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 new songs from emerging artists that deserve to be heard by you.
For more extensive Irish, and Northern Irish coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section for individual track features.
1.
Babylamb
Icky
Some fizzy hyperpop from Dublin four-piece Babylamb for their second single. We featured ‘Bodyright’ back in January and they’ve added a new member since.
“Writing ‘Icky’ was like an attempted astral-projection. Smooching a stranger at a party is a righteous little act of living that Babylamb have been missing and mourning. You’re screwed up, out of control, nauseous and you miss it like crazy. In ‘Icky’, we’re not quite ready to touch hearts, but to touch at all would be a good start.”
Lead singer Tobias Barry
2.
Sélu
More Than
Sélu dropped a new EP recently called Duality that features Demigosh and Lariman and leading off the six-track release is this catchy Afro-lite pop tune. Sélu has a new tune out Friday called ‘Hold Up’s so hit that Follow button.
3.
Eiza Murphy
Taxi
Cork artist Eiza Murphy’s second single sparks a dark Billie Eilish type of pop mood for sure.
4.
Proper Micro NV
You Knew Longer Than Me
Limerick electronic producer Rory Hall comes through with a bubbly electronic banger from his forthcoming album.
5.
Laoise
Movies
Laoise and her collaborator Seán Behan released a dreamy pop song about the clichés of what happens in film vs real life.
“I’ve been reminiscing a lot this year, especially with this new time at home, and I’ve found myself watching movies I used to watch when I was younger. Mostly out of escapism, but also out of craving some sort of nostalgia. Growing up, the likes of going to the cinema or to Blockbuster to pick out a movie played a massive role in how I viewed the world. So much so that I unconsciously started to compare my life with the lives of characters on a screen. Even though it developed the creative, imaginative side that I get to tap into when songwriting, it also developed a vicious cycle of expectation vs. reality for me, and if I couldn’t see myself in a character, I would panic and think that something was wrong with me.
I’d play out various scenarios in my mind – many of which were never going to happen – and imagine how I would react, what I would say, how I would dress, how I would be perceived and so on. I often deprived myself of my own opinions and identity because I hadn’t seen them in a movie, and I wouldn’t know what to expect if I did express myself impetuously. Even in relationships I wouldn’t express myself clearly but I’d still expect someone to show up outside my door, in the rain, with a boombox, declaring their infinite love for me. Initially this realisation – that people aren’t mind readers – was a bitter pill to swallow, but it gave me the chance to undo a lot of hard wiring in my brain, leaving the main character syndrome at the popcorn stand.”
6.
2E
Mars
Aaron Toohey is an Ashbourne rapper who makes music under the name 2E and I’m very impressed with his just-released full-length Mad Scientist. The whole thing is worth a listen but start with ‘Mars’.
7.
Breezy iDeyGoke x DJ CC
Double Up
Breezy and Limerick-based producer DJ CC double up on a low-end bouncy rap banger. With a video by Rosie Barrett to boot.
The video was filmed by Albert Hooi, choreography by Jay Asolo featuring dancers Tobi Omoteso & Sly Sod on a set curated by Angela Mulhern.
8.
Chaya
Nevermind
A new artist from Dublin, multi-instrumentaist Chaya’s debut single ’Nevermind’ draws on house and Burial-style shuffling garage rhythms with minor keys and spectral vocals.
Chaya’s bio says his “love of electronic music was forged in NYC at underground parties like Ladyfag and Unter at night whilst days were spent studying at the Clive Davis Institute of NYU”.
9.
GRWL
Overstayed
Dubliner Leah Tiernan’s debut single as GRWL showcases her love of lo-fi, R&B, soul and pop. It’s a slow moving introduction to the artist, but with a production nous that hones in on elevating a simple heartfelt vocal by Adam Redmond from Flaked Studios.
10.
Delac
Can’t Let Go
James McAdam and Stephen Dooley are London-based Irish boys who featured here earlier this year with their melodic electronic music. They close out 2020 with a tease of a song from their new EP in January.
11.
Shadeemus
Clovis
Shadeemus are a trio formed in a Leicester coffee shop by Scott Xylo, Adam Martin and Demigosh who the pair met in November last year.’Clovis’ is a smudged psychedelic soul song.
12.
SLANEY
By Your Side
A lovely cover of a Sade song with production by Michael Hopkins, who also released a song last week:
