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. Without further ado. More more extensive Irish coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section.
1.
Gavin Glass
Matador
‘Matador’ is the debut single from Gavin Glass‘ fifth album Opus Pocus. The song blends classic, alternative rock with a cabaret vocal effect which lends itself to a feel-good anthemic ballad. The official album launch is on July 13th in Whelans.
2.
Search Party Animal
Sailboat
Search Party Animal return with a hook-saturated new single ‘Sailboat’. The song sounds like an All Tvvins (with whom they recently toured) / The 1975 hybrid, complete with hypnotic guitar lead lines and warped vocal effects throughout.
3.
Tadgh
Soup
‘Soup’ marks a vibrant departure from Dublin artist Tadgh’s previous alt-rock material. A combination of lush synths meet bouncy guitar licks, all of which blend seamlessly with Tadgh’s vocal and quirky lyrics. It will be interesting to see how the Dublin songwriter develops this new sound from here.
4.
Alan Finan
Rejoice
Taken from Alan Finan‘s new EP The Undwelling, ‘Rejoice’ is a stunning, delicate ballad reminiscent of the woody tones prevalent in Talos’ and Bon Iver’s music. With only guitar accompaniment, Finan’s gentle voice is the salient feature of the song, proving that sometimes less really is more.
5.
&&OR
FN+F12
&&OR is the moniker of the illusive Dublin AV artist Anthony Dunphy. His new single ‘FN+F12’ is a fusion of industrial techno with electro undertones, which comes complete with jarring visuals that are “conceived of painted concepts from a fine art perspective. The work is rebuilt through algorithmic programming allowing an exploratory experience through its original two dimensional limits”. Check out his previous song featured on the site.
6.
Noel O’Brien
Sirens
‘Sirens’ is taken from Noel O’Brien‘s just-released second EP Sunken Lines . The song is a dreamy concoction of bright guitars, ambient sound effects and smooth strings, topped off by soaring, delicate vocals.
7.
Laurie Shaw
That’s Life!
Taken from Laurie Shaw‘s forthcoming debut album, That’s Life! is an uplifting alt-rock ballad that summons an eclectic mix of imagery including hotel lobbies and humanist funerals. Shaw cites Jonathan Richman and Bill Ryder Jones as influences and it is easy to hear those here. The song is the perfect medicine to remedy a bad day and is a must-have track on your summer playlist.
