Here’s a rundown of new albums and releases, including new albums and EPs on DSPs and physical releases in record shops this week.
Nialler9 keeps a rolling list of Irish album releases for 2025.
New Albums and Releases
New Albums
Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film
The cult indie synth-pop band’s first album in 15 years has had some great pre-release singles including ‘Aerial Troubles’, ‘Melodie Is A Wound’ and ‘Transmuted Matter’ and sounds like everything a fan of Stereolab would want to hear – the band’s typically bright and melodic synth pop Chanson style.
The album features thirteen songs written by Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gane; performed by Laetitia, Tim, Andy Ramsay, Joe Watson and Xavi Muñoz, who comprise the current touring line-up of the band.
The album also features guest contributions by Cooper Crain and Rob Frye (Bitchin Bajas), Ben LaMar Gay (International Anthem), Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf (Cavern Of Anti-Matter), Marie Merlet and Molly Hansen Read.
Smerz – Big city life
Norwegian electronic duo’s second album is rooted firmly on an arch art-pop vibe, with woozy tracks drawing from electro, R&B, synth-pop, DIY pop, minimal, trance and casually spoken-sung vocal styles. When Smerz release music I am always interested in hearing what they’re putting down.
Search Results – Go Mutant
Irish Lo-fi garage rock duo of Jack Condon and Fionn Brennan aka Search Results’ second album is a followup to their debut Information Blip, and the December-released Hot Night EP. Adam Hoban plays bass on the record.
It features the Smiths/Fall-esque ‘Be Laurel’ and the fuzzy garage of ‘Wrinkled’.
The band are on tour with dates in Ireland later in September.
Laura Duff – Sea Legs
Limerick songwriter and musician Laura Duff releases debut album of introspective songwriting drawing from experiences of grief and draws from good memories and experiences of being by the sea.
“I was setting out to write Sea Legs in my Dad’s memory,” says Duff. “It was very intentional in that way. All of the lyrical context is based around that, and his life, as well as trying to maintain some level of communication. ‘Sea Legs’ is inspired by my experience of navigating everything that comes with losing a parent; dealing with grief as time passes, family relationships and the physicality of death.”
The album was recorded produced & mixed by Mícheál Keating (Bleeding Heart Pigeons / Péist / The Low Field / Féile na Gréine) who also plays on the record alongside Duff, JJ Lee and Christopher O’Sullivan.
Laura Duff Tour Dates
- May 24th: Dolans, Limerick
- May 25th: Plugd, Cork
- June 8th: Galway Folk Festival
- June 12th: Anseo, Dublin
- June 15th: Doolin Folk Festival
Sparks – MAD!
The 28th album from the American alt-synth-pop weirdos.
This album finds Ron and Russell examining cultural phenomena such as branded backpacks, tattoos, performative devotion (whether to a God, a lover, a celebrity or a sports team), the hegemony of banter. The satire is never on-the-nose, always retaining enough ambiguity for the listener to fill in the blanks. And the exquisitely unusual lexicon (you won’t hear the word ‘epistemology’ on many other albums this year) and cultural references leap out on every listen. Musically there are nods to New Wave, Synthpop, Art Rock and Electronic Opera – all genres Sparks had hands in pioneering, or straight-up invented. When you hear echoes of other artists, from Air to Shostakovich, you remind yourself that they’re all people who Sparks influenced in the first place (Well, maybe not Shostakovich).
Sparks for two Dublin shows this summer
These New Puritans – Crooked Wing
The fifth studio album from the UK genre-defying band, their first for six years, produced by Jack Barnett and longtime collaborator and Graham Sutton of UK ’80s punk band Bark Psychosis with guest appearances from Caroline Polachek to veteran British jazz double bassist Chris Laurence.
They play the Workman’s in November.
The Great Balloon Race – The Lower Road
Cork alternative four-piece band release an album they recorded pre-COVID in September 2019. The record was mixed by Dan Walsh (FIXITY / O Emperor) who is in the band and features a collection of sometimes-experimental sometimes-psychedelic rock music with instrumentally-rich and subdued ’70s-psych style vocals.
Dysania – An Lá Ba
Monaghan alternative “bog rock” band who sing as Gaeilge, and dip into trad textures throughout their intriguing debut album. A band who were completely new to me until they emailed me this week about the album, which features 9 people contributing on the record playing an assortment of instruments including tin whistle, synths, bodhrán, fiddle and more.
Definitely one to give a go if not least for their being very few alternative bands out of Monaghan.
An Lá Ba” is a coming of age album, our effort to encapsulate the essence of adolescence in contemporary Ireland. Using this lens, we reflect on Ireland in its post-colonial hangover, with a focus on mental health, cost of living and housing.
The album was recorded and mixed in Cheathrú Rua and then mastered by Ivan Jackman in Hellfire Studios Dublin.
Outstraight x Verb T- Dual Odyssey
Dublin rap collective Outstraight Records recently brought the UK rap group Four Owls to Dublin, and it turns out the collaboration is deeper than a gig promotion, with the Four Owls rapper Verb T making a whole album with the Outstraight crew of Graham, Beano, Panda Drey, Conkan, Donkobz with beats by No Venom and one from hiiki (Curtisy).
The album came about from Outstraight’s previous booking of Verb T last year and a storm-cancelled flight that lead to an impromptu recording session, and eventual album.
President Peach & The Juice Files – Pulp Fiction
Trá Pháidín – An 424 (Expanded)
The Cork via Connemara 9-piece band Trá Pháidín are a largely instrumental band with roots in Irish trad, post-rock and jazz improvisation and the band are basically the current equivalent of The Jimmy Cake in their spirit, with nods to contemporary Black Country, New Road, and the new experimental wave of acts.
The An 424 is a full length album written in honour of the bus that goes from Galway city to the Connemara Gaeltacht, inspired by the change of landscape from urban to rural nature.
Romance – Love Is Colder Than Death
The album channels the existential dread and surreal detachment of haunted Los Angeles, the hot dry Santa Anas winds rattling through mountain passes – a world where, ‘no one is what they seem, and nothing is what it should be.’
Also released today
- Boldy James – Magnolia Leflore
- Morcheeba – Escape The Chaos
- Pan Amsterdam – Confines
- Ron Trent – Lift Off
- Sophia Kennedy – Squeeze Me
- Sports Team – Boys These Days
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.
