Buzzing Cork band Cliffords release new single ‘Bittersweet’


The Cork band are the buzziest young indie band from Ireland to come out in a while.
Last year, their Ireland Music Showcase was filled with fans who already knew every word, and the band’s melodic indie has caught fire, and there’s a palpable sense that singer Iona Lynch has a star quality.
The band have just released their first single of 2025, ‘Bittersweet’ with a video shot in the iconic Cork venue Coughlan’s.
It’s released on their own newly formed label, Soil To The Sun licensed through Sony Music, and was recorded with producer in Richie Kennedy at Battery Studios in London.
“Bittersweet is a more abstract look at nostalgia and our last few years of living in Cork. The first few lines of the song “the city begged look up” comes from something my grandad always said to me, “look up or you’ll miss half the beauty of the city.
“Bittersweet reflects the mixed emotions of us as a band finding our way in music and in ourselves as young adults. The lyrics poke fun at heartbreaks and how dramatic and potent those feelings felt at the time.”
Vocalist Iona Lynch
The band are playing Dermot Kennedy’s Misneach Festival in Sydney this week and have some Australian dates around it. UK shows including The Great Escape are coming up.
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Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.