A lot of music from Ireland and Northern Ireland comes our way and every week, we listen through it all, sift the list down to a manageable list and share the best new tracks from emerging artists and some more 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.
Sloucho
Readymade / Everything (Live)
The Irish producer Sloucho, a cofounder of Limerick electronic music collective Cabal debuted with the dubstep and twisted vocal samples of ‘Hold It Down’ in November.
On his latest, the bright and bubbly ‘Readymade’ / ‘Everything’ (Live)’ represents duality of identity, underscored by a bedroom music video performance in which Sloucho plays with form in a costume designed by friend and collaborator Ríon Hannora.
“Creating new identities allows for new stories and tales to emerge and intertwine, and those stories will eventually create an interconnected world where I can hopefully retire to some day”, they say. “Escapism sometimes comes with negative connotations but real life is boring, I want to create my imagination and then live in it.”
2.
Chalk
Static
The Belfast post-punk band Chalk follow up last year’s debut song feature ‘Them’, with a chugging motorik rawk song that serves as the band’s third single.
The four-piece met at film school, and film and the Belfast dance music scene are stated influences. Chris Ryan is on production duties once again.
“We wanted to explore the feeling of not knowing your place in the world. Living within order & regime, following instructions. “Stand up straight, a pre-owned smile” / “There’s been a knock at my door, they’re gonna try and burn me down” But then subverting from the social norms and gaining control. Creating a path for yourself, confronting the uncertainty and risks. “Searching for something to do, just to keep myself right” Reaching the end of that path and waiting for fulfilment but you’re not sure when it will come or if it will at all. “I could have sworn that I’d cut the cord”.
Ross Cullen, Chalk
Chalk is Ross Cullen (Vocals), Benedict Goddard (Guitar, Synth), Luke Niblock (Drums).
3.
KSAV
Steph
The Golden State Warriors basketball player Steph Curry inspires A92 Collective Ksav’s debut solo single, which was released in January and has already racked up 120K listens on Spotify.
‘Steph’ is a track that fits both the UK drill sound, and the Irish wing, along with fitting nicely into A92’s output, along with Ksav’s confident rhyme style. It was produced by the AOM collective.
4.
Plantain Papi
Wheels Fall Off
Plantain Papi’s newest song ‘Wheels Fall Off’ brings together R&B and Jersey club sounds on a poppy track, dedicated to his partner, that dropped on Valentine’s.
Papi recently supported Burna Boy in the 3Arena.
“I wanted to create a track that celebrates the ups and downs of a healthy relationship, and the journey of love and growth,” says the artist.
5.
Blimp
In Your Eyes
Producer Shane Smyth aka Blimp has become a regular around these parts, because he’s knocking out good tunes under his electronic moniker, and ‘In Your Eyes’ is no different, an effortless sounding sojourn into squelchy acid and strident house vistas.
6.
Nixer
Pleasure
Dublin band Nixer, Seán Keenan and Gearóid Peggs, followup their debut EP with more of the same – that means, post-punk guitars, drum machines and electro synths that shake and fizz with blunt direct lyrics concerning lust.
The band says that lines like “I’m a holy soul / You’re a Holy Mary / I offered ya truths / You wanted to dare me,” are “juxtaposing the physical desires of the individual with historical Catholic guilt, shame and the lack of discourse around sexuality within Irish society.”
7.
Chris Kabs
Nobody
‘Nobody’ is a sweet heart-on-sleeve Afropop single from Chris Kabs’ forthcoming EP, due April 7th.
Kabs has a headline show at The Academy Green Room, Dublin on April 22nd, and he’s a busy fellah with working with the London label Roughbones, and was working on music with Coolio before his untimely passing.
8.
Hawk Jupiter
Almighty
I was not expecting the big bass jazz funk rap explosion that came out of the speakers to belong to a Carlow producer Hawk Jupiter, but here we are.
Unexpected.
The vocals are from Kansas rapper Duncan Burnett, as sampled/featured on Mark Francis’ 2019 song ‘Cash’.
9.
ROE
My Greatest Fear
Derry indie pop artist Roe is wasting no time following up the debut album That’s When The Panic Sets In, with ‘My Greatest Fear’, a song that I could hear Pillow Queens singing, and yes, that is a compliment in my book.
10.
The Holy Roman Army
No Fun
Well, well, well. It’s only been 11 years since Nialler9 last featured the music of The Holy Roman Army, Carlow brother and sister Chris and Laura Coffey, as they last released music then.
Sparked during lockdown as a Chris solo endeavour, Modern European is the third Holy Roman Army album, due to be released on April 21st, on Kilkenny’s Rollercoaster Records. Kilkenny-based Chris was working as a frontline doctor during lockdown, and music was a ray of light in tough days.
‘No Fun’ is a track of electronic shoegaze style, a “sketch of a lonely kid separated from his friends sitting on a rainy kerbside in Cologne.”
The album explores ideas about Europe and music of the continent, with Ulrich Schnauss and the Morr Music label cited.
While it’s essentially a solo album (vocalist Laura Coffey will return for the band’s already promised fourth record), the release features drums Dennis Cassidy and bass by Dave Power.
11.
Siúcra
Travellin’ Song
The Galway band Siúcra’s debut single ‘Travellin’ Song’ encapsulates the band’s varied influences of classic-rock, a bit of country, shoegaze, folk and trad too.
Wings, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton’s early work and Slowdive are mentioned as influences.
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.
