Dublin-based singer/ songwriter Honas has released his new single ‘I Can Get You Out Of This’. Honas has written and produced with several artists, as well as being a key part of Irish indie-outfit Orchid Collective playing bass and songwriting. The band was the outlet for his music for many years, though he was still writing on his own. He ended up with a group of songs he was happy with, and came across producer Adam Redmond. In 2019 he turned his attention to his own debut album. His first three singles have amassed over 1.7 million streams on Spotify, landed on several Spotify editorial playlists, and gained acclaim from several major blogs and publications.
‘I Can Get You Out Of This’ is an earthy number filled with ethereal synths, sweet melodies and warm layered guitar. The song builds superbly with buoyant beats providing a dynamic edge as the song progresses to its cimamcaitc crescendo. The soothing and tender lyrics are a warm glimmer of hope between the bubbling and coiling soundscapes, creating a soothing sense of comfort and relief. With flickering, slapping beats weaving intensely between the swirling and stormy soundscapes the song packs a powerful sonic punch. Exuding emotive vocals and gripping production ‘I Can Get You Out Of This’ is a majestic and compelling new tune from Honas.
TYG returns with his new single ‘One More Time’. ‘One More Time’ is accompanied by TYG’s debut video, directed by actor/director Ruaidhri Conroy and starring TYG, rising star Peter Newington (Walking On Cars’ Don’t Mind Me, Calm With Horses) and stunning dancer Ghaliah. Shot by Patrick Jordan(The Young Offenders) on location in Dublin it visually and narratively explores the song’s themes of desire and longing.
‘One More Time’ is a powerful and ambitious tune as TYG uses his exceptionally passionate vocals and moving songwriting to create quite the hair-raising experience. The song builds superbly with a country rock element which ignites the songs emotive core while the twinkling guitar and brooding melody express the songs moving lyrical content. The steady beat progresses becoming more dynamic taking the song to cinematic heights for the soaring chorus. ‘One More Time’ is a brilliant and timeless example of TYG’s refined musicianship. ‘One More Time’ is sleek and grand in nature but musically loose and ethereal enough to keep it fresh. TYG is immensely talented.
About the track TYG said : “Longing for what was and what could have been is something I think we all experience from time to time,That potent feeling I myself have experienced at times is what inspired this song”.
Bio : Eighty Ninety are a NYC based alt-pop project of brothers Abner (vocals, production) and Harper (guitar, production) James. Eighty Ninety first broke out with their hit 2016 single, “Three Thirty,” which climbed to #2 on Spotify’s Global Viral Charts and was closely followed by their debut EP Elizabeth. Since then, the duo’s music has garnered over 26 million streams and featured on numerous Spotify playlists (New Music Friday, Pop Rising, Indie Pop, Chill Vibes, Viral Hits, and many more)
Track: Better as Friends
Why We Like It: It’s a luscious alternative pop number saturated in melty melodies, swirling electronics and sharp guitar lines. The melody and smooth vocals provide a tender emotive quality to the track while the bubbling beats and catchy chorus exude an effervescent ambience. With crisp production and cinematic progressions the track is a charming chilled tune ready for repeat plays.
Bio : Dublin native Stephen Cooper started playing music at a young age, performing in various bands before starting solo project Fly the Nest, a name inspired by moving on from a previous musical journey and the adventures music has led him on. As well as writing and releasing his own music, Stephen also writes for sync, and says that writing for film and TV has opened up another facet of his creativity. Stephen now spends his time between Ireland and Denmark, and gigs regularly across Scandinavia. During lockdown, Stephen busked in apartment courtyards, setting up a busking system with some fellow musicians. He has also been focused on songwriting and recording.
Track: Be Mine
Why We Like It: It’s a delicate romantic tune with emotive lyrics, beautiful melody and simple accompaniment allowing the lyrical content take the limelight. With elegant piano gracefully gliding around the smooth vocals the song is a sweet and tender gem and a joy to listen to.
Bio : Scarlet are a four piece female led Grunge/Pop Alt/Rock band.The Bands profile has been building with their last single gaining a huge amount of attention from the likes of BBC introducing, 6 Music, XS Manchester and Radio 1. Scarlet have played festivals such as Zandari Festa (Seoul), Tbilisi Open Air Festival (Georgia), Liverpool Sound City, Kendal Calling, Hanwell Hootie, The Great Escape, and Cotton Clouds Festival. Pre Covid, the bands last two tours saw a majority of sell out shows, selling out venues in Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, and Liverpool, and their next tour will see more of the same.
Track: Bring Me Down
Why We Like It: This blistering swarm of alternative rock is emotive, passionate and powerful as Scarlet embellish their music with sharp riffs, battering drums and raw bass rumbles. This tight track is well crafted and brimming with vigor. The raw blazing backdrop provides the right amount of edge while the smooth vocals and pop sprinkled melody make this earworm one impressive power pop anthem.
About the track front woman, Jessie Robinson says “Bring Me Down is about constantly being treated like a mug. Being underestimated and held back by people that should be working with you. It’s about not being taken seriously, realising it, and setting yourself free. It’s about an escape and gaining the ability to say NO MORE and promise yourself that you’ll NEVER be brought down or made to feel worthless and insignificant again.”
Bio : London based rock duo Leontas have released their new single ‘Darkened Heart’. The band revolves around singer and guitarist Alex Munteanu and drummer Scott Collier who met at an audition for a separate band in Camden. After the two bonded, realising their musical styles fitted perfectly together LEONTAS was born in Camden’s Creation Studios.
Track: Darkened Heart
Why We Like It: This dark brooding track oozes emotion and rock gusto as icy guitars lament through a pounding drums backdrop. As the track progresses the song exudes a bluesy irresistible tone. With a lamenting melody and polished production the track is a impressive new tune from Leontas.
Last week I caught up with Damien McKenna from Orwells ’84 to talk about the band’s new single ‘She Is So Sweet’, the craft of songwriting, the band’s upcoming album as well as his friendship with David Keenan.
Orwells ’84 have returned, bringing their familiar sound to the masses with the release of their latest single “She Is So Sweet”. The track is the third release from the band’s well received debut EP “Truth is the First Victim”, which garnered attention in all the right places. The band recorded most of ‘Truth is the First Victim’ in Sun Studios in Dublin with Pauric McCrum and Peter McCoy of Pillowhead. This is the band’s second venture with the duo; having worked together previously on the single “Cailín”. Brimming with traditional tones and cheery refinement, ‘She Is So Sweet’ is perhaps the perfect single to release at the moment.
“I think we always viewed that particular track as a strong track musically, there’s a lot going on in it. It’s definitely the most lighthearted track on the EP. It was always going to be something that we would release and we decided that we would make it our third single because, you hear stories your third release should probably be your strongest release. So we held off and that was the reason why we used it. We just think it’s a good radio track and it’s a very pleasing track for people to listen to“
Radiating indie elements, folk tones and wonderful melodic progressions, ‘She Is So Sweet’ has a hearty sound that is wholesome and rich. I wondered how this lush backdrop and instrumental vibrancy came together.
“We started off with the melody first…then we were working originally with a violinist called Pierluigi Cioci and our cello player at the minute Ella, and they created the string pieces which kind of sat in sync with the melody of the vocals which really brightened up the whole track. We wanted to go with that because it sounded a bit Beatles- esque, we wanted to go down the psychedelic route as well.The whole concept of the song is that it’s a love story gone wrong. It’s a guy who is in love with a girl, she’s not interested but then when he’s gone she then becomes interested. But it’s just toying around and playing with it and the bouzouki plays a big part in it as well. We tried to make our bouzouki sound something like Johnny Marr from The Smiths would play. I don’t know if that makes sense but that’s kind of what we were going for, to make your bouzouki sound like a guitar and make your guitar sound like a piano.So, yeah, that’s where we got it from.”
‘Truth is the first Victim’ is an interesting title for an EP. A title like that had to have a tale behind it. I wondered what was the story behind the name.
“When we were putting together the EP. At the time Brexit had just been passed, so there was a lot of talk about borders, and being from Dundalk we were in the midst of looking at what would a hard border look like again between North and South. Obviously, in America you had Trump and all this kind of talk was going on. So we started the EP, a year ago and still to this day it’s really strong this division between people. You hear about the extreme left, far right, and this kind of division is set and it’s embedded in our community, it’s embedded in the world at the minute. So it was a real of sense of this division, and I was in the Museum for Modern Art, just looking around one day. It was an exhibition by a photographer called Les Levine, who was doing photographs on Derry in 1970 around the division for young people, and around how it was impacting them, some really powerful photographs. One of the photographs was called, Truth is a Victim. So I thought that was a fantastic idea and you always hear there’s one side of the story and there’s another side of the story and somewhere in between, lies the truth and we just felt, in this day and age, because of social media, because of everything else and because of to coin a term that’s very much in use.. the fake news that’s out there, we genuinely believe that, when these things happen or when there’s stuff going on the truth is the first victim. It’s never the thing that people go to because there’s not a good story. You know, they all say don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story. So that’s where it came from.TV shows are an embellishment of the truth. We want to live our lives as these things, you know, filters, selfies. All these things are led to show or to allow people to live a different life, and as you say, the truth of their life may not be as good as what they’re able to present…I think people fear the truth. Some people don’t want to hear the truth, and as you say sometimes the truth just isn’t a good story. It’s a shame it’s a really dark way of looking at it but, it’s a powerful message that we tried to get out and, in fairness, you were the first person really that picked up on that, like what were we trying to say with the EP, because we’re not a band that would put something out and then just call it something flippant, that’s not art. Everything you do, everything you say and everything you put out to the public, as an artist should have some sort of message behind it and whether that message is to make people think, what are they trying to say, or whatever, it’s something to say, something along the lines of getting someone to think about their realities then it’s all beneficial and it’s all art. So, that’s why we were going through that title, and when I suggested it to the guys they loved it”
What is striking about Orwell ‘84’s tunes is the tight instrumental arrangements and songwriting. How they craft their songs can vary from song to song
“We’ve tried many different types, different forms of writing but generally what works for us now I’ll write an idea or a verse or chorus and we’ll play it out. Then we start putting the creative touches on it as we go along. Once we have the structure we tend to put the microscope to it, and we will say ‘why is the strings playing this bit why can’t the strings maybe try something else’ or ‘how about we take the drums out of this bit’ or ‘how do we use the bouzouki instead of the guitar again just to use it. When we did ‘Cailín’ someone suggested, have you listened to Lankum. When it comes to trad music they use this harmonium which isn’t a trad instrument, but they use it so very well that we decided, well, why don’t we try and get a harmonium and create that drone on ‘Cailín’. So the idea comes or the general idea or the lyrics will come from myself and the melody, or the foundation for the melody, and then it’s about the creative piece and getting together and really trying to focus in on what’s going to work, and what’s going to benefit the track”
The Ballad of Frank Owens is the final track on the EP. The band play strings as if they are guitars in the song and it seems the actual guitar takes a backseat.
“On our vinyl, actually, it’s the first song and that was because we created an orchestral piece to open the EP on vinyl, which was more of a selling point. We decided that if people want to invest in the music or invest in the EP that they’ll get this bonus track, so we restructured to make it sound like that and then we used samples of famous speeches about the border and about division and one of them was Martin Luther King saying that, ‘I have seen the promised land and I may get there with you someday’ and then there’s a line of Frank Owens about the promised land so we just said that flows better. When it came to the EP digitally it’s just the orchestral build up at the end it’s the strings, it’s the cello playing the fast vibrant part. it just kind of ends, a bit better, and I suppose, in a way, it kind of bookmarks instead of ending this chapter in our music, where it leads us to think, because Frank Owens is a very socialist song, and it leads us to think ‘well, is there hope out there, can we get together, is society doomed or are we going to be able to drag ourselves up by our bootstraps and move forward?’ Frank Owens for me , it’s probably my favorite track on the EP.”
Listening to Orwells ‘84’s music and the progression of their songs, I am intrigued as to how the band blend their instruments together. Each instrument can be clearly heard and yet at times the tempo picks up and the instruments seem to merge into one flowing musical arrangement. It reminds me of a stream of consciousness in writing. I wondered if the band strives to create this aspect of their music or does it just happen naturally.
“It’s both. I’m blessed with such a large band.I’m playing with five fantastic musicians who can throw their hand at anything or can create anything.So we might play the track once and then we’d sit down and then we’ll say, ‘I heard you play something like this, what were you playing’ and then we’ll focus in on that piece, or sometimes it generally can be when we just play the track it just happens organically. But we do, in our recording and in producing music, we do tend to look a lot at the structure, and I’m a big fan of The Beatles, big fan of, you know, that pop structure. I know, people will argue The Beatles aren’t pop but that kind of, four bars, chorus, bridge, I’m a big fan of that and I think that’s the foundation of music you know. I think, if you look beyond that, then you’re getting creative, or you’ll get, I’ll say avant-garde but you’re becoming a bit more out there with what you’re thinking or your thought process.”
“Generally it’s just a mix of both, you know, we just really are blessed that Peter (McCoy) and Pauric (McCrum) who produced it are very good at honing in on them things as well, and saying ‘look the dynamics are not working here, maybe we need to change this, what about the tempo of this?’. A good example on the EP would be ‘You Took The Night’ it started out as a country, Neil Young kind of song and then we played it as it is now. Then everything started being added on top of it, and it was through playing it together in a faster tempo that the piano was introduced, doing the stabbing chords and the strings were introduced doing nearly a counterpoint to the piano. So, really it can be a stream of consciousness sometimes but I would mainly say it would lean on the side of definitely a thought process more so than a stream of consciousness.“
Even though Orwells ‘84 are a band of multi instrumentalists with different creative ideas there are no arguments or issues with creative differences, the band are very much a family.
“Not really no. I mean, I always joke, Peter (McCoy) and Pauric (McCrum) because on the fact I’m a fan of The Beatles, I could sit in the studio for a week, focusing on a chorus. If I was allowed. I always have these grand ideas, especially around stuff like titles of EP’s and all that. I always have these elaborate ideas and Peter and Pauric are very good and I don’t know how they do it, they have this way of coming back to me and saying ‘that might work, but what about this’, and nine times out of ten they are generally right. I don’t think we’ve ever had a disagreement… I think it might have happened once and it might have been on ‘Frank Owens’ when we were recording it. They suggested something with a melody and I had kind of said no, not doing that, That’s too, like heavy metal, and I’ve nothing against heavy metal music it’s just not my scene but even that was amicable, we didn’t come to blows over it. We’re a band, we’re very much a band of brothers and sisters, we’re in it together and I think everyone respects everyone’s opinion. We’ve got accomplished musicians, Róisín and Ella are both trained classically in violin and cello both played with Cross Border Orchestra so they are qualified musicians, Sean Byrne can play any instrument that he wants, he just has to pick out and figure out where the notes are, and then Peter and Pauric are very good at knowing what’s going to sound good. So, if you allow yourself to respect the opinions of these people, it just makes it a whole lot easier. I can come up with all the grand ideas I want they will either tell me that it’s not gonna work in their own way, or maybe refine and hone in on what would work for my idea so I’m happy enough. It’s a very happy medium that we’ve got, and I hope it never comes to a day where we have to start throwing down and having fights, because I love them.”
Orwells ‘84 have performed with the likes of David Keenan, Nix Moon, Myles McCormack from Belfast group Lonesome George and Finnian among many others. David Keenan has become a friend to Damien. I wondered what he has learned from performing with these artists.
“I suppose the biggest lessons that we can learn was from being around David and watching him and his professionalism backstage. David is one of my best friends so I’ve seen him grow from a songwriter when me and him were putting gigs on in Dundalk to this massive star now. It dawned on me just shortly after we had supported him, I was watching the show, it might have been the Olympia Show I think and he had like himself, then it was himself with The Organics then it was himself and The Unholy Ghosts and then he had supporting artists coming in to do stuff and then he had ballet dancers and stuff. He would often reference that kind of Rolling Thunder documentary of Bob Dylan with this traveling circus of musicians that this is what he wants you to do. We all know that was chaotic but when you find out then that, you know, Bob Dylan was in total control of that, he knew exactly what he was doing and it was the same with David. Watching the professionalism, how to get it together, what they were doing. I’m not saying we weren’t professional but these guys they were there from five o’clock that day, they weren’t leaving any stone unturned..and even just stuff like getting the guitars out they’d all kind of get together and sing, it was good vocal exercises. So it was that kind of eye opening experience to look and go, you know, this is what it takes. This is what you need to do. If you want to be, I suppose on top. We never did this but loads of bands just turn up five minutes before the gig plug in and turn up to 10 and start playing and that doesn’t really work, because you’re, losing yourself in your own chaos then.”
“During lockdown David would write something, and then he’d send it to me and say ‘what do you think of this’ I’d be like ‘ah its amazing’. Then I’d send him something and say ‘what do you think of that’. Just after lockdown we sat down with our notebooks out and I’d say ‘what do you think of this’ and I’d play it and he’d say, ‘don’t change to that chord’ because you know, there’s a thought process behind it and as we were saying at the start nothing’s done by chance and nothing’s left to chance everything’s thought out, he’d say ‘why are you gonna do that’. He’s younger than me but he’s, definitely someone that I would look to as a teacher for me, you know these kind of things, because it’s so natural to him. It helps as well that we have similar tastes in music certainly when it comes to that kind of stuff of, using the instruments you have around you, using the process of music and using the process of creativity.”
“You just don’t write the first sentence that comes into your head, and then go out and play it. You write the song, then you come back to it maybe a week later if you’re not happy with it and you see what’s going to change or what you need to change and that’s the way it has to be if you take your craft seriously, that’s the process that it has to be. There’s no point in being fed from the bench, if you’re going to say something make sure you’re saying it the way you want it said. My style has grown over the years and it’s still maturing really, and it will probably always change. I’ve tried many methods, I’ve tried the William Burroughs method of the scrap paper writing, I’ve tried cutting newspaper articles and putting stuff together,I tried many things. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t and if it works it’s wonderful. If it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work. A painter will sketch hundreds of sketches for one canvas and then they will go and they will deliberately put on the canvas what they’re looking for, so it’s the same with music.”
I wondered what advice would Damien have for an aspiring songwriter or musician.
“I suppose, you just have to keep writing. You often hear of Gaelic players, taking 20 footballs and trying to kick them all over the bar. They’re doing that because when it comes to Sunday or whenever they’re going to play they are going to be able to do that instinctively, its the same as song writing, same with your voice, your vocal your instrument. Whatever it is you need to sit down and play it, you need to be comfortable with it, you need to know what you can do what are your limitations, where you want to go beyond. Also, I suppose it’s just get comfortable with what you’re doing and then when you’re comfortable push yourself further and continue to write and never look at a situation that presents itself as nothing more than a situation, there’s always going to be something there that you can take for a song. Listen to music, because there is only so many chords out there. “
Orwells ‘84 have released a video for ‘She Is Sweet’ and are making plans to release an album.
“ At the minute we’re in the middle of pre-production for the album so that just seems to be a natural progression for us. We’re really looking forward to that. We’re also looking to do a creative piece with An Táin in Dundalk, we’re going to work with a performance artist and we’re going to do a live performance but it’s going to be pre-recorded. So it’s gonna be shot live with the performance artist, doing her thing on stage, she’s already in the middle of it. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together. She has some big ideas. We have some big ideas as well, different stuff we’re gonna try. We’re supposed to be back supporting David in the INEC. But I think that was pushed out again to December so I think we’re just gonna wait to see what the story is with live music.”
Fingers crossed Orwells ‘84 can film that live show and can get back to gigging again soon. They are a talented bunch of musicians who showcase their effortless, ambitious talent through enjoyable, rich and vibrant tunes which display lyrical depth and remarkable songwriting.
Bristol band HEKA have released their new single ‘Club 1980’. HEKA recently released their debut single ‘Fake Smile’, it reached 20,000 plays on YouTube within the first 3 weeks of release and has been backed by BBC Introducing and BBC Bristol.
Saturated in wonderfully dark and expressive electronic soundscapes, ‘Club 1980’ is a passionate melodically rich number from HEKA. With surging electronics weaving sinister undertones through a sticky beat and consuming soundscape the band build tension from the get go as HEKA blend eerie soundscapes with dark, intoxicating electronics superbly to provide a wholly immersing and rich listening experience.
The listener is treated to a banquet display of musical prowess as HEKA showcase their deft ability to creates pockets of space and brief moments of stillness between the flowing, chiming guitars and synth refrains. These momentary tranquil moments beautifully contrast the fluidity of the track and are a joy to experience.
With lush backing vocal coos and sublime passionate vocals teamed with an infectious bitter sweet melody ‘Club 1980’ is a fine example of why HEKA are an exciting band to keep an eye on. Their ability to blend sinister, brooding electronics, and raw indie with prismatic sparkles of synth pop is masterful.
Irish glam-pop artist Jack Rua has released his new single ‘Isolation’. Writing music at the age of 15, first for a rock band and then as a soloist, he renamed himself Jackal in 2013. Backed by an 8 piece band, his theatrical and energetic stage show saw him perform at venues such as Whelans, The Academy, The Mercantile and Vicar Street. Graduating with a BA in Commercial Modern Music from BIMM Dublin, Jack took a hiatus from performing in 2017 and moved to New York City where he immersed himself in the cultural scenes of drag, burlesque and theatre – shaping his sound around these creative concepts.
‘Isolation’ is a glorious display of Jack Rua’s shimmering pop as he takes an emotive theme and shrouds it in infectious glittering electronics and bubbling rhythms.The song is glowing with Rua’s refined musicianship and impressive songwriting prowess as light verses simmer while entwining synths and ethereal elements contrast the thematically darker undertone. The track has invigorating bursts of release between the coiling beats while Rua’s smooth warm vocals ooze swagger and charm.
‘Isolation’ is a richly textured track exuding finger clicking elements and catchy soundscapes. Rua’s ability to provide a danceable catchy tune with relatable lyrics and conflicting sonic twists is masterful. Jack Rua is an artist to keep an eye on.
About the track Jack Rua said : “It was written about how I was separated from my boyfriend for 2 months because of the COVID pandemic. We had only just gotten into a relationship and were enjoying the throws of the infamous honeymoon period, so to be separated from each other for such a period of time for reasons beyond our control was very difficult.I love this song because it really captures what I was experiencing. I was trying to remain positive and remind myself that things were only temporary, but still feeling a sense of hopelessness and a complete lack of control of the situation. I knew what I was doing was right morally in the context of a pandemic, but it felt so incorrect personally and all of these conflicting emotions and ideas were driving me crazy.”
I caught up with Lucy Gaffney. We talked about how she became comfortable as a solo artist, her inspirations and how she wrote and recorded her new single ‘Send Me Away’.
Hailing from Belfast, the now Liverpool based, Irish songwriter has released her new single ‘Send Me Away’, via Frictionless Music.The track was produced by The Coral’s James Skelly, positioning her as a rising artist in the fertile Northern English indie scene. Featuring on the track alongside Lucy is Thom Southern (Electric Guitar, Bass) and Jim Sharrock(Drums).
“The reaction has been amazing, the radio play as well there’sbeen so much support from radio stations.I only released my first single, back a couple of months ago, and I’m obviously a brand new artist. So coming out with the second single, I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out because for me it’s more of a lo fi track, but everyone seems to be loving it and there’s RTE behind it and Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 played it the other day so I’m so chuffed about that as well. So yeah, it’s great.”
The track has a heavier sound with fuzzy guitar, psychedelic soundscapes and dream-pop melodies which is quite different to the sound of Lucy’s other projects Southern and MMODE.
“Well what happened was I was coming out of, one of the previous bands, and I was on tour with The Coral at the time. James Skelly produces a lot of bands and he was just watching us live, you know every night and he said ‘you guys are great, would you ever want to get into the recording studio’. So it was just kind of a natural thing and we didn’t really have any expectations. It just felt right for me to be doing my songs that I’ve had on the shelf for ages and he was really into the vibe that we were getting, it was kind of like Krautrock, kind of shoegaze. Thom, who was in the previous band with me, my brother he creates a lot of guitar sounds and I would write a lot of my melodies on top of that, probably, almost the same way like The Stone Roses would work. It’s very melody orientated with elements of deadpan vocals and a lot of reverb and things. So that’s really what I’m into, and the sound really just developed after doing those two tracks in Parr Street with James so I’ve had them ready to go since last summer.”
“I was just taking the time to do gigs, I went on tour with Bill Ryder-Jones and that was a great learning experience for me because it was the first time I was solo performer, without a band or anything so working with him as well on that tour, gave me that kind of, I don’t know full roundedness that I have in my vision for the music that I do. So yeah, the songs are coming across really well and it’s just a shame I can’t gig them. “
Doing shows on your own can be difficult when you are used to having a band with you. I wondered if the solo transition was daunting.
“Definitely, yeah for sure because it was my first, I had done gigs just kind of one off gigs. My first gig was actually supporting the DMA’s in Belfast which was an amazing first gig and yeah I was super nervous. It’s more the build up to it that you’re nervous about and then when you’re on stage it just comes so naturally, because that’s what you’re good at, and on tour with Bill (Ryder- Jones) was more about learning how to engage the audience and finding your place on stage in terms of, do you want to give a lot of yourself away to the audience, because Bill in particular, he is almost like a comedian on stage. In between the songs he’s telling tales and I’m not really like that you know naturally I’m probably a little bit more of an introvert and I wouldn’t want to give too much of myself away but yeah, so just finding that balance.”
“It was definitely daunting to begin with but it’s like anything, you know, practice makes perfect. Since being in lockdown it’s weird because doing the live gigs online has been really beneficial for me, because I think it’s more daunting to play a gig online for people than it is in real life. I mean it’s like doing faceTime with someone and the camera you have to get your camera angles right and you know there’s all that flack and you’re always worrying is the signal gonna go mid set, whereas live, the freedom that you have to play live is just amazing there’s nothing like it. So yeah, I’m definitely missing that but I’m hoping next year we’ll have some socially distant gigs.”
In her solo career so far, Lucy has already had acclaim from Liam Gallagher (who called her music ‘celestial’), a collaboration with DMA’s and tours with Bill Ryder Jones and She Drew The Gun with support on Radio from BBC Radio 1, as well as BBC Introducing Merseyside and BBC Introducing Ulster.
“ I’m just launching literally and if anyone tells me they like my song I’m glowing after it. Whatever you get in response to your track it’s just nice for it to resonate with people. I put out the cover of Oasis and I don’t normally do covers but I happen to really like the song ‘Songbird’, by Oasis and obviously, Liam Gallagher is very influenced by John Lennon, and the Beatles and I’ve always been really influenced by, The Beatles and their songwriting and John Lennon in particular, so that’s obviously why I like that song, but I put it up on Twitter and in the few hours it had gone viral and Liam Gallagher caught wind of it and commented on it. So yeah, it’s just amazing, it is mad how the internet works.”
The music industry has changed a lot with streaming and social media and Lucy has managed to keep on top of her social media by putting out a lot of content during lockdown to keep her fans engaged. This is a task artists can find difficult with pressure of finding visually appealing settings etc.
“Yeah definitely, it’s a job in any sense having to do that kind of thing and it’s been a learning curve for a lot of musicians, trying to come to terms with the fact that the only way we can promote ourselves is online. I am a bit of a technophobe, apart from posting photos and stuff and tweets, I would never have been going live on my phone. But you do get the hang of it and it is really nice you know when people tune in and people are lovely. I’ve never had anyone say anything bad, I’ve always had really nice feedback during the gigs and everyone was being really supportive and people love it. In fact the only thing for me that I don’t have at the minute is any merch and a lot of people say to me, do you have any vinyl things since the songs have come out but obviously it’s early days for me so I’ve not had them made”
“The whole experience I think has been really beneficial for me, in particular, as an artist. I think for bands that were touring a lot before the lockdown happened it’s been hard for them. It’s funny and it’s something I have talked to, my friends who are musicians. It’s almost put the power back into the artists hand, and it’s taken a bit of the, I don’t know, control maybe away from the record labels, I mean social media was doing that anyway. Even my friend who plays drums for me, he is promoting himself online and he gets such a great reaction, people love it. It’s so interesting, even for me, to be able to watch someone online who I admire. I was able to see Beck, who is a bit of a recluse, you know he was never really sitting online chatting and I’ve looked up interviews of him from the 90s and things and there’s so few and to watch him sitting in his living room playing live has been such a novelty. So yeah, it has definitely been a game changer for musicians, I think. “
Lucy’s voice is beautifully sweet over the bubbling instrumentation in ‘Send Me Away’, it creates a lulling sense of calm. I wondered was she always a confident singer
“I definitely wasn’t, just because of my background. As a kid, I sang in the school choir and I was really into female singer songwriters. Like any young girl when I was seven or eight Avril Lavigne was my inspiration and so it was always in my mind to be a songwriter and sing. But because the way I started was in a duo, I started busking with my brother and we were really based around harmonies, so I sang alongside someone else for years, so it does take mental strength to work up the ability to do it completely alone. It’s always a learning experience throughout your musical career to do anything, for example I play a lot of piano, but I’ve never played it live so imagine if I was to have to do it I’d probably be nervous because it’s not something I’ve tried before. But I think now I’m definitely a confident singer, I could sing to anybody on the street I don’t mind.”
“I think it always depends on each song really but my influences in the last few years were bands like the Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star, so, I was always into that kind of soft, you know, sultry vocal and I love a deadpan vocal. I love Grian Chatten’s voice in Fontaine’s DC. I love how he sings, I love that kind of laziness to it, and even in the last few months I’ve really been listening to a lot more of Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile and that. That is just my kind of vibe, so I think towards next year the songs are going to be maybe less shoegaze, and more, I don’t know, you’ll hear more of my voice, to an extent. Yeah and I’ve definitely got a lot more new material since the lockdown happened. I’m actually working with a couple of producers at the minute for next year. I can’t really say who but the new songs for me are miles ahead of what I’ve done before. It’s gonna be really exciting to put them out, so I’m really looking forward to next year, to be honest.”
So what advice would Lucy have for anyone who wants to start a career in music or as a songwriter.
“ My advice, just from my experiences…You can only ever be yourself in your songwriting. I never liked it when I see someone who’s just regurgitating other artists. I can understand having an influence but I think it’s never good to just rip other artists off, and I think it doesn’t necessarily have longevity. So I think always working at your craft and always having a passion for it, it’s probably the same with any art form. But definitely being honest and making sure you actually like the songs you’re putting out because, I mean, I have spent years putting out things because I think it would fit, it would be something that people would want to hear rather than if it was something that I’d want to hear myself. And I think I’m at a position now after a couple of years of working my craft to know that if I love my song, that’s all I care about.”
Lucy has some exciting plans for the coming months and next year with lots of amazing tunes for us to indulge in
“ So I’m promoting ‘Send Me Away’ at the minute but hopefully I’ll be in a recording studio over in England in a couple of weeks, doing the third and fourth singles and they should maybe out by December or next year. I also have way more recordings and I’m booking in gigs and stuff at the minute for Ireland next year so if everything goes ahead hopefully, you know, lots of tours and lots more music.”
Lucy Gaffney is a compelling artist and talented songwriter, showing strong personal musical growth from her days in Southern and MMode. ‘Send Me Away’ is just a glimpse into her musical prowess and songwriting capabilities. It’s an immersing track laced in rich textures and lush instrumentation which hooks the listener from the start. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Lucy Gaffney in the future.
Dublin-quartet Inhaler have released their new single ‘When It Breaks’, on Polydor Records.’When It Breaks’ was recorded over the summer and its lyrical themes chime with the unease and disquiet of the world in 2020. Inhaler are Robert Keating, Josh Jenkinson, Elijah Hewson and Ryan McMahon. The four-piece formed whilst still at school in Dublin.They have amassed a diehard fanbase despite only releasing a handful of singles. Their tracks have been streamed over 35 million times globally. They sold over 10,000 tickets on their last tour and played to sold-out crowds across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Inhaler recently completed work on their highly-anticipated debut album, expected for release early next year.
Shrouded in intoxicating, hypnotic soundscapes, sharp guitars and simmering bass lines, ‘When It Breaks’ is another exhilarating yet haunting number from Inhaler. The track pivots around a buzzing swarm on guitars while the bass line pulses with intensity creating the tracks darker luring underbelly. The song is layered and crafted superbly with spiraling synths fleshing out the track’s dizzying soundscape while the relentless drums pound with vigor for the explosive chorus and tease for the luring verses.
The tracks metronomic rhythm creates an agitated itch and suspense for the verses before an anthemic indie release for the chorus. This jittery anxious atmosphere is contrasted wonderfully by the hopeful-toned melody and Hewson’s emotive vocals. The sharp shrills and piercing laments on guitar have an 80’s shimmering drama to them while the clapping feature and spiraling backdrop surge with heart racing passion. ‘When It Breaks’ is another well crafted number with well placed lyrics and dynamic musicianship from Inhaler.
Speaking about how ‘When It Breaks’ came together, the band said: “We wrote ‘When It Breaks’ in the last couple of months. Over lockdown we were floating around the instrumental demo, it was dark but also pretty hopeful sounding. When we went back to the studio over the summer and really got to put our heads together again, we felt like we had to write something about what was going on and how we felt about it. Coming off tour into lockdown was a huge adjustment for us after we had just got used to life on the tour. At first, it was a welcome break but pretty soon we were dying to get back to any festival or any gig where we could get our fix! The lyrics and the music communicate the anxiousness of how we were all feeling and still are now a couple months later. It’s definitely the most politically-driven song we’ve released so far. It’s our interpretation of this strange and imperfect world we’ve come to live in. Things are gonna change and we are gonna be there when they do.”
Bio : Last Of The Wonder Kids are a three piece alt/indie band based in Grimsby. Over the past few years they have gigged up and down the U.K. and built a solid fan base across many major cities, garnering huge support from the likes of BBC Introducing and 6Music, securing slots at major festivals such as Kendal Calling.
Track: Doom & Gloom
Why We Like It: It’s an energetic blast of alternative rock swarmed in jaunty indie guitar, rumbling drums and groove-infested bass lines.The track has a charming tone with light guitar refrains providing glimmers of radiance through the buoyant rhythmic foundation. Exuding a 90’s alternative vibe, the breezy moody melody drifts along the bubbling backdrop with ease while the smooth vocals and cheeky lyrics make this track such a fun and blistering listening experience. With a shredding guitar solo and explosive crescendo, ‘Doom & Gloom’ is a well crafted invigorating gem.
Bio :Fresh from startling performances at Liverpool Sound City & The Great Escape in 2019 Family Jools were confirmed for SXSW 2020 until COVID.The band have released new single ‘U Got It Goin On’.One of their latest singles ‘Sister’ was premiered on national radio by Steve Lamacq who said The Bristol band have already been compared to the greats. Gram Parsons, The Beatles and the sound of classic Northern Soul and Big Star have all been mentioned as critics attempt to classify their impassioned live shows.Support for Family Jools has come from: BBC Radio 6, CLASH, This Feeling, Fred Perry, Daily Mirror, Radio X, John Kennedy, BBC Introducing to name a few.
Track: U Got It Goin On
Why We Like It: It’s an easy going number centered around a lively guitar refrain and steady beat, allowing Family Jools showcase their mellow and lyrically rich musicianship. With a nimble zesty guitar solo and laid back retro rock vibe the track glides with subtle swagger and warm emotion. Love it.
Bio :The Hunna have released their new album ‘I’d Rather Die Than Let You In’. The UK grunge rockers have been releasing a new track every month leading up to their album. The record packages their last two years, where they rid the ghosts of their past and celebrate a new journey/chapter. Working with Travis Barker, Josh Dunn, Pete Wentz and more, the new music showcases their anger, resilience and ultimate rebirth, as The Hunna states, “It’s okay to be angry but it’s time to move on.”
Track: Young & Faded
Why We Like It: This dark, smothering track entices and lures with hypnotic guitar refrains before building into a drum heavy explosion of alternative rock. It’s anthemic and powerful as the catchy chorus surges with arena ready energy while the slithering sinister verses intoxicate with electronic beats mangled beneath expressive drum rumbles and haunting guitars. ‘Young & Faded’ is a dynamic single from The Hunna.
Check out their new album ‘I’d Rather Die Than Let You In’. Its a doozy.
Bio :Seán Finn is a multi-instrumental songwriter grounded in pop and jazz. Seán is classically trained on piano, self-taught on guitar, and has been writing music for the last 6 years.
Track: Don’t You Wish
Why We Like It: It’s a charming buoyant ditty coated in jazz flavoured mellow guitar with a vibrant rhythmic section. Oozing a catchy chorus and organ-esque keys the song emits a retro 60’s hue. With smooth vocals and quirky lyrics ‘Don’t You Wish’ is a catchy, shimmy-ready, easy listening bop.
InBetween Honey are set to release their new single ‘One Home’ on October 16th. In Between Honey is an indie rock group consisting of five school friends who met in O’Carolan College, Nobber. The similarly-minded music heads jammed together in the music room at lunch breaks and they even appeared in some of the annual talent shows before they all finally graduated by 2017. Based in Gibbstown, County Meath, the band officially formed in June 2019 and have grown momentum over the past few months with a headline show in Whelans Upstairs, performing on the Trailer Park Stage at Electric Picnic 2019, playing to a sold out Workmans Club, Whelans “Ones To Watch Festival 2020” along with coveted support slots with Paddy Casey, Christy Dignam and Turn. With the release of their much awaited debut single “Beg, Steal & Borrow” and follow up single “How To Be Brave” and airplay on FM104 & by Dan Hegarty on RTÉ 2fm the indie outfit is only going from strength to strength. The group is Dylan Hickey, brothers JohnPaul and Matthew Melady, Ciara McManus and Blayne Moran.
Surrounded in youthful adrenaline, heartfelt lyrics and gripping indie soundscapes ‘One Home’ is an exhilarating slice of indie rock. This five piece have something special. The listener is treated to a keyhole glimpse of the bands musical potential through their latest release. InBetween Honey create and build the track superbly providing a sense of apprehension through the pulsing synths and chiming guitars while the smooth vocals, lush backing vocals and catchy chorus evokes images of arena crowd sing alongs. These guys have a powerful and passionate sound which translates beautifully through this heart-racing number. Well crafted and polished to perfection with a shredding solo and power punch crescendo, ‘One Home’ is an impressive new track from a very talented band.
