One of our 20 best new Irish artists of 2022, the Dublin-based alt jazz/rap duo Ugolino, consisting of lyricist/vocalist, Shane Richardson and composer/producer Oran Hurley.
Following previous releases ‘Three Stripes’, ‘Searching’ and ‘Early Hours’, the pair are back with a double A-side single of orchestral big band swing of ‘A Fonder Day’ and the smoother, slower ‘By the Canal’.
The former says vocalist Richardson features “tongue-in-cheek lyrics deal with growing up and life changing from the cozy, idyllic times of childhood to being a young adult confronting issues in society, in our relationships, and within ourselves,” while the latter describes a conversation between a young couple by the Grand Canal in Dublin.
Both songs come out swinging with impressive playing chops and confident spoken word rap delivery. Ugolino continue to impress as their vision grows in scope.
The songs are officially out tomorrow, Friday, 24th February, on DSPs.
Lyrics written and performed by Shane Richardson.
Composed and produced by Oran Hurley.
Recorded by Giovanni Lando, Niamh O’Sullivan and Oran Hurley.
Mixed by John Catlin. Mastered by Fergal Davis.
Artwork by Yosef Phelan.
About Ugolino
Ugolino is a Dublin-born contemporary jazz artist, made up of lyricist/vocalist Shane Richardson, and composer/producer Oran Hurley. The duo fuse nostalgic live jazz instrumentals with rap and spoken-word vocals, questioning Ireland’s place in the world, and tackling socio-political issues in the country. Since their start in 2021, they have released three songs which have gained over 1.4 million streams on Spotify, and have been featured in editorial playlists such as Jazz UK and State of Jazz. Their songs have been played on Irish radio stations such as RTÉ 2FM and 98FM, and international stations such as NPO Radio 2, Platform B Radio, and egoFM. Ugolino are increasing their output of music throughout 2023, and have plans for live shows in the second half of the year.
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.
