Kilkenny indie-dance duo 49th & Main have released two songs, a double A-side of ‘Crash and Burn’ / ‘Said Nothing’, wit the latter featuring vocals from UK artist Skylar.
The former ‘Crash and Burn’ is an upbeat summery saxophone-assisted tune, while the latter ‘Said Nothing’ is a ballad featuring Skylar. Both singles were mixed by Edmund Irwin-Singer of Glass Animals,
The duo’s debut EP Must Be Nice was released in September last year via Counter Records.
“Any given songs potential is at the whim of how good the idea behind it is, and how motivated we are really. Crash & Burn was a ‘slow burner’ so to speak. Felt like a decent idea but very barebones for a long while. Until, day by day, harmonies were added, guitar layers, horn sections, drum switch ups and then seemingly out of nowhere, we had our biggest song we’d ever made. ‘Biggest’ meaning most musical elements/layers and probably most technical too. It’s been a favourite of ours for a long time now so we’re very excited to share it.”
49th & Main on ‘Crash And Burn’.
“I remember at some point last year, talking to a friend about music and we were talking about trends and how certain genres or song archetypes have their moment in the sun and they mentioned that ballads were out, nobody likes them right now. So, naturally, I immediately thought, let’s make a ballad. We’re not led by genres when it comes to writing songs. Music, while being many other things, is a tool for us to convey ideas, moods and create moments. This song is no exception. It’s a different type of moment that we’ve gone for on ’Said Nothing’. Not one you’ve heard in a 49th & Main song previously, but that’s why it’s special.”
It’s out today on Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records.
49th & Main tour dates
May
8th – The Road to The Great Escape, Dublin
12th – The Great Escape (Komedia 23:15), Brighton
May 27th – Dot 2 Dot Festival, Bristol
May 28th – Dot 2 Dot festival, Nottingham
June
16th – Sea Sessions, Donegal
July
8th – Otherside Festival, Ireland
15th – Beat Herder festival, Lancashire
21st – Standon Calling
22nd – Forest Fest, Portlaoise
About 49th & Main
Hailing from the Irish town of Kilkenny, 49th & Main are an indie-pop duo consisting of producer Ben O’Sullivan and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Paddy King. The pair first met in school and after growing close, they began working on music together during a particularly warm summer, with O’Sullivan dabbling with acoustics and how to record King’s guitar.
Once in Vancouver (just off 49th & Main street), O’Sullivan found himself unable to find work; so whilst King and his friends went to work at stores and building sites across the city, he would spend his days producing and writing music for Paddy to jump on when he returned.
It was around this time that O’Sullivan, unbeknownst to him, had developed aplastic anemia. A rare blood disease which prevented his bone marrow from producing enough new blood cells, making him chronically fatigued and prone to infections. After returning home from Canada, came months of tests, scans and anxiety for what was to come.
On the 1st of January 2020, O’Sullivan was officially diagnosed and began treatment which left him heavily immunocompromised, living between the attic of his family home or a triple-sealed hospital room.
Three months after O’Sullivan began treatment, and on the eve of a worldwide lockdown, 49th & Main introduced themselves to the world with the trap-infused ‘Party Alone’, in collaboration with former classmate TraviS. Less than a month later, they released their debut project Neon Palm Trees; which jumped between genres effortlessly as the pair blended dual influences without fear of insult. What followed, however, was beyond even the wildest of expectations. In April 2020, 49th & Main released ‘Catching Eyes’, a lo-fi banger which has gone on to generate over 15 million streams on Spotify and propel the duo to new heights.”
Since then, 49th & Main have been on a roll, releasing collaborations with artists such as Sarah Carton, Khakikid, Landis and Chameleon (the latter of whom appeared on the band’s latest mixtape rodeo doors (COVID TAPES) which consists of 5 songs written in 5 days while the pair were in isolation with COVID). Over time, the pair have been attracting attention across the industry, including Red Light Management where they quickly joined the impressive global roster. Excitingly, the band recently announced that they have signed a global record deal with independent label Counter Records, an imprint of Ninja Tune, who already house artists such as Bonobo, Bicep, Thundercat, Kelis and Black Country, New Road. On top of that, Paradigm have come on board to support their live journey.
