modernlove. have released their new single ‘Use Me’ along with the announcement of their headline show in The Grand Social on Saturday, 5th December 2020. This show will be a socially distant show. Tickets €14.50 are available from tickets.ie.
Spinning through a progressive electronic spiral of EDM moments infused with melodic pop hooks and indie glimmers, ‘Use Me’ shows modernlove. are a band cultivating their sound into something unique and expressive. The track kicks off with twinkling synths and a longing melody as Barry Lally’s smooth vocals drift upon a gentle soundscape.Soft piano moments create pockets of innocence and melancholic sweetness before the song erupts with dazzling electronics which whirlwind the song’s chorus into a dance banger filled with heavy beats and flashing electronic progressions. The band slide their legendary rapid lyrics over a glossy backdrop for the second verse which adds to the intensity of the song. Boasting silky soundscapes and tight layering, ‘Use Me’ is a joy to listen to and an impressive new release from the talented four piece.
About the track the band said: “It is about someone who knows their feelings for another are unrequited but is so desperate that they are willing to settle for even a semblance of affection or love from them. They are willing to let themselves be used to convincing themselves of a false notion of being close and intimate with this person. Even if it “doesn’t mean anything” to them, they can at least “pretend”.”
Fake Friends have released their new single ‘Heatwave’. Fake Friends are a four piece band from Derry. The band formed in September 2018. They have played venues ranging from bars to radio stations, festivals and even car parks! In February 2020, the band changed their name from Vanilla Days after a change in lineup.
‘Heatwave’ is a melodic energetic slice of indie rock as Fake Friends spread a sweet melody over a blistering backdrop to create quite the dynamic listening experience. With a driving bass line, jaunty guitars riffs and punchy drums the band exude a jagged wall of sound allowing Neasa Brady’s emotive vocals to create a light, refreshing sense of longing through the gritty backdrop. With lush harmonies and a sun kissed Californian hue this band have an impressive and infectious sound with oodles of bite. It’s catchy, sprightly and well crafted. Keep an eye on Fake Friends.
Dublin band N.O.A.H have released their debut single ‘Shine’ today. N.O.A.H is comprised of three lifelong friends, Ryan Hill: Lead Vocalists/Guitarist, Adam Rooney: Bass Guitarist and Ronan Hynes: Drummer. Immersing themselves in Music – all members have been formally educated through third level in several music related degrees, some of which include BIMM Dublin, the band was formed in January 2020, after the band decided to reform a previous musical endeavour. They have taken inspiration in its naming, from the biblical story of ‘Noah and the Ark’ , which is centralised around the theme of new beginnings.This idea is fundamental to the band’s vision and core values.
‘Shine’ is a powerful and heart-palpitating anthem as N.O.A.H surge oodles of adrenaline inducing indie rock into one dynamic tune. With biting guitars soaring over punchy drums and suspenseful tones the band use gripping chimes and swirling soundscapes to create a passionate track that is catchy as hell. The song travels from high to high providing an uplifting rush of energy enhanced by powerful vocals, driving rhythms and galloping percussive elements. With a cinematic build to the mighty crescendo teamed with a stadium-bellowing chorus N.O.A.H have created a fantastic new tune to soothe the soul and ignite passion in us all. It’s a compelling piece of music.
Dublin-based singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Dunluvly has released his new single, ‘Too Late’ today. The single is the first release off of his upcoming EP, ‘Plethora’. Playing all the instruments on the track, the song was written, recorded, and produced by Dunluvly aswell in his home studio. He released his Debut EP in 2018, and became active in the pub circuit. In 2019 Dunluvly became a three piece band, and they played a headline show, released three singles, and gigged around Dublin until Corona season.
‘Too Late’ is an unfolding, intricately crafted indie gem which displays the unique, deft and mesmerising musicianship of Dunluvly. The nimble plucked guitar weaves and wanders through a flickering dance infused beat creating sublime ripples through the tracks delicate suspenseful atmosphere. The guitar flourishments pierce the darker tone of the track with glimmers of warmth and scintillation. Dunluvly creates fluctuating tension throughout the track while the tight harmonies haunt through the songs cold tone. The sheer attention to detail and lush sonic elements within the track showcase how compelling and masterful Dunluvly is as a songwriter and producer.
About the Song, Dunluvly said: “This track is one that I’ve always gone back to when I’m travelling or roadtripping. I wrote the first half of the song in Vancouver a few years ago, and finished it this past summer. To me, it captures the feeling of this summer, and was a soundtrack to escaping Dublin to go camping for weeks on and off. The song was written in between those trips. It has that nostalgic, roadtrip sound, and is about that feeling of excitement leading up to a journey.”
Soda Blonde presented a visually stunning and musically majestic performance last night. With a setlist adorned with their captivating alternative pop tunes along with artistically clever visuals, they pulled out all the stops to provide an awe inspiring livestream which sets the bar high. The band played in a beautiful period house, performing in different rooms throughout the set while changing lighting and clothes for some of the tracks creating almost music-video quality footage for each song.
Soda Blonde meandered through their musically rich and diverse sound with warmer Fleetwood Mac tunes like ‘June’ seeing jazz-hued wizardry on keys while the disco drizzled ‘Motion’ and emotive melodic swoon of ‘Terrible Hands’ sees bassist Seaver O’Leary swagger through elastic grooves and rhythmic hooks with ease. The band make the most of this live stream freedom using various lighting effects to create a sultry, dazzling and atmospheric ambiance to enhance their enticing alternative pop. Each song flows like a scene from a movie as the band use sharp clips and deft use of framing to add depth and perspective to their performance. At times we see the band shrouded in dense lighting which paints their dark silhouettes against a deep red backdrop, each songs visual drizzles layers of mystery into the performance as a whole while highlighting the band’s musical prowess at the same time.
This platform presents Faye O’Rourke as a spectral beauty. She swishes in a red leather-like dress on a raised platform with Donagh Seaver O’Leary poisly placed behind her like a watchful angel for the sumptuous new single ‘Love Me World’ while Dylan Lynch lays down the bubbling beat on drums and Adam O’Regan struts on guitar. O’Rourke’s vocals are something to behold. Her sultry coos, haunting rasps and powerful tones make her voice bewitching and seductive. There is a residue of Kate Bush about her performance while shimmers of 70/80’s icons such as Debbie Harry pepper the bands synth pop gems in panache. ’Swimming Through The Night’ brings the performance to a close. Just as gripping and exhilarating as ever, the song drifts with ethereal synths floating through a rich tapestry of percussion and drums. The chiming guitars and intricate bass tie all the elements together while adding a dash of edge and raw vigor.
Soda Blonde have a timeless enthralling sound that blends warm elements of folk with clean synth pop sensibilities. Their first class musicianship, masterful songwriting and vibrant soundscapes teamed with passionate vocals make Soda Blonde a band to keep an eye on.
Pete Mac has released his new single ‘Disappear’. Disappear’ is the first original solo track released by Paradox frontman Pete Mac in over 10 years since the release of his first solo album ‘In Limbo’ in 2009.Recorded at Wavefield Recording Studios in West Cork ‘Disappear’ takes a different direction to the usual harder sound of Paradox featuring Brian Casey on grand piano and keys and Peter O’Sullivan on drums. The track was written during the lockdown period with Pete experimenting with different sounds. Pete has also been kept busy in 2020 recording some of his favorite cover versions at his home studio and releasing them on Spotify aswell as collaborating with other musicians such as drummer Mick Cross from Bunnosionn via long distance recording on such tracks as REM ‘Man on the Moon’ and The Smashing Pumpkins ‘Disarm’.Pete Mac plans on recording and releasing more original music this year with the plan of releasing a full length album next year.
‘Disappear’ is a tender track which spreads delicate and moving melodies over a building rhythmic backdrop. There are subtle elements of alternative grunge flickering through the warm powerful vocals with rock ballad aspects oozing from the melody while the lonely desert pine on guitars, buoyant rhythm and acoustic guitar strums flood the track in rich textures. The piano embellishments fill out the track’s wispy backdrop creating an ambient and ethereal atmosphere for the melancholic melody to brood within. A joy to listen to, ‘Disappear’ is a fantastic display of Pete Mac’s refined and beautiful musicianship.
James Lonergan is set to release his debut single ‘Brendan Valeʼ tomorrow September 25th. James began playing guitar and writing music aged 9 when, amidst a recently admitted period of “unexplained, unwarrented childhood depression”, his father brought him home a battered old classical guitar. This awoke James into the current stream of conciousness he now exists in. Inspired by his father, who worked as a gigging musician in pubs around the county, James immediately began writing music – joining his first band aged 10. Throughout the years James has fronted a range of bands, as a vocalist, guitarist & keyboardist, most notably being the vocalist, guitarist & principal songwriter of the recently disbanded progressive band, Synk. Now self-producing his debut solo album, James is seen to be furthering the development of his own breed of contemporary alternative/ folk/electronic music.
‘Brendan Valeʼ is an immersive track which exudes ambient electronic soundscapes and the spellbinding songwriting of James Lonergan. Lonergan’s ability to weave wonderfully rich textures and tones through haunting sombre melodies and intricate progressive guitar flurries is mesmerising. The track seems to carry the listener into an otherworldly utopia of melancholy as Lonergan effortlessly draws the listener further into the songs rippling depths. With wispy electronics hovering over the soothing guitar and cushioning beat, Lonergan creates an eerie contrast to the song’s tranquilizing outer shell. A trotting rhythm embellishes the backdrop in a country hue while Lonergan’s vocals soothe and coo with tender and soft tones, however there is a tense and slightly asphyxiating undercurrent to the track which is displayed through the electronic pulses and brooding alternative rock elements. ‘Brendan Valeʼ is a richly crafted number with varied emotions presented through psychedelic flourishments, thought provoking lyrics and bubbling rhythms. Lonergan’s ability to create such emotive and expressive music is what makes him such a treasured talent.
I caught up with Wild Youth’s David Whelan and Conor O’Donohoe this week to chat about their infectious new single ‘Next To You’, the ups and downs of writing and how the support of the band and their close family-like relationship with one another helps with the more difficult side of being in the public eye as well as the very groovy dance in the video for ‘Next To You’.
‘Next To You’ is a funky indie pop number with an 80’s pop sheen. The I’ll do anything for “the one” lyrics are quite witty and the song boasts the upbeat catchy sound that people have come to know and love Wild Youth for, while taking their sound to a more groovy 80’s-esque dimension.
Conor : “The song came from a writing session a while ago, just came from a good kind of guitar loop, then the chorus melody came and then we finished the song. We brought it into production and into that upbeat Wild Youth sound that people have come to know. Yeah, and we’re really happy with how it turned out. We feel it’s been a nice progression for us and a very natural progression from our first EP. We’re delighted that people like it because we love it without sounding big headed in any way. I think it’s (80’s style) something that we’ve definitely always been into. If we sit in a room together or in a dressing room before we play a show you’d hear a lot of Prince, Michael Jackson, The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and then if you look at modern music, it will be Tame Impala and The Weeknd, so it’s always been sounds that we like. We didn’t make a conscious decision to make it sound like that, I think it’s just what you listen to and what you’re inspired by, it starts to show in your music. It’s just us pouring ourselves into a production and into a song. If someone was to say to me, put all Wild Youth’s inspirations into one song, I think that’s exactly what ‘Next To You’ is.”
There is something more sparkly about this track and seen as Wild Youth are constantly refining their sound they tell me what their upcoming releases will have in store.
Conor : “There’s lots of different elements, lots of different sides to Wild Youth you’ll see on our new tracks, people will see a lot more diversity. There’s going to be ballads, there’s going to be more upbeat songs, there’s going to be slightly edgier songs. So yeah, it’s definitely in and around the world of where our new music is gonna sit, but people are gonna see a lot more diversity, with our new songs.”
When listening to the track I noticed a few tweaks to the vocals in the chorus of ‘Next To You’. I wondered how the band stumbled on that effect or was it an idea they had when writing the track
Conor : “That was just a cool vocoder effect that was used on a demo that we fell in love with. To be honest, the first demo was super rough so it’s just Dave through a vocoder because it was a handheld mic in the studio and it just kind of came about. It was like this almost high pitched vocoder-y vocal but, we fell in love with it and we thought it was super unique and catchy. So then, Dave obviously did his natural vocal and then he layered up his natural vocal. We kept his vocal through the vocoder just sitting slightly on top of that which gave a really cool effect for the chorus and we thought it just felt right.”
‘Next To You’ features another catchy melody hook. The band constantly release radio ready earworm melodies that appear so effortless and can appeal to all.
Conor : “It’s just how the melodies come out, we never overthink about how to write the catchiest melody. I think we are drawn towards catchy melodies and it’s naturally what comes out. Normally the melody will come quite quickly and we don’t overthink it. Let’s say if the chorus comes like “I don’t smoke cigarettes”. We’re like, okay, that’s the chorus and we don’t say ‘how can we make that catchier’. We just love that vibe and we put that vibe down and then we live with it and if there’s any natural tweaks that we want to make after we’ve got the demo, or re-listening to it, we make those little tweaks. But it’s never to try and make it super catchy, it’s just naturally what comes out.”
As it’s a natural process I wondered if the guys ever feel the pressure of writing. This natural process is elusive at times there is no real formula. I wondered if the process is daunting for them if the melody doesn’t come to them easily
Connor : “Yeah, all the time. There’s so many ups and downs of writing. There are days when you could sit down at a piano and you feel like you’ve never written a song in your life and then there’s another day where you could sit down at the piano and you could play one chord and write 17 different melodies. It comes and goes all the time. I remember last year there was one week in particular, we were writing in LA and a huge bulk of probably our new material came from that time. You just sometimes get those magic weeks where everything feels right and it all sits in and comes together. Then you can also get three or four weeks where you could be in studio every day where you don’t get a song that might sit right or might feel like a Wild Youth track. But that’s why you just got to lock yourself away and write for as long as you can and write as many songs as you can. So last year maybe we wrote 50 songs and you whittle that down to maybe let’s say, six or seven new songs that we have ready to put out over the next couple of months.”
The backdrop of ‘Next To You’ is vibrant, exuding rich percussion, shimmering keys and a funky bass line. The bands image with this track mirrors the songs swagger, particularly in the video where the band are sporting a swaggering 70’s/80’s-esque style with flared trousers and slicked hair along with some pretty swanky dance moves to match. Wild Youth are very much involved with their visuals, colour themes and how they present the overall package from the merch to stage lighting.
Conor : “Yeah, I think so. I think Dave would agree with me too. We find that we always try and make a certain time period of our music. Our first EP, everything, all our visuals had like a baby pink backdrop and that transcended into our live show. We had pink lighting and we used the color pink a lot. So now for the new phase, we wanted to tip our hat to the psychedelic era that we loved and were inspired by and bring a little more color and fun into it. We try and make the music match up with the vibe of whatever it is that we’re feeling at that time and whatever we think brings it all together, like our Merch we’ll tie in with all the vibrant colors that we’ve used in the video and our artwork will tie in with the vibrant colors. If we were to do shows now, we would have had a lot of that imagery and visuals and that colored lighting. We can’t do shows at the moment but when the time is right we will do it. When you combine them all in your show and it’s like songs from our first EP, the lighting for the show could be pink and then it could move to the more vibrant colors for our newer stuff. So we always try and keep a theme and stick in and around that because we are very hands on as a band in terms of how we want the visual to be, how we want the videos to be, how we want our lighting to be and that’s as important to us as the music, you know. We look at it as a big collection of art, almost, if that makes sense.”
“We were quite lucky in a way. We recorded a lot of our new music in January and February in London. Then, obviously, everywhere went into lockdown. So, like everyone else we locked ourselves away but we spent all that time putting together a full creative plan and a visual image of how we wanted this phase to look, critiquing the music, the songs, the production and adding elements of how we wanted it to sound and kind of going through it with a fine comb. Dave is obviously an amazing dancer and he came up with a dance for the video which is a side to us that people haven’t seen on the video and you know we’re very hands on with everything that we do. We’re very lucky we have an amazing team of people that work with us. We will feed all the ideas of how we want everything to go and then, with those teams we combine our ideas and we put it all together, and that creates the final product.”
The bands songs showcase deep lyrical content and are a joy to listen to. However they also create music for people to dance to and escape the madness of life and to enjoy.
Conor : “We always try and write from our own life experiences and make the lyrics as real to us as possible. We are quite emotional people. So our lyrics sometimes can be emotional, but also we want our shows and our music to be an escape for people. Because, you know, the social media world and online can be a scary place and the world can be a scary place. People go through a lot of mental health issues as we do, and have good days and bad days and we want people when they listen to our music, that they’re not just listening to us talking about how our hearts have been broken by girls. We’ve always tried to disguise emotional lyrics with upbeat music for people who just want to dance around their house or walk down the road and just escape or even when they come to our shows, be able to just have lots of fun for like an hour or an hour and a half, whatever the show is and just escape from all the troubles and difficulties that are going on in the world.”
Living the life of a musician can be difficult and challenging. The world can seem like a very harsh place filled with overwhelming pressures from peers, media, critics etc. I wondered how the band deal with all of this.
Conor : “I think, you know, I’m probably not as good at that as Dave. He preps me a lot for things like that because sometimes that stuff, kind of hits me a lot more and Dave will pull me aside and be like, ‘Look, it’s the world that we live in’. Unfortunately if you put yourself out there, you’re also putting yourself out there to ..”
Dave “ Yeah to be criticized”
Conor : “ Yeah you’re putting yourself out there and if you’re walking down the road and you’re having a bad morning someone might approach and want to talk to you. But it’s all part of our job you know, we’re so lucky to do what we do and we can never give out about what we do and obviously there is some stuff that can be said online which can be incredibly hurtful but I think you just have to try, and Dave is teaching me more and more every day, and you just kind of have to block it out.”
“I think once we stay together as a family, and as best friends as a band and we know that we’ve always got each other, all the rest of the stuff, the negativity and stuff you just block that out. Then when it comes to anything else like attention, we always welcome anyone to come over and talk to us and we’re so grateful that people take the time to listen to our music or love our music and we always love to talk to those people. When people are kind online we’ll always engage with them, we’ll always respond and we just ignore the negativity and put that shield up, which can be hard some days. It’s easier than others and some days it’s really hard and can really affect you but we try and just you know, block it out and stay as positive as we can and make it all about the music and nothing else.”
I wondered if they themselves were their own worst critic
Dave : “Yeah.That’s like a natural human trait as well. I think everybody does that. For us it’s a strange business in a strange world that we’re in where everybody can scrutinize you. You’re in people’s faces a lot, so then think about that natural self criticism everyone has and then multiply that by 10. That’s what you can feel sometimes. I think what Conor said, we just try our hardest to separate it you know, just to realize that we do have a very special job that we get to do that some people would literally kill to do and we got to do it. So we have to take the positive and then sometimes shield from the negative, because we do get to do what we love, you know,”
Conor : “ I actually saw something brilliant online yesterday someone tweeted, and it was something like ‘you can be as mean to me as you want, but don’t worry I overthink so no one’s gonna be meaner than myself’
I thought that was incredible, because, you know, the shit that people say online, like, I’m way harder on myself than you can ever be so it’s fine. I just thought that was kind of a cool thing that I saw online, even though it’s not cool that that girl feels that she has to tweet that but, yeah, you find coping mechanisms, I think.”
Wild Youth have become known for their energetic live shows which has seen them share the stage with the likes of Mumford and Sons, Niall Horan, The Script, Kodaline and Zara Larsson on arena-sized shows as well as selling out the Olympia. The band feel a bit lost without the energy from live shows since Covid-19. Most artists felt they needed to write during lockdown, interestingly the band did not feel pressure to do so.
Conor : “As a band that’s one of our favorite aspects to do, live shows and to meet our fans and a feeling that we get from doing the gig so yeah it’s been definitely tough. Especially because we don’t know when there’s gonna be a start to it again and what are the requirements for it to happen and stuff like that. So you do feel a bit lost in it but we’re lucky that we got to release this new single ‘Next To You’. It’s the first time we’ve done it where we haven’t been able to play gigs. So none of our fans or no one’s heard ‘Next To You’, and then we released it so it was a different kind of excitement, it was a different buzz, it was a different energy off this one. We were very lucky that we got to do this otherwise I think I would have gone clinically insane with no gigs.This whole lockdown has made us take a different outlook on life you know, try to find the positives among the negative. Everyone’s going through shit right now, everyone’s going through hard times and you have to just find the light in it, to make yourself feel good. So, I think ‘Next To You’ has been a godsend for us.”
“At the beginning we did a few (live streams) for ChildLine, they needed to raise funds, and we’ve been asked alongside a stream of other amazing Irish acts to do a live stream and we did it, and we loved it, we had great fun with it. It’s kind of hard sometimes, because I think for us as a band we are quite energetic on stage, and we feed off energy so sometimes we do and I’m not gonna lie, we’ll be honest, we find that hard when there’s that separation. It’s just us on a camera sitting there and we get a little bit awkward, you’re looking at yourself on camera and your dad is commenting ‘hey, I’m in the next room turn it down’. But, yeah, we’re looking at loads of different options and keeping our ear to the ground with when we can do something and maybe if people are responsible and they wear their masks and they socially distance, maybe we might be able to do some socially distance gigs. We’re always looking for innovative ways to do different things. But, yeah, who knows we might totally eat our words and be on a live stream on Instagram in two weeks”.
“We didn’t feel pressure to write because we were quite lucky as I said, we had recorded a bunch of new music in January and February that was gonna be our music to come out this year. We had all those songs ready to go and then, we finished them through lockdown and so it wasn’t like, ‘oh god we need a load of new songs’. So we actually had a lot of fun writing through this lockdown because we had all these unreleased songs ready to go, that everyone was really happy with, so it allowed us to go back and do things, like write a ballad, or do things where we write an edgier song or to try different things because the pressure was off a little bit, and it’s actually led to some of our favorite material that we’ve ever written because I suppose we didn’t overthink it. We didn’t put pressure on ourselves and we just had fun with it.”
“Some of the songs for me anyway and I don’t know about you Dave, but I absolutely love some of the stuff that we wrote during lockdown. So it’s great, it’s exciting and we’re just going to continue to do that. We’ve new music kind of ready, to go up probably the summer next year so we’re just having fun now and we’re in the studio and writing as much music as possible and trying different things and just having fun with it. Don’t get me wrong we had some bad days”
Dave : “Yeah we have and our biggest hit was the shows like everybody else who’s in this industry. We were pretty lucky our cards were lined up though, that we had all these songs written in January, which made that side of the process much more enjoyable.”
I asked the guys if they had any advice for anyone wanting to start a band or a career in music?
Conor : “Just do it for the love of music, don’t get into it to be famous, don’t get into it to make it straight away and be patient.“
Dave : “Work hard“
Conor : “Work really, really hard, hone in on your craft and just write thousands and thousands of songs because no matter what, shit is fertilizer and the good will come.You know, we did it, we wrote thousands of songs”
Dave : “Terrible songs”
Conor : “So just be patient, make it all about the music and the song and discover who you want to be because you only get one opportunity to come out and establish yourself as a band so make sure that you love your name. Make sure that you’ve got the sound that you’ll still be happy to play, because if you have a song that works you will be playing it in 10 years time. Just make sure you’re proud of everything, and have fun with it. Because it can be hard but it can also be the best job in the world.”
Wild Youth plan on providing us with a lot of tunes over the coming months until their much desired live shows return
Conor : “To be honest, for us, because we don’t know with shows, we just want to put out a bunch of new music and we’ve taken about a year to get everything together since our last release. Now we’ve got a bunch of songs that we’re super proud of and we want to feed as much music to the world as possible, continue to write, get back in the studio. We want to have our third and fourth EP’s done by probably the end of the year too and maybe that could even be an album, we don’t know. But now that we’ve got all this time, we just want to write loads more music on top of what we already have ready to go and continue to put out new music until the time is right to play shows again.”
Wild Youth are growing and expanding their sound. Their hook-laden, infectious songwriting coupled with disco glimmers and an insatiable groove which drives all their tracks showcases the bands skill for writing catchy earnest tunes. With ‘Next To You’ embracing their 80’s synth side, Wild Youth have provided a tantalizing taste of what’s to come from them over the coming months. This infectious gem and the bands upcoming tunes will ensure we have some pretty slick tunes to bop to until the band are allowed to grace the stage again and provide us all with the smiles, energy and good vibes we most definitely need.
I caught up with Australian singer songwriter Angie McMahon who has announced the release of ‘Piano Salt’ on October 2nd on AWAL. ‘Piano Salt’ is a riveting, stripped-down companion piece to last year’s debut album ‘Salt’. The new collection finds McMahon re-imagining five fan favorites from her debut album ‘Salt’, a record The FADER called “a perfect showcase of her gifts as a songwriter and vocalist,” as well as stunning piano covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” and Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die.”
You are set to release ‘Piano Salt’ on October 2nd. It’s an absorbing collection of tracks. What sparked your decision to release this stripped down album?
“That is very kind thank you! It feels like a simple and gentle follow up to Salt, which took a lot of learning and ruminating to come into existence. This one was easier, it was a phone conversation with my dear manager Charlotte, after I’d sent her some demos of me playing the songs on piano for fun, and I just said why don’t we record this as an EP while we’re isolating, and she was like, yeah! So that was that. It was a fun project to work on while the world slowed down.”
2019 was an amazing breakout year for you. It saw you win the Grulke Prize at SXSW for Best Developing International Act (previously won by Courtney Barnett, CHVRCHES and Jade Bird), release your debut album ‘Salt’ and open Hozier’s massive US tour that must have been quite the rollercoaster experience. I bet 2020’s Covid craziness was a bit of a shock. How have you coped with the lack of shows and I’m sure, restriction on the plans you had for this year?
“There were so many experiences in that year, so much moving and yeah it actually was a rollercoaster! I am hugely grateful for last year, and in many ways grateful for this year too, because I am slow to reflect on things and process them, so the shut down gave me time I didn’t think I’d have. There hasn’t really been any other option but to adapt to the restrictions, and put everyone’s health first, so I’ve just taken it as a chance to work on all my shit and hope that things are able to safely pick up again at some point. “
Your song writing is extremely mature and mesmerising. You are in your 20’s and have the maturity and poetic flair to capture true depth in your songwriting, expressing emotion; whether it’s the pain of heartbreak in “Missing Me” or the empowerment of womanhood in “And I Am a Woman,” how do you craft your songwriting and develop it into the touching and poetic style it is today?
“This is too generous, I think it’s just learnt from obsessing over other songwriters and the way they allow us to access our feelings. Thank you for saying those lovely things! The thing is that for any song which is well-written, there are a bunch written alongside it which are total poop. I’m trying to stay dedicated to writing a lot as often as possible and pushing through the blocks, and that’s the only way I know how to craft and develop the skill. “
What ignites the inspiration for your songs?
“It is so therapeutic to write, so it’s the swarm of feelings and thoughts that I have no other way to sort through. In whatever form, I think the fuel is usually, or always, love.”
How did your love for music and songwriting begin ?
“I don’t really remember a time when it wasn’t there…I think it crystallised as a pre-teen, staring out the car window with whatever music was playing as we drove along, imagining what it was to be loud, free, articulate, expressive, the things I could hear in songs by Van Morrison, Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, so many others.”
Do you strive to be a great lyricist and capture real feelings and emotions within your tracks that connect with your listeners?
“Um simply, yes, that is what I love as a music fan and that is what I want to be as a writer too! I don’t think I would have made any sense of the world or existing in it without great lyrics coming into my life. It is through beautiful and honest lyrics that I found meaning I think, so I just strive to contribute to that deep pool of meaning for anyone who is listening.”
The songs on ‘Salt’ come to life through your refined guitar performances and arrangement yet ‘Piano Salt’ strips this back and takes your songs to another new level. We get a glimpse of this with the piano version of ‘Slow Mover’, you have recently released, do you find that you can show a different side to both you and your songs through this piano version as if giving a fresh perspective or deeper meaning to the songs?
“Well it’s hard to know if anyone will find deeper meaning with a new arrangement, that would be sweet though! It is presenting a slightly different side of me, which I guess feels kind of ego-based, like hey look I can do this piano thing too! But that’s okay, it’s been a quiet year and I wanted something to do that just felt simple and joyful, and making this EP felt like that. I feel like it highlights how the Salt record and performances are so amplified and energised by the beautiful friends who usually join me in the band, so it’s nice to have that reminder and contrast, and it also pulls me back to the way I started making music without anybody else, just sitting at the piano and simply singing because it felt pure and free. “
This new version of ‘Slow Mover’ comes in conjunction with the news that you have received a Levi’s Music Prize, aimed to help promising artists stay afloat through the pandemic. That must feel pretty amazing?
“It’s incredible, yeah, anytime an organisation steps up to support artists, that is one of the bigger sources of hope. I’m very grateful for that.”
You have a striking vocal ability with rich depth and sweet coos. Were you always a confident singer or did it take you time to be comfortable with your voice and find what worked for you?
“It took lots of time and a family home where I was allowed to yell and warble whenever I felt like it and I rarely got shut down for it, which in retrospect is lovely. I have always been free to practice singing, and I always loved singing. I have tried to sing like a little gentle folk elf, and I have tried to belt like Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce, and I have tried jazz, and classical, and I’m bad at all those things, especially technique-wise. But over the years I just found what felt good somewhere in the middle, or maybe I just discovered rock music actually, where you can get away with whatever you want as long as you’re confident. “
You are out there in the world creating music that I’m sure means a lot to you. Was it daunting putting your tunes out there initially. The anxiety and worry if people will like it can be overwhelming or did you take the approach of “right I’m happy with my music and if other people aren’t that’s up to them” ?
“Ohh good question, it is definitely daunting, but before releasing Salt I’d played all the songs live so many times, so I had a gauge of what people responded well to. I think this is more something that I’m struggling with now, writing new things, where it’s harder to know what people will like and if it has to be compared to the first record.”
What advice would you give to someone who is an aspiring songwriter or musician?
“The advice that I find helpful is to read a lot, to write a lot, to surround yourself with a good community and people with good energy as much as you can, and to work hard on whatever it is that your heart is pulling you towards. I have so much to learn still, but I think as a general rule, the world needs people who believe in the magic of art and music, and it is worth working hard on those things. No matter what your definition of success is and how that changes, to keep finding the joy in it.”
What’s next for you?
“I’m trying to write my second album. It’s going slow!“
Angie McMahon is an artist to keep an eye on. Her music exudes such passion and depth it is difficult not to be spell-bound and mesmerised by her talent. ‘Piano Salt’ is set for release on October 2nd until then check out Angie McMahon‘s Piano Performance of ‘Slow Mover’ below
Black Violets are set to release their second single ‘Rebel’ on the 25th September. The band released their debut single ‘Falling on the Radio’ to much acclaim, peaking at No.2 in the iTunes Alternative charts in Ireland. The song received airplay across on 2fm, Classic Hits 4fm, Corks 96fm, KCLRFM and Red Fm as well as in the UK (Newcastle) and US (San Diego 91X).
Swirling through a vivacious soundscape of fizzing guitars, punchy drums and dizzying electronics, ‘Rebel’ continues Black Violets’ onslaught of exhilarating alternative rock. With razor-sharp guitars soaring through the dark bass rumble and pounding drum foundation the band create a biting and thrilling wall of sound reminiscent of Kasabian while maintaining their own unique edge. The track travels at a relentless brisk speed as the delusional swarm on guitars warp and ricochet off the galloping rhythm with relentless stamina while the power rock vocals bounce off this kinetic backdrop, thriving within the musical chaos. The acid soaked synths give the track an 80’s vibe as the band blend alternate rock with an effervescent shot of electronic pop before slapping some punk attitude on top. Black Violets have created an energetic raw new anthem that is sure to revolve in your head for days.
