First Listen: Rising artist Roe tackles bullies everywhere in ‘Hey Thomas’
Roisin Donald, more commonly known by her moniker Roe, has been making waves in the Irish music scene as of late. Since we pegged her one of the artists to watch out for in 2018 earlier in the year, she has gone from strength to strength, meriting slots at The Great Escape, Primavera and Indiependence to name but a few.
Roe describes her electro-pop music as “grumpy” but ‘Hey Thomas’ is anything but; the song is an empowering and uplifting retaliation against bullies everywhere. One of the Derry native’s most likeable factors is her relatability and she draws on it to great effect here.
Sonically, ‘Hey Thomas’ is a development of the electro-pop/guitar fusion sounds that Roe debuted in her last single ‘Wasted.Patient.Thinking’. The song opens with electric guitar strums and subtle percussion, with rich Juno synths and bouncing bass lines entering gradually throughout the course of the song before a climactic final chorus. Roe employs a similar tactic to Sigrid’s writing style in her sparse, syncopated verses which contrast well with the large, fluid chorus.
She says that “Hey Thomas is a call out to bullies everywhere. I wrote this song for anyone who has ever been picked on, pushed around, teased or made to feel small because they look or act or dress differently to what’s labelled as normal. You should be able to do what makes you feel good without feeling self-conscious because of other people’s small-minded judgements. Their opinions don’t matter, and as long as you’re happy then who cares what they think.”
Roe tour dates:
15th June, w/Wynona Bleach, Belfast
12th June, w/Lisa Hannigan, Derry
24th June, Body & Soul, Westmeath
27th July, Sunflowerfest, Hilsborough
29th July, Knockanstockan, Blessington
3rd August, Indiependence, Mitchelstown
5th August, Castlepalooza, Tullamore
11th August, Stendhal Festival, Limavady
9th August, Another Love Story, Killyon Manor
