‘My Name’ is from a forthcoming album entitled, of course, Frend, out June 30th 2022.
Frendan’s first single was ‘Content’.
6.
No Photos
Time Today
A super impressive indie-pop ditty from Dublin alternative band No Photos who have released their self-titled debut album last week. The vocals are Ailish By Myself, and rapper Zach Okay.
I previously featured ‘Every Single Day’ From the band, who apparently only formed in November last year.
7.
Morning Midnight
Paradise
Morning Midnight are a bedroom pop folky duo consisting of Merseyside singer-songwriter Jordan Scott and Irish producer, pianist, vocalist Jess Pascal.
We’re operating a tenuous Cascarino rule as Pascal has Irish parents who played Irish trad growing up, but the label is also Irish.
‘Paradise’ is the band’s debut single on Faction Records, a stirring folk song with Bon Iver flourishes.
“Paradise is about the space between realising you need a relationship to end and the moment it actually happens. I remember the night when it hit me like it was yesterday, but the moments after are a lot harder for me to piece together. I guess the realisation brings a clarity that’s easy to remember, but this song is more interested in why it had to happen in the first place, which can take a lot more time to figure out.”
The band’s debut LP ‘album Happy Hour is out on Faction in October 2022.
8.
BNKRPT
Remember
Fine shimmering upbeat electronica from Galway duo BNKRPT that reminds me of early 2000s German dance music. BNKRPT are Paul Belton and Eamonn Noone, the former was resident DJ of Electric Garden and Theatre for the last 7 years until it shut down and Noone has a background in composition for TV, film and games.
9.
Harpsikord
Can’t Talk Right Now
What happens when members of two tribute bands to S’Express and Boards Of Canada meet at a tribute band festival?
Harpsikord is the answer. A new Irish band formed of members of Sex Press (a Tribute to S’Express) and Bards Of Canada (an acapella tribute to Boards Of Canada), they have released an album called Braindazzled, “heavily inspired by the euphoria of late 80’s and early 90’s club music, and incorporates dub, psych, ambient and post-rock.”
Have a listen to the wonky pop electronics of ‘Can’t Talk Right Now’.
10.
a boy in cords
Stupid Like That
a boy in cords is a new Irish artist whose debut single is already set to be featured on UK reality show Made In Chelsea next week.
The project is helmed by a former guitarist with The Devlins and played on a recent Def Nettle song featured here, and ‘Stupid Like That’ is a gossamer indie pop song that starts with a whistle line.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a happy-go-lucky sort of guy, happy doing my own thing and comfortable enough in my own skin. But at the same time, I’ve struggled with an ever-present undercurrent of negativity and bleakness that gnaws away at me and that I have to work really hard to keep at bay. I think this part of me really excelled during the second lockdown and I ended up in hospital after a series of horrific panic attacks. The realisation that I didn’t have anywhere near the level of control I thought I had really knocked me, so I turned to transcendental meditation and a renewed passion for writing and producing music as ways to distract my mind and regain some sort of control. And that’s where a boy in cords started.”
11.
Slaney
Romeo
Slaney is known for making bright sparkling ultra melodic pop, and ‘Romeo’ is the latest in a line of singles showing off that style. This time round there’s more of a dance music feel.
12.
Klubber Lang
Make Amends
‘Make Amends’ is the fourth single from the Dublin band Klubber Lang on Cork independent label FIFA Records, an incisor-chattering rock song through and through.
Klubber Lang are Ciaran McGoldrick, Ciaran Tallon, Ronan McHugh and Fin O’Leary of promoters Singular Artists.
For more extensive Irish and new music coverage, hit up the Irish section for individual track features
For this and more Irish songs, follow the Nialler9 New Irish Spotify playlist.
