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.
Luz
I’m Lonely
18-year-old Irish, half Argentinian solo artist Luz began her career in music performing covers online, primarily through Youtube (check out her cover of Dermot Kennedy’s ‘Lost’ here).
‘I’m Lonely’ is some of the first original material we’ve heard from Luz. It’s a downtempo tune, performed and arranged mostly around Luz’s vocals and piano playing. Will be very interesting to see how Luz’s sound and performance style evolves in the tunes to come, one to keep an eye on for sure.
2.
Lydia Ford
Tell Me
Mayo-born Lydia Ford is an artist making bright songwriter electronic pop music inspired by the likes of Sigrid and Julia Michaels since 2017, who works with various producers based around the world.
Common in her music is a bright light tone to her melodies, which are very of the zeitgeist, if a little more ethereal than those big aforementioned name. ‘Tell Me’ is a shimmering pop song in that bright vein Ford is increasingly associated with.
3.
Dirty Dreamer
Air To Breathe
With its members having played in Come On Live Long, prior to this, Dirty Dreamer takes on the atmospheric strand of their other band’s music with Louise Gaffney’s vocals providing focus on the hazy instrumentation of ‘Air To Breathe’.
4.
Synthia Nixon
Quarantine 001
Orin and Tiernan are two Irish lads living in North America who make electronic music under the name Synthia Nixon and their latest track was obviously concocted in isolation which makes it sprawling tones hit harder, knowing that we can’t experience such sounds in public en masse. Not just me right?
5.
Meljoann
Company Retreat
You can rely on Meljoann to come up with some warped electronic R&B based on previous releases and ‘Company Retreat’ doesn’t disappoint. The now Brighton-based producer and video artist has an album called HR coming soon and this track is a take on the “distorting influence of hyper-competitive capitalism on our relationships”. It also sounds like a chopped and screwed early Janet Jackson.
6.
All Tvvins
Hope It Don’t
Consistently knocking out anthemic tunes, the Dublin-based duo of Conor Adams and Lar Kaye return with their own Springsteen and Arcade Fire-esque jam, the first taste of material that will follow their second album Just To Exist.
7.
Silver Country
The Greyness
Galway folk artist Niamh Regan has a delicate and distinguished voice and I’m loving her collaboration with New Zealand producer Alex Borwick.
8.
AIMÉE
What my Mamma Gave Me
Irish pop artist Aimée dropped this confident ode to her mother this week (with Lyra doing something similar last year, is this Irish mammy tribute going to become a thing?) and ‘What My Mamma Gave Me’ is the best track from the Dublin artist’s Confession EP. The video was shot in Axis in Ballymun and The Stella Cinema in Rathmines.
9.
Naoise Roo
Sick Girlfriend
Naoise Roo returns with a taut rock track is a “sarcastic turn on the trope and treatment of mentally ill women in the media,” and the first track from an EP out on April 24th of the same name that the artist says explores “themes surrounding depression, the challenges of the music industry and the oppressive stereotypes that burden women experiencing mental illness.”
Check out more of Naoise’s recent music.
10.
Uly
Cold Water
Raf Murphy returns with this gentle track which is ode to the mental health relief of literally getting in the sea. Loving those horns in the second half.
‘Redlight’ is still our favourite jam from Uly.
11.
Zapho
Fight Me
26 year-old singer, songwriter and producer Ele Breslin Zapho follows up her collaborations with Ryan O’Shaughnessy and Toshín, Zapho gets in your face with this groovy brass track.
“I included a little brass section to tip my hat to the Rocky movies and the theme song, ‘Eye Of The Tiger’. I made my fighter more sleazy and flashy, a rags to riches storyline about being at the top of your game.'”
12.
Tropolis
Let Go
One time Planet Paraders Michael Hopkins and Andrew Lloyd offer up a second track of escapist bliss on ‘Let Go’. Hear also ‘Oceans Away’
13.
The Natural History Museum
Declaw
Dunk Murphy (Sunken Foal) and Carol Keogh are back with a slice of tense electronic acoustic music on ‘Declaw’, which comes withthw shimmering B-side ‘Glacier Rim’.
14.
Hunting Hall
Dublin London Portland
Video director Tim Shearwood delves back into his musical side Hunting Hall with the off-kilter ’80s-inspired tones of ‘Dublin London Portland’ about pushing past procrastination, our in the artist’s own words ‘represent the wistfully imagined best places where the artist can break from the shackles of small-town Ireland – the ennui, the unproductive routines – and live out his dreams and ambitions.” It comes with a video directed by Shearwood.
15.
Tamara Hall
Expression
A post dubby garage track from Tamara Hall who is incidentally the sister of Limerick electronic producer Rory Hall. A talented fam.
16.
Dreaming Of Jupiter
Expression
The Dublin three-piece Dreaming Of Jupiter come back with their “Ambi-Groove” pop style.
