Edinburgh-based Waterford artist Deaf Joe is among Ireland’s most interesting musicians operating on the periphery, whether its releasing an album of “ambient love-soaked bliss” or abstract folk music like 2014’s From The Heights Of A Dream.
For Joe Harney’s latest, and forthcoming fifth album Kalachuchi (March 9th on Waterford’s BlueStack Records), the focus is on “electronic pop with pathos and nuance at heart,”
It was recorded in Scotland, Denmark and Ireland over three years and navigates “love, longing and loss,” with listening influences of D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Susumu Yokota and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
‘Shadow Work (Come Help Me Sleep)’ is the album’s opener, a crystalline mood with an electronic beating heart with Joe’s iced reverb vocals with a soaring mood to introduce Kalachuchi.
Watch the video by Paul Hallahan.
“The last two albums, Stuck and Love Stories, were made after I came out and they let more light in. I wanted to continue that with Kalachuchi, keep the curtains open, kick the fucking windows out, Even if things get heavy here or there, it can still float, still feel buoyant, still shimmer.”
Deaf Joe
Kalachuchi is released via Bluestack Records on February 23rd 2022.
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.
