Since then, the band started by the singer-songwriter Conchúr White has solidified into a five-piece unit with Christopher Harbinson, Breándan White, Jonathan Downing and Michael Keyes.
‘Red Dress’, their latest single moves their sound on nicely.
White said:
“‘It’s about wanting things that aren’t necessarily good for you and I think we are all guilty of that in some form. The entire track is a three chord loop but it doesn’t feel repetitive. We were meticulous about finding the right sounds and I think that comes through.
The track was recorded at Big Space Studios in Newry with Declan Legge, who has also recorded SOAK, Ciaran Lavery, and Duke Special.
Armagh singer-songwriter Conchúr White and his band Silences have been writing songs of growing stature with each new release like last year’s ‘The Sea’ and ‘Sister Snow’.
‘There’s A Wolf’, from the band’s third EP Luna, marks a leap once again.
Produced by Declan Legge and Tommy McLaughlin, ‘There’s A Wolf’, going from a hushed folk acoustic track to a one that is the band’s brashest and most interesting yet.
"'There's A Wolf' is about the menace of nostalgia and how our minds can reinterpret our memories and feelings to make us miss something that we never cared that much for. "
The Armagh band Silences were a recent pick at last year’s Hard Working Class Heroes festival. Their lilting folk song ‘Sister Snow’ was my way in.
Conchúr White, Christopher Harbinson, Breándan White, Jonathan Downing and Michael Keyes are back with a new song and they are gearing up for two shows at The Great Escape in Brighton next month.
‘The Sea’ has their sound reaching further than before, and sounding grander in the process:
White said this of the track’s lyrical content:
“Practicality cripples us. We consistently negotiate and compromise with our anxieties. The Sea pays homage to desire over fear. It is an amalgamation of everything we have learnt and signifies an advancement in both writing and production.”
A novelty hit that is actually smartly-constructed.
One of those tunes that was hanging in the background smirking and voguing until last week, when a great music video dropped and the song couldn’t be ignored any longer. It even got its own Pusha T version, though Pusha appears to be turning into a bit of a Redman of the 90s for the alt-music game at the moment. Tiga, that cheeky Canadian chappy does much with little here, showing you can make a great novelty-sounding dumb club hit with serious musical smarts.
Silences were one of my picks of the recent Hard Working Class Heroes lineup and the Armagh band have a new single and EP out. The band’s folk-leaning harmonic music is pleasing in its execution and ‘Sister Snow’ might be their best example yet.
From Thursday to Saturday this week, seven venues will be occupied by 104 Irish bands playing the Hard Working Class Heroes festival playing to music fans, interested parties, industry delegates, bands, friends and all sorts. There are free daytime gigs, a convention in the Liberties speed sessions, panels, tech companies, talks and much much more. Tickets are €20 per day or €45 for the three days. It’s one of my favourite weekends in Dublin of the year. There’s a great buzz about.
Here are 18 new bands to see this weekend, I kept it strictly to bands that have not released a debut album yet. Enjoy.
Michael Hopkins and Andrew Lloyd played their first gig in four years with four band members last Friday with us and showcased a new sound that traced a line between electronics and indie with rich songcraft and confident style. They used to sound more like The Police, now they sound more like they’re own thing.
Thursday Oct 2 – 10pm @ The Workman’s Club / 14:00 @ NDRC, In The City
A new band formed from Futures Apart and Hush War Cry, the twosongs so far featuring production from Darragh Nolan have suggested an elegance and a quality in the arrangement and songwriting of these Wild Beasts-style ’80s throwback synth pop tracks. ‘Give It Up’ is a particularly exciting track.
Thursday Oct 2 – 8pm @ The Workman’s Club / 1:30pm @ HMV Henry Street
This Galway duo make ambient electronic music with cold tones from a warm instrument, a bass guitar and the singer Alison’s icy voice. Their new EP Begin came out last week on High Society.
Four Mullingar school-friends with a penchant for pop hooks and charming indie-rock music. They’re on the way up, this weekend is a good time to catch them.
Thursday Oct 2 10.40 @ Bad Bob’s / 1pm @ Jo Burger
Dublin singer Gavin Farrell is still in early days but citing Perfume Genius and Youth Lagoon as two influences on his bedroom folk pop has me intrigued. He’s just released his debut EP tell me we both matter, don’t we?
