A lot music from Ireland and Northern Ireland comes Nialler9’s way and every week, we listen through it all and select the tracks from emerging artists (and some 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.
M(h)aol
Gender Studies
M(h)aol’s last single ‘Asking For It’ addressed male violence , and the band whose members are based in Dublin, London and Bristol, are addressing gender on their new song ‘Gender Studies’.
The short song employs a simple repetitive riff over a persistent percussion that dips into a low-end rock sludge that is really quite nice. The song is, in their words:
“a response to how gender changes throughout our lifetime, and how some people wish to force the gender binary. It’s about going on a intersectional feminist journey where you become less palatable to wider society, but more palatable to yourself.
M(h)aol (pronounced “male”) are Róisín Nic Ghearailt, Constance Keane aka Fears, Jamie Hyland, Zoe Greenway, and Sean Nolan.
The song is from an EP of the same name out October 29th digitally via Bandcamp. The 12″ vinyl Dinked edition of 300 is already sold out.
The band play the Workman’s new venue The Cellar on November 12th.
2.
SPIDER
I’M FINE, IM GOOD, IM PERFECT!
I loved the debut single ‘Water Sign’ from London-based Irish artist Spider, and again, here on the new track ‘I’M FINE, IM GOOD, IM PERFECT!’, Spider brings an off-kilter weirdness to a big pop hook.
3.
Enola Gay
Salt
The young Belfast band Enola Gay are aiming their sights on the Brexiteers with the bitter ‘Salt’ a song “swinging for royal perverts and UK media outlets such as The Sun, for promoting a false pitch for Brexit and incompetency in the government.”
4.
Elephant
Heatstroke
‘Heatstroke’ is a highlight from Shane Clarke’s newest Elephant album Ice Cream, on Pizza Pizza Records. The song has a casual homespun charm to it even though the song has our protaganist losing the plot. The album is on Bandcamp.
5.
Kynsy
Mr Nice Guy
Ciara Lindsey aka Kynsy’s new track ‘Mr Nice Guy’ is a leap of confidence and production once more. The song was co-produced by Kynsy with James Dring, and it a sparking alt-indie-pop gem.
“It’s a song about money and working and having one of those horrible bosses who tells you he’s trying to be ‘the nice guy’ while he goes through you outside on the street. It’s mostly based on an encounter I had in a waitressing job. I suppose there is a message in there about the power of empathy and kindness in how you deal with people.
Kynsy
The video takes up the theme and was was directed by Dave Fox and Conor Donoghue.
Tour dates:
14th November – The Roundhouse, Pitchfork Music Festival London
18th November – The Social, Communion Presents Clubnight, London
19th November – Supersonic, Pitchfork Music Festival Paris
9th December – Upstairs At Whelan’s, Dublin, Ireland
10th December – Connolly’s of Leap, Cork, Ireland
11th December – Kasbah Social Club, Limerick, Ireland
6.
Ódú
Saturday
Described as a song with ” melancholic-tinged disco-pop energy”, ‘Saturday’ certainly has that vibe. It’s also a lovely melodic song to boot from Ódú.
“Saturday is a song about reaching a stage in your life where your self-worth is tied to the things you have in your life and how self destructive that can be.“
7.
Helen Murray
Thank You
Helen Murray is known for belting out a big vocal with the band TooFools, and the Cork-born Dubliner is back now on a solo buzz with her debut single ‘Thank You’ is an R&B soul pop song showing gratitude after a breakup. Learnings!
“This song explores self-acceptance, self-confidence and gratitude that comes when you remove yourself from a relationship that isn’t good for you anymore. I suppose it’s a twisted love song thanking the person who entered my life because when they left I realised I deserve so much more than what they gave me”.
The song was co-produced with Rvstless and Adam Shanahan.
8.
HALLI
Shit I Almost Said I Love You
A followup to a recent track featured here from HALLI, ‘Shit I Almost Said I Love You’ was written on a small Yamaha keyboard and it hasn’t lost that small beginning, being a song also about saying something small that means something much larger.
It’s a song about awkwardness, butterflies, and the range of emotions involved
in saying I Love You for the first time.
The song was recorded with producer Luke Potashnik (Gabrielle Aplin) in Woolhall Studios in England.
9.
Automatic Blue
I Don’t
Drew Linehan aka Automatic Blue is about to drop a debut album tomorrow Look Cool Dead on Cork label Hausu and [idontwannabe_here_anymore]’ is your final warning, a billowing wonky R&B pop tune with autotune and floaty vibes.
For more extensive Irish and new music coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section for individual track features.
