Madison Front have released their new single ‘Otherside’. Madison Front are an Indie/Alternative rock band who formed in 2015, with Luke O’Connor on Vocals, Patrick Murphy on Lead Guitar, Gary Murphy on Drums, Jack Shakespeare on Bass, and Conor Cullen on Rhythm Guitar. The group gained some notoriety during their first year, performing at Ireland’s well-renowned Longitude Festival, featuring alongside acts such as Hozier, Alt-J, and The Chemical Brothers. Following this, the band also appeared on Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ. They spent the next couple of years playing in well-known music venues across Dublin, including Whelan’s, The Academy, The Workman’s Club, and The Grand Social, establishing themselves within the local music scene. The band released their debut single, ‘Sleep Off’, and subsequent music video, in February of 2020, in-line with a single-launch gig in the same month in one of Dublin’s fastest growing venues, LoSt LaNe.
‘Otherside’ is a punchy energetic track dripping in alternative rock prowess and Madison Front’s expressive musicianship. The track chills with an eerie tone and sinister guitar refrain while the pulsing percussion, rumbling drums and creeping verses surround the track in an enticing atmosphere of haunting suspense. With smooth vocals, catchy melody and a building wall of sound, the band cultivate and simmer their sound superbly while embellishing the song with steamy guitar licks, icy refrains and slick licks. ‘Otherside’ is a well crafted new single which boasts the refinement and sublime songwriting of Madison Front.
Dublin band Emily 7 are set to release their debut single ‘Stay’ on October 9th.Hailing from the streets of Tallaght, brothers Kyle and Scott Bellew have been making waves on the Irish music industry as Emily 7 for over 2 years now. While only being 21 and 18 respectively, they have shared the stage with acts like U2, Glen Hansard and Imelda Mayat the Christmas Eve Busk, as well as supporting UK acts like Twisted Wheel in Whelans. Their 90’s image and sound even landed them a brand deal and interview with Fred Perry.The two brothers are also known from a viral video that went around the internet,where they met Liam Gallagher in Dublin, and he brought them to his show in The Olympia. This was one of the moments that influenced them to make the band a full time job.Emily 7 also headline Whelans (upstairs) on April 16th 2021. Tickets are available fromTicketmaster.ie and more info can be found frommcd.ie/artists/emily-7
‘Stay’ is a blazing debut from Emily 7. While telling a story of the trials and tribulations of falling in love, the duo create a ferocious, heavy, rock track swamped in the bands brawny, crashing wall of sound. With just a guitar and drums, the band manage to whack out a full-bodied, and all consuming sound sure to have a live audience moshing in no time. A guitar blitz soars through a rapid drum onslaught creating a thrilling sound of alternative rock with punk elements. Gravelly vocals contrast heartfelt, emotional lyrics which express sweetness and carry an undertone of vulnerability, displaying the bands ability to create diversity and depth within their tracks. ‘Stay’ is energetic, raw, and infectious – an impressive debut from a promising and talented duo.
Alternative Pop/Hip-Hop act Darce has returned with his new single ‘Vamos (Lofi-Dreams)’ which is the first single from Darce’s upcoming EP ‘Rural Wi-Fi’.The track is an all-West Cork affair with the song being produced and mixed by rising female artist Blakkheart and all revenue earned from the track will go to Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) (https://inar.ie/). The Bantry artist has been featured in numerous top publications with Spotify Editorial Playlists (New Music Friday UK), performances at festivals (K-Fest), support slots for the likes of Le Boom and industry showcase sets (Ireland Music Week, Music Cork) along with international TV appearances in both Brazil and The Netherlands, where he appeared alongside The Rubberbandits and David McWilliams of all people.
Floating in ethereal, clean soundscapes with hip-hop beats and fluid rhymes, ‘Vamos (Lofi-Dreams)’ takes Darce’s sound to a lofi airy dimension. With haunting backing vocals, sticky reverb beats and wispy synths the track has an intriguing spacious atmosphere while Darce’s sharp raps provide warmth and wit through the songs introspective lyrical content. Darce is becoming known for pushing boundaries and crafting his tunes in a unique and dynamic way and ‘Vamos (Lofi-Dreams)’ reinforces this. It’s a sleek and cool number exuding rich lyrical depth, subtle tones and compelling musicianship. I can not wait for his upcoming EP ‘Rural Wi-Fi’, if ‘Vamos (Lofi-Dreams)’ is anything to go by then, it’s going to be a doozy.
Australian songwriter Angie McMahon has released ‘Piano Salt’ a beautiful stripped-down companion piece to last year’s debut album ‘Salt’. The Melbourne, Australia-based artist adapted with a return to the instrument that helped her fall in love with music in the first place – the piano. The new collection finds her reimagining five fan favorites from her debut album ‘Salt’
The soothing and beautifully arranged piano EP displays a new facet to McMahon’s poetic flair as she takes ‘Soon’, ‘Slow Mover’ and ‘Keeping Time’ and dips them into a delicate emotive soundscape without the aid of production and varied instruments at her disposal, in fact the lack of instruments is what makes theses versions come to life. It truly feels the songs flourish within this setting, free to breathe and speak for themselves as McMahon’s mesmerising and emotive vocals allow the listeners mind to ruminate on the heartfelt lyrics.
From classic piano embellishments in ‘Soon’ to simple chord progressions in ‘Slow Mover’ McMahon’s songs take flight within this ethereal EP. McMahon takes the bluesy ‘Pasta’ and creates a more delicate rendition that allows you to focus on the clever, emotive and lonely lyrics. This rendition becomes timeless on ‘Piano Salt’ as the sweet harmonies and sombre piano heighten the tracks more hair-raising moments as it builds to the powerful crescendo.
There are extra little treats within this majestic collection as well. A goosebump-inducing cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The River’ is ecstasy to the ears; soothing, nostalgic and powerful as McMahon’s soulful vocals sprawl over the beautiful melody with ease and such emotion. While maintaining the coldness of the original she provides her own magical tone, style and finesse to this beautifully painful song with a lofty whistle feature reinforcing the lament on piano.
A sublime, soft and heartfelt rendition of ‘If You Call’ features on the album with guest vocals from Leif Vollebekk. Their voices blend and melt together like butter on hot toast, it’s an utterly immaculate piece of music. Another delight is McMahon’s haunting cover of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born to Die’ which showcases her deeper range while her pacifying tone highlights the track superbly.
McMahon’s ‘Salt’ is an album that was so impactful and compelling it garnered such huge praise and support. The beauty of ‘Piano Salt’ is it highlights the powerful and poignant lyrics within the songs while showcasing just how talented McMahon is. The listener gets a keyhole glimpse into the creative genius of a unique and intriguing artist.
About ‘Piano Salt’ McMahon said : “Piano is the first instrument I learnt and the one that made me first love singing. My favourite piano song when I was young was k.d lang’s cover of ‘Hallelujah.’ So this EP feels like a return to my piano-cover-loving inner kid. It’s been a really nice creative opportunity to recreate the feeling of some bigger songs off my first record, give them a new life, and cover some of my favourite songs too. It gave me something to do when we went into quarantine. The creative process also helped me shed some fear around sounding too cheesy on the piano, or too sad – I realised that doesn’t matter so much because I just love to play and sing.”
Dublin alternative rock band Kyro Jones have released their new single ‘Walk With Me’. Established in the summer of 2017, Kyro Jones have been working tirelessly on the Dublin live circuit refining their songs and perfecting their unique brand of fast, energetic music.Having shook the ground at headline gigs in The Workmans, The Underground, Whelan’s and Fibber Magees, the five piece are going from strength to strength.
‘Walk With Me’ is a blistering alternative rock track as Kyro Jones create a bone shaking, brain melting number designed for blasting from your speakers. It’s a dark rumbling concoction as the band blend raw basslines with pounding drums to create a curdling sharp wall of sound. With slinky guitars soaring and ricocheting off the brawny foundation ‘Walk With Me’ is a force to be reckoned with. The charismatic vocals cut through the tension and aggressive instrumental battering while the shredding solo saturates the song in a haze of vapour. With funky flirtations emerging between the pounding rock bravado, this attitude-driven track explores a war of words between two young lovers. It’s one whirlwind of fine musicianship.
Indie singer/songwriter Mark Hegan has released his new single ‘Another Kind of Blood’. Hegan has garnered industry interest and plays from the likes of BBC Radio 1 (Introducing), BBC Radio 2 and Radio Ulster.
‘Another Kind of Blood’ is a driving infectious indie number locked and loaded with Mark Hegan’s polished, feel good songwriting. His passion flourishes through the track with a relentless upbeat radiance while the heart pounding drum beat, dynamic guitar and powerful chorus are an instant shot of adrenaline. This stirring anthem has a moving velvety melody. Hegan’s wholesome vocals add warmth and tenderness to the track as it builds to its compelling crescendo. With a sax solo and foot-tapping beat on drums this kinetic tune showcases Hegan’s earnest musicianship while turning it into something quite anthemic and powerful.
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’.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”. They’ve performed with talents such as David Keenan, Nix Moon, Myles McCormack from Belfast group Lonesome George and Finnian, among others.
‘She Is So Sweet’ is a light, charming tune as Orwells ’84 spread their uplifting and melodious musicianship over a colourful tapestry of wonderful instrumental embellishments. The band’s hearty sound is wholesome and rich with diversity streaming in through indie elements, folk tones and wonderful melodic progressions. Elegant strings glide through a buoyant rhythmic section while warm guitars adorn the backdrop. With smooth vocals, lush backing vocals and meticulous layering this track has a vibrant and irresistibly ebullient sound that is joyful to the ears. Brimming with radiance, traditional tones and cheery refinement, ‘She Is So Sweet’ is a wonderful new single from Orwells ’84.
Rising newcomer Kynsy has released her new single ‘Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State’. Kynsy, is the solo project of rising 23 year-old multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Ciara Lindsey.Tipped in 2FM’s Rising 2020 list, Kynsy’s single ‘Cold Blue Light’ picked up plays on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music with Kynsy also featuring on the cover of Spotify playlists including Fresh Finds Rock and An Alternative Eire as well as on the cover of Indie Britain on Tidal. The track was also included in Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, Badass Women, Et Alt and New Alt playlists.
‘Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State’ is a sublime example of Kynsy’s tight, refined songcraft as she swaggers her way through sharp guitar and jolting indie rock to create a raw number that is to die for. A catchy guitar riff reminiscent of The Strokes introduces a lonely, almost spaghetti western vibe while the stomping beat and moody delivery sets the tracks gritty undertone.It’s a punchy, matter of fact tune with both sweetness and attitude oozing through Kynsy’s vocals. The zest-stricken sharp guitar refrains and light buoyant rhythmic foundation create a mesmerising contrast while at the same time blending the light indie tones with sulky, moody moments. There’s striking cinematic beauty to ‘Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State’ as Kynsy paints a mixture of emotions on an almost Tarantino- movie desert backdrop, however she reins it in, not fully committing to the gritty genre and instead introduces and allows the indie pop elements to flourish and thrive. Kynsy is an exciting and talented artist and one to keep an eye on.
Written and co-produced by Kynsy, she enlisted mixer Claudius Mittendorfer (Interpol / Sorry / Parquet Courts) to buff the finished work. About the track, Kynsy said: “It’s a tug of war between the positive and negative thought processes that occur when a relationship ends. It’s about accepting the fact that sometimes you have to laugh the pain away or look at negativity head on in order to feel positive emotions and have positive thoughts again.”
The track comes with an accompanying self-directed video, filmed in Dublin by Tim Shearwood and featuring Kynsy and her friends. Talking about the video, she explained “I wanted to try and create the same sort of balance of ideas, it needed to be fun and playful but with moments of emotional vulnerability in there too, a sort of yin and yang of simple fun against complex emotions.”
Watch the video for ‘Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State’ below
Sinead McConville has released her second release; a self-empowerment & fierce pop track ‘Running from You’. Sinead McConville released her debut single ‘Doorstep’ in May 2020 which received nationwide praise. The song was played on national radio stations such as Totally Irish with John Barker, 8Radio and Dublin City FM.Her first headline show was one of the first live gigs back in Dublin on July 4th in The Wild Duck in association with Ex Oh Promotions. The gig was a huge success and ended with a standing ovation & encore. Furthermore, she performs as a session musician with upcoming Irish artists and has performed on The Late Late Show with D. Cullen, Irish Music Week & The X Collective Showcase with ELKAE and TiLT in The Button Factory with Munky. Radio performances include RTE Radio 1 (Today with Sean O’Rourke and The Ray D’Arcy Show), BBC Radio Ulster (Gerry Kelly), SPIN 1038 (Plan B with Sarina Bellissimo) and East Coast FM (The Morning Show with Declan Meehan).
‘Running from You’ is a power pop anthem doused in dark-hued electronics, suspenseful beats and the dynamic songwriting of Sinead McConville. Haunting synths wisp about the dance-infused beats which thump and pulse throughout building tension as the track progresses. With a smooth vocal delivery contrasting the fermenting, curdling instrumental backdrop and honest lyrics ‘Running from You’ is an intoxicating new single from Sinead McConville
About the track Sinead McConville said : “A past relationship just kept being brought up in conversations and it came to the stage where I felt like I was constantly running from everyone bringing him up. Writing this song felt like I was finally laying all my cards on the table and expressing that no more did I depend on someone to bring me happiness. Instead I truly found my own happiness and ‘picture perfect land’ within myself”
I caught up with new Irish band N.O.A.H. to talk about their debut single ‘Shine’, their step away from their previous band Electric Shore and the exciting new songs the band have yet to release.
N.O.A.H is comprised of three lifelong friends, Ryan Hill: Lead Vocalists and Guitarist, Adam Rooney: Bass Guitarist and Ronan Hynes Drummer.The band was formed in January 2020, after they decided to reform their previous musical endeavour, Electric Shore.
Ronan :“ We were doing okay with Electric Shore, as far as how we started and, you know, there was only so many years we could keep on doing the same thing over and over again, and get the same results. Then we came across our manager, who took us on as a new project. We decided what better way to start, then to start, completely fresh again with a brand new idea and leave Electric Shore, where it is. So, it was basically just something new and it worked out best for the three of us anyway because it gave new life into the music that we were doing. So, yeah, it was literally a case that we just decided, new name, new music and see where it takes us.”
“In regards to Electric Shore we were trying to push for that cinematic sound and stuff like that, but as we developed and worked with more synthy stuff, that really helped us along the way. We have our grips now as far as musicianship, you know. We have improved as well on the actual instruments. We have improved on our songwriting as well, I think that really helps. Electric Shore was pushing to go for that but now I think N.O.A.H has nailed that.. on the head “
The band got their name N.O.A.H. from the biblical story of ‘Noah and the Ark’, its not exactly a religious reference but an expression for new beginnings
Adam : “I don’t think we’re religious in the slightest. It was more related to the idea of starting again. Sort of taking stock of what we’ve done and it just felt right and was nice and short. It summarized what we wanted to do.”
Ronan : “I suppose, when you put it in imagery, Electric Shore was the flood and we wanted to get away from it and start again. So, I suppose that ties in as well.”
N.O.A.H have released their new single ‘Shine’. It’s a powerful adrenaline-inducing number which races with an urgency reminiscent of The Killers with blistering guitars, driving bass and punchy drums. The band recorded the track during lockdown.
Adam : “ We wrote the song in probably about February or March, which is like the first few weeks in lockdown and as we were saying, we developed new ways of writing so, as the nature of lockdown was, we weren’t together in the same rooms, we weren’t writing the way we would have. So, a lot of it was sending stuff back and forwards and then from there we recorded it in July and, yeah, that was that. “
Ronan : “I found that when it came down to the lyric writing as well I think for all of us it was so strange because you’re obviously, in lockdown, all on your own, but then, it’s mad, even through our rough demos they illustrate the idea of freedom and stuff like that and coming away from the isolation side of things. So it had a big impact on the actual lyric writing as well you know.”
I wondered with the new style and name did the band approach their songwriting and composition process differently
Ronan: “It generally depends on the song really. There’s some songs where the music is formed well beforehand, and then there’s others where we sit down and try to work out a melody or one of us comes up with a melody to use and we take it from there.“
Adam: “ Yeah the way we write music is generally sporadic and we don’t like to put too much pressure on it so whatever happens happens, just once a good song is produced in the end ”
The band have all been to college and studied music which has helped them with the theory side of the music industry however they don’t consider it essential for an artist to do.
Ryan “ Well for myself I went to BIMM. It’s hard to tell, they do a lot of stuff. I think to be honest, and this is me speaking from my own point of view. I do think that we probably learned more from the three of us working together then, like I said, I’ve probably learned in college. But I suppose when it comes to the performance side of things, playing live and stuff, it did give you that extra confidence from studying in college and doing performance and the overall being comfortable with your instruments and stuff like that. I just think I’d probably learn more being with the two lads, you know, “
Ronan : “ Yeah I don’t think anyone can teach you how to be creative, or they can’t teach you how to be friends in a band or anything like that. So that’s self taught, and as Ryan said to implementing certain techniques, or theoretical things can help “
I wondered what the band have in store for us as they unleash their new tunes into the world
Adam ; “ They’re all a little bit different, different sounds and that. That was the beauty about lockdown as well, it was a case that you wouldn’t get a song like ‘Shine’ if we weren’t separated but it just allowed us to experiment a lot more with different ways of doing stuff and helped us adapt basically to a pretty awkward situation. But yeah, every song we make is always trying to push ourselves a bit further in our own sounds. So, hopefully, anything that we release in the future will show that, you know, you might get a more rocky guitar vibe off some songs, a more dancey vibe off others and then atmospheric and cinematic with others. We do try hard to not pigeon hole ourselves into one specific genre or sound. “
Ronan : “Yeah, we’re planning on doing freshers weeks throughout the rest of 2020 so it’s more of an online stream, just to help the student bodies within each university around the country and engage with the students and it’d be a good way to, I suppose, create an audience because we are a brand new band so we’re still trying to push our name out there, so right now that’s it and then for the new year, it’s very hard to say. We’ve been in contact with multiple bookers in different venues and we’ve had gigs that were planned and unfortunately were not able to go ahead. It’s just the nature of the lockdown itself. But all we can do now is look a month to two months ahead, and plan for what we can and try not to get too lost in next year because it’s all up in the air.”
Ryan : “ We have an official video, being setup at the moment so it all depends on how far the actual song goes on its own, and then we’ll decide which way, we’re going to work the video or what day to release the videos as well “
‘Shine’ is an ambitious new single boasting arena sized choruses, dynamic energy and a tight blistering wall of sound. N.O.A.H have created a powerful sound brimming with energy which showcases their deft musicianship and musical growth. I’m looking forward to future releases, if ‘Shine’ is anything to go by, then we are all in for a treat. Talking to the guys it is easy to see how much passion they have for their craft. They are ones to keep an eye on for sure.
Stream ‘Shine’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
