A lot of Irish and Northern 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 new music coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section for individual track features.
1.
Bambie Thug
Birthday
It’s not every week you get sent a debut single with a swaggering Peaches-style electro track espousing the virtues of taking drugs on special occasions with accompanying candle-in-ass artwork.
London-based Irish artist Bambie Thug is the author of this hyper trap-pop minimal banger blowout. They have previously written songs for acts like The Hunna and this effort is co-created with producer Tylr Rydr.
2.
Spider
Water Sign
21 year-old Dublin alt-pop producer and musician Spider has 137,000 plus listens on Spotify by the time I heard her debut song. Spider was previously featured here under her previous moniker Jenn and this switch of styles into indie-style alt-pop sounds on ‘Water Sign’ (I see astrology is still her vibe), is one that I’m really enjoying this time around.
3.
Clare Sands & Susan O’Neill
Carry My Song
You may recognise the name Clare Sands as a name who recently featured on Daithi’s track ‘Irish Goodbye’, now the Cork fiddler and multi-instrumentalist has hatched her own plan for a collaboration.
The four-part series, titled ‘Tírdreacha agus Fuaimdreacha’ (Landscapes and Soundscapes), will span over four seasons, the four provinces of Ireland, and features Clare Sands alongside four different collaborators: Susan O’Neill aka SON, Steve Cooney with Tommy Sands, Brídín, and Liam O Maonlaí.
And here’s the first featuring O’Neill, a raucous trad bluesy folk track like a mantra called ‘Carry My Song’.
4.
Jillelli
Maybe
You may know Jillelli by another name – the DJ and radio presenter Jill Staxx. ‘Maybe’ is the first original track from the Jillelli project, a spacious homespun R&B tune that throwbacks to ’80s and ’90s originals of the genre.
5.
Dylan French
Dublin
Dylan French is a 16-year-old producer who hails the from the city of the title. ‘Dublin’ is the standout track from the youngster’s four-track EP Nocturnal, and it’s a track which easily escapes production 101 with synths and tones that drift in focus but don’t meander and a rhythmic double time switch up that takes the track from ambient electronic territory to soft garage instrumental.
6.
A92
Repeat It
The Drogheda collective A92 continue to fire on all cylinders and here Nikz and Ksav deliver another tightly-wound track that feels as indebted to garage and sinogrime as it does the sounds of drill.
A92’s recently did on a NTS special sharing their songs.
7.
Conchúr White
Vocation Vacation
The Armagh singer-songwriter Conchúr White has quietly been releasing dusty-leaning songs of this ilk. ‘Vocation Vacation’ is perhaps his best work yet, a sleazy bar-room country-rock-leaning song about the binary of modern living.
“It’s part commentary of influencer culture and the disingenuous image we present (I’m guilty as anyone). It’s also about getting older and feeling insecure about who you are and what you have to offer. There’s a degree of nihilism in the title – ‘Vocation Vacation’ – like life can be summed up into two things – being in work and not being in work. I just hope people can laugh and relate to some of the observations.”
White is on Other Voices on March 18th on the telly.
8.
Waves
Henry
The Kildare artist Henry has soft and expressive voice (see further evidence here) and ‘Waves’ makes use of that range over a spacey electronic R&B beat.
It’s about how one day you’re crazy about someone and the next day you don’t even want to see them again….but then the next day…you do.
9.
Walk Then Dance
Made In Flight
Ian Goulding is an Irish musician living in Scotland for the last ten years and he has just launched his new project Walk Then Dance with ‘Made In Flight’ a kind of jaunty space disco introduction to it.
