Hailing from Co. Kerry, 22-Year Old Singer/Songwriter Nially has released his new single ‘Something So Real’.From the age of 16 Nially has gigged extensively across Kerry, Cork and as far afield as Augsburg, Germany. His debut single, ‘I Want It All’ released in January 2021, amassed over 10,000 streams in it’s first 4 weeks and received support across a number of radio stations in Ireland such as Spin South West, Radio Kerry, Red FM, Dublin City FM and FM104 and also reaching listeners across Europe, the UK and the US.
Filled with heartfelt songwriting and cinematic soundscapes, ‘Something So Real’ is a compelling tune from Nially. Nially pours his heart and soul into this emotional number and the result is an emotive tune that showcases the artist’s passionate vocals, poetic lyrics and immaculate production skills. Beginning with a soft piano-led arrangement the song builds into a sway-along power ballad that boasts steady beats, expressive guitars and soaring soundscapes. Nially has created one hair-rasing tune. ‘Something So Real’ is a sublime display of rich musicianship. Keep an eye on Nially.
The culmination of six months of dedicated work, Joel Camille has released a brand new album ‘Folk Against the Machine IV: Holy River’ featuring brand new songs, along with songs that he has played live over the last decade. A performer and songwriter with over 25 years of experience, Queensland-based Joel Camille made his name playing anything and everything on a six-string Dreadnought acoustic. Picking up the Harmonica in 2011 cemented Camille’s style in a rootsy mix of influences that Camille styles as Folk Against the Machine, also the name of his debut album.
‘Folk Against the Machine IV: Holy River’ is a wholesome and moving collection of folk-infused tunes that showcases the emotive songwriting of Joel Camille. This guitar-focused album takes a minimalist approach instrumentally as Camille focuses on melody and intricate guitar manoeuvres to create a warm atmosphere within the album. With buoyant passionate ditties like ‘Plans of Oblivion’ and lamenting harmonica pines on tracks like ‘The Beauty That He Gave’, the album oozes soft supple soundscapes and delicate melodies making for a satisfying listening experience.
‘Folk Against the Machine IV: Holy River’ is fused together as a cohesive album with the river motif. The river motif represents love, sorrow, spirituality and power. “During the writing and recording process, my community was devastated by a dramatic flood event,” explains Camille who feels that joy and horror mingle together on the album as a reflection of this tragic event. Camille hopes that this album conveys the message of extending familial relationships out towards communities, to repair, maintain, and create relationships.
Stream ‘Folk Against the Machine IV: Holy River’ below
Dublin’s postmodern, post-punk indie outfit TV People have released their new single ‘Circle’.‘Circle’ was recorded and mixed at Battery Studios London by Grammy award-winning Caesar Edmunds (QOTSA, ST Vincent, Foals) and assistant engineer Joshua Rumble. The track was mastered by Christian Wright (Radiohead, FONTAINES D.C) at Abbey Road Studios. Since forming in 2019, the band have honed their craft across the live scene, playing in some of Ireland and the U.K’s most iconic venues.
Filled with expressive soundscapes and immersive tones ‘Circle’ is a striking new single from TV People. Within the track, there are many contrasting elements at play that contort and blend throughout. A fine example of this is the ethereal guitar flurries and haunting vocals that interplay with dark bass rumbles and pounding drum progressions – the result is a compelling and evocative atmosphere for the listener’s imagination to indulge in. ‘Circle’ is an exciting musical marvel, a thrilling listening experience, and an excellent example of TV People’s ever-evolving sound.
Of their new single, singer Paul Donohoe says, “We wrote ‘Circle’ as a tribute to our loved ones and friends and to the countless times that we have relied on each other in times of difficulty. It explores the feeling of being lost within yourself and how you can find identity and meaning in the shared experiences and compassion of those around you.”
Neil Dexter has released his new single,’I’ll Be Ready’, the final single from his forthcoming debut album due October 14th 2022. Along with the album announcement and single release, Dexter shares details for his debut headline show in Dublin’s Workman’s Cellar on October 20th. Tickets are available through Singular Artists.
‘I’ll Be Ready‘ is a rich and compelling tune from start to finish. The track is a fine display of musicianship as Dexter deftly blends contrasting elements together to create a mesmerising listening experience. Dark propulsive beats create a push-pull effect that draws the listener into the track’s immersive soundscapes while flashing synths, dynamic bass and indie rock guitar moments inject a gritty/edgy element to the track.
‘I’ll Be Ready’ is truly a magnificent piece of music. It’s lushly textured and meticulously layered to create a constantly evolving soundscape that is an exciting rush to the senses. A fine example of this is Dexter’s sweet vocals coupled with the track’s pop-speckled melody that subtly contrasts the fuzzing soundscapes and bubbling rhythms allowing the song to take on a dreamy almost psychedelic state before it progresses to its intoxicating crescendo – simply divine. ‘I’ll Be Ready’ is a wonderful example of Neil Dexter’s exquisite musicianship.
Dexter describes ‘I’ll Be Ready’ as a “Frankenstein composition comprised of three different ideas saved in one project file” that he’d been working on in his Dublin-based home studio. Expanding upon the demo with David A. Tapley (Tandem Felix) and recording engineer Stephen Dunne, Dexter notes that their guidance allowed him to approach the arrangement without artistic boundaries; layering textures and taking the song in different directions. Lyrically, ‘I’ll Be Ready’ confronts feelings of apprehension. Neil says, “I wrote the song when I was in my mid-to-late 20s, it’s about jumping into the next stage of your life and the fear of not knowing whether or not you’re ready to take those steps. In those moments, you try to reassure yourself by saying, ‘Ok, I’m ready. I’ll be able to do this,’ whilst simultaneously having a sense of uncertainty. I think at one point or another, everyone goes through this feeling of overcoming self-doubt.”
22-year-old Irish artist-songwriter, Bradley Marshall has just released his brand new single ‘Better Left Unsaid’. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to talk about the single, his upcoming headline show in The Workman’s Cellar and working with Danny O’Donoghue (The Script), Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford (Picture This), Jimbo Barry and David Lucius King on the song.
“Yeah, it’s quite surreal to be honest, working with people that I’ve looked up to for the last few years and writing with them was a really great experience because you get to understand how they work and you learn a lot from it. So it was really cool.”
“It was kind of me bringing some ideas to them and then they had ideas for me and so we just mixed them together. But, I’m confident in my ideas and what I had. It was daunting at first, but when they said that they liked the ideas and stuff then it was really cool.”
“Luckily enough when I was in London with the guys, we were there for two days and we got three or four songs done which was really cool, which doesn’t really happen a lot but I’m happy that it did work out that way.”
“Sometimes I think when I go into a studio ‘will something come out of today?’ but if something doesn’t come out of studio session, then that’s okay. You just do it again and again and again and something will finally come.”
‘Better Left Unsaid’ is a wonderfully tender tune that discusses coming to terms with the fact that some relationships are just not meant to be. Marshall told me how the idea for the song formed and the personal concept of the song.
“In relationships sometimes things aren’t just meant to be and that’s okay, and sometimes things are just better left unsaid. That’s why it’s called Better Left Unsaid, yeah, that was the reason behind the song.”
“It was on my behalf an experience, but it was also an idea that the lads had as well. So when they actually had the idea I was like, that’s really cool because I’ve actually experienced something like this.”
Emotional cinematic tunes seem to be Marshall’s forte. ‘Better Left Unsaid’ follows the heart-gripping power ballad aesthetic of his first single ‘Make Believe’ – the song exudes lush soundscapes and an elegant soaring piano melody before the anthemic chorus kicks in.
“Personally, I don’t love too much crazy production because I think the piano and vocals are really most important to me. You can add some drums and some strings just to make it really heartfelt and emotional that’s really all that I need in a song. So when I’m writing, I imagine the production and I say to the lads what I would like in it. Jimmy Rainsford produces most of the stuff that I do right now, and he’s just incredible. So, I let him just do what he does and I’m always happy with it.”
Marshall released a stripped-back performance of the song which was captured on video by Jimmy Rainsford during a recent London trip and recorded in Hoxa Studios. Stripped-back versions of Marshall’s songs are so impactful. Marshall told me he feels at his best performing live.
“Yeah, I’ve done a few gigs, the last couple of months and it’s just been my pianists, Jake Richardson and me and I feel that’s where I thrive”
The track is awash with relatable content and eloquent lyrics. Lines such as “few more years of being broken trying to right my wrongs and when I find a brand new person I’ll still write you breakup songs” are honest and impactful. We discussed how daunting it is for artists to pour their heart and feelings into lyrics for other people to hear and interpret.
“Yeah it really is because you’re putting all your personal experiences that you haven’t really talked about to anybody into a song, and everybody listens. So everybody knows what you’ve gone through and stuff like that. So it’s a little bit daunting, but that’s the reason why I do it because I know that through my experiences other people will also have experiences like that, and that’s why I write music. I want people to relate to it”
“It’s absolutely therapeutic for me. Definitely. I’m not the best at talking about things. So writing was always my way of just getting things down. It’s literally like talking to somebody when you’re writing a song because you’re putting it out there even though it’s not out yet. When you’re writing on paper it’s still like you’re putting it out to somebody. So yeah, it’s definitely therapeutic for me.”
The last time we spoke Marshall told me he was building up his tunes and I wondered if we can look forward to an EP soon.
“Yeah definitely. I do have a next single lined up. I will probably do singles until the end of the year, maybe two or three more and then next year, we’ll think about something like that [an EP]. Last time we talked, I didn’t have many, but now I have a lot of songs lined up so they’re all ready to go out and it’s just about patience and time. “
Bradley Marshall is a talented artist who is growing and developing his sound wonderfully. He is an artist to keep an eye on and his velvety voice is sure to charm all who hear it. Luckily for fans, Marshall has some live shows coming up.
“I actually just announced my debut headline show in Workman’s Cellar on December 16th. So really happy about that and then I’m also playing a festival next month Kildareso yeah, just a few things lined up”
Stream ‘Better Left Unsaid’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
