Nialler9’s favourite songs of the month, all in one place.
See the playlist.
Featuring: Avalon Emerson, I Dreamed I Dream, Chloe Qisha, Adebisi Shank, Brighde Chaimbeul, Paddy Hanna, Kae Tempest, DJ Seinfeld, Maria Somerville and more.
Avalon Emerson
Treat Mode
After the release of her cover of Oppenheimer Analysis’ song ‘Don’t Be Seen With Me’, Emeson returns to the dancefloor with this imagination-firing dancefloor cut, replete with pinging synths and a buzz-saw bassline.
Machine music for the mind and appropriately enough it’s from a forthcoming record called Perpetual Emotion Machine which will come out on Dead Oceans.
“These songs were created for my DJ sets. Whether they’re entirely original, edits to recontextualize old favorites, instrumental, or feature me singing, they are all part of my perpetual emotion machine. And the machine steams on.”
Adebisi Shank
Start A Band
After promising to return last September the Irish math-rock trio have new music and a run of live dates.
Adebisi Shank put out a new song – ‘Start A Band’ on St. Patrick’s Day, a rock instrumental with the band’s trademark frenzied style, with a fast and frantic pace taking in fuzzed bass, thumping drums and Lar Kaye’s robotic guitar histrionics.
It’s taken from This is the Second EP of a band called Adebisi Shank, to be released in summer 2025 before the upcoming shows.
A second Dublin show was added.
Exciting!
Brighde Chaimbeul
Bog an Lochan
The Scottish piper Brighde Chaimbuel turns this traditional reel folk dance tune into an otherworldly composition, with the effect of the pipes refracting around the sonic world the recording inhabits. I’ve had this on repeat since and it kicked off the Nialler9 Patreon radio show this month.
It’s from a forthcoming third abum from Chaimbuel called Sunwise (June 27th) which also features guests on uilleann pipes and organ, as well as Canadian composer Colin Stetson (saxophone) and her father Aonghas Phàdraig (spoken word) and brother Eòsaph (vocals).
Chaimbeul says:
“The Gaelic belief recognises no Fairyland or realm different from the earth’s surface on which men live and move. The dwellings are underground, but it is on the natural face of the earth the Fairies find their sustenance and pasture their cattle, and on which they forage and roam.
The first of winter and the last night of the year is a favourite time for encounters with the fairies, as well as on wild stormy nights of mist and driving rain. They are given to leaving their dwellings underground and taking away whomever of the human race they find helpless or unguarded or unwary.”
Paddy Hanna
Harry Dean
The Dublin songwriter released ‘Oylegate Station’ the first single off Oylegate last month.
For the second single from the record, due Friday April 11th, ‘Harry Dean’ takes on a Phil Lynott solo sound with a song possibly of a nod to the actor Harry Dean Stanton. It’s true ’80s soul pop music, that was kickstarted by a descending piano motif inspired by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, with influence from Sade and George Michael, a surprising turn from Hanna that suits him beautifully.
“The romantic but bittersweet feel of the music then helped me to find the lyrics. I recalled the time I sold my beloved Guild Archtop guitar to make the rent, I thought of how I would cope if I were to lose my family, and everything came together in a pleasantly downbeat fashion. The finished product didn’t end up sounding like Ryuichi Sakamoto, but his influence can really be felt in the song and the album’s) production”
Hanna plays Whelan’s Dublin on Thursday, 17th April. Tickets are €21.95 plus fees from Ticketmaster.
Red Stamp
Dancing With My Baby
Red Stamp is the new collaborative project of Aoife Nessa Frances, Núria Graham and Brendan Doherty.
The Dublin and Catalan trio have a new project kicking off today with debut single ‘Dancing With My Baby’, a tune that has positive Stereolab influences with its bright guitar lines and insistent groove.
The band met in Austin Texas in 2023, and connected over melody and rhythm initially, before a chance meeting in Rotterdam later lead Aoife and Núria to write together, before Brendan joined.
I Dreamed I Dream
Fags
Self-described Cork “sean-nós noise-makers” will release their second EP BOYOPOISONING on April 18th.
‘Fags’ is a song from the EP that reminds me in a great way of the Irish synth-pop legends Fight Like Apes crossed with Irish traditional music.
The description of the song says:
“Fags is a raw, chaotic love story for the dreamers and the disillusioned. It captures the messy realities of love, loss, and the vulnerability of starting over…. It’s a tribute to the push and pull of affection, the ache of loss, and the beauty of rediscovery.”
I Dreamed I Dream play BelloBar in Dublin on May 3rd to mark the EP release.
Oh My Sun
5 Pieces
This London based duo “making 70s inspired music for the apocalypse” were a genuine new discovery for me, through my new streaming service Qobuz. I liked the look of the artwork in the new releases and gave it a go, and found a bright and breezy indie folk pop album called Apocalypse Baby.
Oh My Sun are vocalist-songwriter Carmody and guitarist-producer Tal Janes, and ‘5 Pieces’ kicks off the record. The duo’s aim was to embrace warm analogue music-making methods with music taking inspiration from the environment, grandparents, love and loss, and the final days feel of modern life.
Maria Somerville
Stonefly
The Galway singer-songwriter and morning NTS Radio host Maria Somerville is set to release a second album entitled Luster, on 4AD on April 25th.
We’ve heard ‘Projections’ and ‘Garden’ and this week ‘Stonefly’ continues the shoegaze haze dreampop vibe.
The album features contributions from J. Colleran, Brendan Jenkinson , Diego Herrera (aka Suzanne Kraft), Lankum’s Ian Lynch, Margie Jean Lewis, Henry Earnest and Finn Carraher McDonald (aka Nashpaints) Roisin Berkley and Olan Monk.
Irish gigs:
15 April – Coughlans, Cork
16 April – Dolans, Limerick
17 April – Black Box, Belfast
18 April – Button Factory, Dublin
Kae Tempest
Statue In The Square
To an insistent old-school rap boom bap piano beat, Kae Tempest returns for their first track since 2022’s album The Line Is A Curve (which featured Grian Chatten) .
‘Statue In The Square’ is a big tune from the often more subtle artist with production by Frazer T Smith (Dave, Stormzy).
Chloe Qisha
Sex, Drugs & Existential Dread
A stellar pop tune that sounds like a cross between INXS’ ‘Need You Tonight’ and Tame Impala’s “Let it Happen’.
Neal Francis, Say She She
Broken Glass
I’ve been really enjoying Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis’ cover of Stardust’s ‘Music Sound Better With You’ from 2021 lately so I checked in on his new album Return To Zero and love this hook up with NY soul disco trio Say She She from it. Smooth psychedelic 70s pop meets smooth songwriter disco.
“This tune was born from a jam session with Michael Shuman from Queens of the Stone Age,” says Francis. “He was on drums and I was on bass. It was the first time we met, and not only did we have fun, but left with a complete song. The lyrics were free-form material I had written down about sub/dom relationships in the bedroom.” – Neal Francis
DJ Seinfeld, sogumm
Are You In?
DJ Seinfeld’s newest track with South Korean singer Sogumm (a member of Balming Tiger) is a propulsive slice of techy house bounce that is better than a song made in collaboration with a car company has any right to be.
KhakiKid, Saint Demarcus
Date Nite
Khakikid has been dropping some big energy tunes for a while now, but the recent Moanbag EP offers the most compelling argument yet for this Dublin lad’s status to be much elevated.
‘Date Nite’ is a breezy banger of a tune that combined with its easy fun video went viral on socials, that sometimes that happens not for gimmick reasons but because the tune is great – and ‘Date Nite’ is one of those resonant earworms that puts Motown soul, indie-funk R&B, guitar and poppy rap into a bright and fizzy mix.
Delivery Service
Ghost
Delivery Service are a band that take inspiration from Riot grrrl bands like Le Tigre, Bikini Kill and alternative acts like The Breeders and The Sundays.
The band were formed when singer/bassist Becca Daly watched a documentary about Bikini Kill and expressed interest in starting a girl band of their ilk. The band feature Daly as singer, guitarist/keyboardist Ciara O’Neill, guitarist/vocalist Ashley Abbedeen (also of hotgirl) and drummer/vocalist Niall Thornton.
The single ‘Ghost’ definitely has a lovely Breeders vibe to proceedings was recorded and mixed with Skinner’s Aaron Corcoran, and an EP is to follow. The song was mastered by Jamie Hyland.
BXKS, Travy
Guestlist
Hard not to think about Lil Simz listening to Luton’s BXKS’ flow here, those musically it’s a grittier alternative grime.
Ireland’s own Travy (formerly Travis) adds a guest verse to the luminous ‘Guestlist’, adding up to a one to watch name in UK rap.
It follows up the One Times mixtape from last year, and it’s pronounced like ‘Becks’. Travy dropped his own mixtape called Spooky in January.
Lonnie Holley, Open Mike Eagle, Joe Minter
The Same Stars
The 75-year-old American art educator, sculptor and musician from Alabama enlists the likes of billy woods, Mary Lattimore, Open Mike Eagle, Saul Williams, Jesca Hoop and Alabaster Deplume among others for an expansive new album of storytelling, ambience, poetry, collage, performance art and blues hymnals called Tonky on JagJaguar.
Jacknife Lee produces and co-writes, and a parallel to the music of Peter Gabriel has resonated with me on this album. Listening. to the album feels like a trip through black American history and generational trauma, it’s a moving and monumental piece of work.
Greentea Peng
Tardis (Hardest)
London psychedelic R’n’B’ singer Greentea Peng’s new album Tell Dem It’s Sunny soaks up the multicultural genre-stradding street sounds of London from hip-hop to jazz to neo-soul to ragga, dub, rock and drum & bass.
Yet, it’s Bristol’s trip-hop scene, and Portishead in particular that you can hear imprinted loudly on this album and single highlight.
Moving Still
Close To The Shams
The title track from last week’s podcast guest – the Irish Arabic producer’s new EP on the Bordello A Paragi label, continues his unique forays into melding modern electronic dynamics with Arabic dance music mixing Dabke with Italo.
‘Close To The Shams’ is an exciting blend of Arabic melodies and Italo synth dance dynamics.
The four-track EP is out on vinyl and was “inspired by the birth of his daughter and the anticipation of brighter days ahead. “
Moving Still’s Irish-Arab electronic bangers are having a moment 🔥 (Nialler9 Podcast)
Billy Nomates
The Test
Bristol-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tor Marie will release a third Billy Nomates third album Metalhorse on May 16th via Invada.
‘The Test’ was written after 18 months of turmoil and was the first song written for the record. Of the song, Tor says:
“It’s working at something against the odds and feeling like someone’s helping you from the other side, and if they see you that’s the test. I really feel that when we’re playing it live. Like, with everything that’s going on, I can’t believe this is surviving.”
billy woods, Kenny Segal
Misery
Kicking off his new song from a forthcoming album called Golliwog on May 9th, is a MF Doom ‘Gas Drawls’ reference and Steely Dan-sample loop before billy woods (small caps when you spell the man’s name)does his dense prismatic cinematic rap thing that makes him so magnetic. It feels like a trailer for the album to come – a scene preview.
Every week, the Nialler9 Spotify Weekly Playlist is updated with new music, and in this corner, we share the playlist and highlight some some select songs from the list below.
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See the homepage for all Spotify playlists: New Music | Irish | Monthly
