A new Irish synth pop duo have appeared with a sweet debut single.
mischa and the bear are Dublin-based duo, made up of producer/bassist Mischa (Danny Rooney) and vocalist Bear (Fírinne McIntyre). Rooney was formerly of the indie pop band modernlove.
‘Deny’ is their synth pop debut single, an electroclash hyper-pop tune in the vein of Crystal Castles. It’s bleepy production and witch-house mood vocals are drawing on that moody indie sleaze nostalgia.
That sounds great doesn’t it? So yes, ‘Deny’ is very fucking great.
The song was written, recorded and produced by Rooney and McIntyre) in their shared bedroom studio.
They say:
“Deny is about intrusive thoughts eroding your sense of self, dissociation blurring the lines between human and machine—trapped in the motions of daily life while something lingers at the edges of your mind, like an itch you can’t scratch, whether that’s a person, a memory, or your own mind weighing you down. It’s about anxiety masked as obsession, consuming your identity until you’re left as something mechanical, existing but not living.”
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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, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
