Jack Woodward has released ‘Every Night’, his first song in over three years. This heartfelt cinematic musical delight showcases the warm and passionate songwriting of Woodward. Doused in soothing guitar melodies, elegant piano and pulsing drums Woodward returns with a song that captures a rushing sense of adrenaline throughout and beckons repeat plays. Filled with a sweet melody, smooth vocals and ethereal tones, ‘Every Night’ is a well-crafted tune from Jack Woodward.
Jim McHugh is set to release his new single ‘On My Life’ on July 1st. The track is the first single from Jim’s upcoming fourth album ‘I Whisper to the Dawn’. ‘On My Life’ was recorded, produced and mixed by Alex Borwick (Niamh Reagan, James Vincent McMorrow) at Transmission Rooms Studios, Drumlish, Longford and The Stables Studio, Castleblayney, Monaghan. It was mastered by Fergal Davis (Sinéad O’Connor/Muse).
Jim McHugh delivers a tender and emotive display with ‘On My Life’. He gracefully blends soulful tones with indie rock to create a compelling soundscape filled with gentle guitar melodies and a beautifully cinematic crescendo. McHugh is an enchanting artist, each note and musical element within his music adds character and richness to each arrangement creating spectacularly emotive songs for listeners to enjoy again and again. ‘On My Life’ is a fine example of this and a mesmerising display of musicianship from Jim McHugh.
22-year-old Irish artist-songwriter, Bradley Marshall has released his new single ‘Better Left Unsaid’.Having worked with big industry hitters; Danny O’Donoghue (The Script), Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford (Picture This), Jimbo Barry and David Lucius King on the song; Bradley Marshall said “to work with writers & artists of their calibre so early in my career is something I could have only dreamt of a year ago. It’s an amazing opportunity as an independent artist starting out.”
‘Better Left Unsaid’ surges with gripping melodies and cinematic power as Marshall pours his heart and soul into this compelling tune. The song builds from its humble piano beginnings into a soaring anthem with pulsing drums, ethereal soundscapes and lush harmonies. Marshall’s warm vocals croon, “few more years of being broken trying to right my wrongs and when I find a brand new person I’ll still write you breakup songs” over an ethereal suspenseful backdrop before the song juggernauts to an exciting, dynamic crescendo. Well-crafted and melodically lush ‘Better Left Unsaid’ is a moving new tune from Bradley Marshall.
Speaking of the single, Bradley Marshall said: “Better Left Unsaid” is about admitting fault and ultimately, coming to terms with the fact that some relationships are just not meant to be. It’s a real anthemic song that I hope will resonate with people”
Singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin has returned with the release of her new single ‘Call Me’.Throughout her career so far Aplin achieved a UK #1 smash hit with her cover of ‘The Power of Love’ which launched her career, as well as a further four international #1 singles, a Gold-certified debut album ‘English Rain’ plus her most recent album, 2020’s ‘Dear Happy’, has now exceeded 200 million streams on Spotify alone. I spoke to Aplin about her new single ‘Call Me’, releasing music on her own label, touring and if ‘Call Me’ is a taster of a new collection of songs to come.
‘Call Me’ is an exciting glimpse into Gabrielle Aplin’s approach to writing and recording new material. Having moved back to Somerset late in 2020, she began to write alone at home and ‘Call Me’ is the mesmerising result of this writing process. It’s a wonderfully cinematic tune, however, at the heart of this beautifully vibrant track is a delicate piano melody.
“I’m so glad you said it was cinematic. That’s exactly what I was going for. I actually wrote just on piano on my own in lockdown at the start of last year, and it was really loose, and quite old-sounding in a way. We just put the whole band in the studio and we all played it and recorded it and that was it, you know. But I didn’t really want to make a retro-sounding album. I wanted it to be inspired by all the things I love and some of those things happen to be, retro, but I still wanted to make a modern record. I came in one day and Mike [Spencer] the producer had told me to sit down he was like the song’s not on rails. There’s nothing railing it everything’s just floating all over the place. So he put in the sawtooth synth part and then it suddenly made sense and I was like, oh my god this is it. So yeah, it kind of came about from Mike.”
How to introduce a song is a tricky decision because it’s those few seconds at the beginning of a song that captures the listener’s imagination. Aplin creates a unique and refreshing intro to ‘Call Me’ through the use of droning synths that chop and drag before the softer elements of the song are introduced.
“ I did imagine it as this pretty piano intro and Mike just came up with that. It sounded so gnarly when I first heard it because the rest of it was just piano and strings and whatever. When that happened, it suddenly made more sense. But yeah, it kind of scared me because the song was so delicate before that synth came in. I respect that feeling when I get it because it’s usually a good one you know?”
Aplin has proven herself as a diverse artist who isn’t defined by a genre and ‘Call Me’ showcases this superbly. Within the track, cinematic pop elements blend with warm country tones on guitar, indie embellishments, synths and almost gospel choir vibes in the backing vocals. The track is simply a musical delight to listener’s ears.
“ I didn’t want to adhere to a trend that was happening now because I wanted it to feel timeless. So we had our pillars and one of them was that it had to be very human and have loads of real musicians. Everything had to have a space so any kind of non-acoustic instrument, any of the synths and whatever all had to have a space so we weren’t plugging them into the computer. My producer Mike had a Fairchild machine built so everything can pass through all these valves and pass through air and the same with the synth on ‘Call Me’, he went and found some man on eBay who had a certain speaker that we could run it through in a hall. It was just so important that everything had space, was human and true [and] organic. We didn’t really listen to anything trying to steer us any way. We genuinely made it as if we were artists not trying to make anything for anything other than to create something good.”
It’s an honest track with clear and emotional lyrics and Aplin explained to me how the lyrics developed.
“Most of it was like a stream of consciousness and then I flesh it out. The idea was there you know, I don’t really know what I’m writing about. I just, like you say stream of consciousness, kind of blurting stuff out and record it. Any that stand out to me, I’ll finish them and with that one [Call Me] it just felt like I had to do that one. But it’s like filling in the gaps when I work out what the song is, then I can finish it, you know? And for me, it was that feeling that I had where I was quite isolated in the second lockdown and was just writing because I had nothing else to do. That’s where I was like, Oh God, now that I’m sitting here and I can’t go out and I literally can’t do anything and I can’t see anyone I wish I didn’t bail on all those times I could have had human interaction. It was a longing for human connection, I guess.”
“I think most of my favourite songs come from little streams of consciousness. I just sit there and start singing any random stuff, sometimes a chord pattern or you know, something I’m playing might spark a melody and I might just do a little scatter of something. Then that scatter, I might listen to it back and it might sound like a certain word. So then I start with that word and you know, it will stem from there. I literally am just going somewhere meditative when I’m doing it and, I pick out the bits that stand out to me.”
‘Call Me’ marks a new era in Aplin’s career, one which has seen her hit a massive landmark of one billion streams.
“Yeah, I feel so lucky and as an independent artist, it’s just really nice to know that people care. Yeah, it’s mad.”
“It’s nice to know that artists can own their work and still have a career and not feel they have to sign their masters away. Apart from that, for me, it was also really important to work with a team who really cared and were really enthusiastic about what I wanted to create and what I wanted to achieve. So keeping it close to me, and just having people come into our team that want to work on it is really nice. It also means we’re not tied to anything”
Aplin’s last release ‘Dear Happy’ was released independently on her own label, Fade Records, in January 2020 and ‘Call Me’ follows in its footsteps. We discussed how the freedom of releasing music on her own label gave the singer-songwriter more confidence in her work to do what felt right for her.
“Absolutely. This is the most confident I’ve actually ever felt as an artist. I’ve been left to just become who I am and make what I make where I’m at now. No one wanted to hear it until it was finished and when it is done, you know, I will go into people in the label and I will tell them all my ideas and they don’t want to start working on anything until they’ve got my ideas because they want it to be based on everything that I’m creating. Everything has to be real, and they really care about making sure that artists are looked after and treated like artists. It’s really nice to be working with a really supportive group of people. It definitely helps to be left [to] yourself to make something because that’s what your job is essentially. I’m here to create something, just leave me to it and I’ll come back [with] something. I think it does show when artists are nurtured in that way they create really good work.”
A striking and instantly recognisable aspect of Aplin as an artist is her effortless vocals and sweet emotive vocal tone. Within ‘Call Me’ we see Aplin command an eloquent vocal delivery that exudes passion and charm over a bittersweet melody.
“Even now, I get really nervous performing. I find it quite daunting, but in a studio, I’m much more confident maybe it’s because I feel a bit more free and more private. I haven’t always been confident. I really have to gear myself up, especially when I’m performing in front of people. I have to really get pumped up. I find it really scary. I do enjoy it though, once I get going.”
In March Aplin finally got to finish her ‘Dear Happy’ tour that initially started in March 2020. Aplin told me how surreal it was to sing the songs from the album as they were no longer new to her.
“It was so bizarre. But it was amazing though. So much time [has] passed since. I had different people on the road with me and that was weird, but then also at the same time we just stepped back into it like there was no time at all gone. It was bizarre, but it was amazing to finish it. It’s just mad though because when I started that tour, that setlist you know, those songs were brand new and when I finished the tour, I’d made a whole new body of work and I was playing ‘Call Me’ at the shows. I did that to honour who I am now because I felt, [people] myself included, are not the same people they were a few years ago. It’s been a mad few years so I really wanted to honour those things with those shows but yeah, it’s amazing to have it done.”
‘Call Me’ is a teaser for a new collection of work to come. I wondered how soon fans could experience the artist’s music in a live setting. Aplin explained the pandemic gave her time to re-evaluate the tiring manner in which gigging used to be approached by artists.
“Definitely yeah, I’ve made a body of work. I made a load of songs and they were all part of one project. I think it’s really exciting how there are so many ways in which artists can release music now. So I really like the idea of coming up with a cool way of releasing it but I don’t know if it’s an album or not. But there’s a collection of songs that will come out together at some point. I just don’t know in what format”
“ I’m really excited to play new songs but I haven’t got any festivals planned this year. I’m looking forward to going to shows as well and I’m going to a few festivals and stuff.”
“With touring I always found this is not normal…a lot of stuff was just not sustainable. For me, I’m much happier when I have a very solid routine. Everything’s planned well in advance, having nice people around you and looking after yourself. My whole band and crew you know, want to be comfortable and happy and not you know, ruin themselves over something that should be fun and should bring joy to people. We shouldn’t be feeling awful about ourselves after doing something like that. So, yeah, it’s more important for us to take care of ourselves and not overdo it now.”
Before we ended the interview Aplin bestowed some solid advice for any budding artist looking to start a career in music
“I would advise [you] to just do whatever [you] want and make the most of all the resources that are available to you to get your music out there. There are so many, try them all and use the one that sticks or what works for you. Also, I think it’s really important to read up on music law, rights, ownerships, and publishing royalties, and make yourself really familiar with all of those things so you don’t get messed over.”
Gabrielle Aplin is a passionate and dedicated songwriter who clearly pours all she has into her art and the result is compelling, emotive music that is a delight to listen to. Her dedication to creating sincere first-rate quality songs makes her a timeless songwriter and a musical treasure to cherish. ‘Call Me’ is a glorious addition to her sparkling repertoire.
Brian Corbett has released his new single ‘Wonder’. I spoke to Corbett about the new single, his return to Ireland after moving to Toronto five years ago and working with Pa Sheehy on a new collection of songs.
‘Wonder’ discusses Corbett’s teenage years as he reminisces on lacking the bravery to tell a close friend that he wanted to be more. Corbett uses beautiful lyrics to take the listener on this nostalgic journey.
“So a couple of months ago I went to Dingle in Kerry. I met up with Pa Sheehy and I was nervous going down because he’s a well-known artist. We talked and he’s like, what would you like to write about? So I told him about the story, about my friend, how I felt. Four hours later we came up with the song. I think it was the adrenaline from meeting him and being nervous it helped me for some strange reason with the writing. Yeah, four hours later, ‘Wonder’ was born.”
“I was like, should I say it? Should I not? [ to Pa Sheehy] Is it too soon?, but then you know what something beautiful could be made here so why hold back and just be honest and put everything on the plate.”
There is a warm twinkling guitar melody that exudes a folk tone and reinforces the nostalgic theme within the song.
“Pa had a guitar riff that he actually made while we were on our way down there. Just an acoustic, he just looped it and I just fell in love with it straightaway. That’s when the inspiration just straight away clicked. It was just so easy to play off it.”
The song is sonically impressive and boasts deft production and dreamy tones with an intricate pulsing rhythm anchoring the listener in the track’s ethereal soundscapes.
“ We had the guitar sound and we wrote alongside the guitar sound. Then eventually, we left it simmer for a while for a few weeks and then Pa started messing around with these beautiful dreamy sounds that just came into it perfectly and just fitted with the song. I think that’s the feedback we’re getting off the song too. It’s a summer vibe song, it’s a sad song but a happy song at the same time.”
Brian Corbett’s music oozes wonderful folk elements with a contemporary twist. We spoke about how he crafted his style and sound.
“ I think it’s just the way I sing. From a very young age, I was surrounded by folk music, especially Irish folk music, and I was reared in the countryside. So I had that country twang, more or less and I just brought it into my music and gradually developed it over a few years. It goes pretty well with the music that we are making at the moment.”
Corbett moved across the Atlantic five years ago to live in Toronto and found himself in a music scene he had never experienced before. Through rubbing shoulders with a variety of artists and writers Corbett gained a new insight into his music and writing.
“To be honest, I started taking it seriously. I didn’t really believe. I knew I could sing. I knew I could play the guitar. I started going to open mics and stuff like that, just to go to them to listen and have a beer or whatever and then I started making friends and rubbing shoulders with some really amazing musicians. That’s when I started to write and develop my writing. I wasn’t great at the start, but it’s like turning on the tap and getting the dirty water out first, eventually the clean water comes through. So it really helped me, the city life, and just being surrounded by different musicians and different cultures and stuff. It really had a golden plus for me.”
After five years away from home Corbett grew tired of city life and moved home to Connemara and is living in a remote cabin with artistic friends writing music. I wondered if the nostalgia of being back in Ireland is giving Corbett material to write.
“It has yeah, it’s like past situations you’ve been in and moments of sadness, moments of happiness, but it really helped me. It’s really nice to be back. It’s like writing a book, you need to sit down and your like, Alright, what do I write about? How do I feel and when did that happen? When did this happen? So it’s good to be home, it’s good to be on the Irish soil again. But, hopefully, this music takes me out there again.”
“I live in a little house in Connemara. Some of my friends are musicians and I bring them down for the day or two. I have a little studio here in the house and we just chill, we eat, we talk, we make music, we eat more and then we make more music and then it just develops from there. It’s a really nice humbling situation.”
“I live in Clifden in Connemara, it’s just magic. It’s surrounded by water, surrounded by greenery and surrounded by mountains and it’s just inspirational. So being in Toronto in the busy city for nearly five years, six years it was nice to come home. Once I came home I was like this is so nice to be just able to think again and just like relax.”
Corbett has some exciting plans for the rest of the year with new releases and an upcoming EP.
“It’s the first song off the EP, that me and Pa are putting together at the moment. So we have a few more songs down. It’s hard to just put a full stop on it. I was like should we not make another one. It’s easy to make it into an album. But I want to make an EP first and then we can talk about albums. In the next few months, we’ll have another song that we’re ready to put in the oven.”
Brian Corbett is a compelling artist who has the ability to create passionate songs filled with rich instrumentation. He is developing his sound beautifully and displaying a talent for creating cinematic musicianship and emotive lyrics – ‘Wonder’ is a sublime example of this.
Ailbhe Reddy returns with her new single ‘A Mess’ via MNRK. The single follows April’s ‘Inhaling’, which marked a comeback for Ailbhe, who’s 2020 debut album ‘Personal History’ was shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize album of the year award. Since then, she has moved to London and signed a record deal with major indie label, MNRK. The single is accompanied by a video made by renowned Irish production company, CLTV, who have been responsible for videos by the likes of Fontaines D.C., Denise Chaila, Pillow Queens, Inhaler and more. Ailbhe Reddy has just played The Great Escape, the UK’s renowned music industry showcase festival. In July, she plays Visions Festival and Latitude, with more festival announcements due over the coming weeks.
‘A Mess’ is an exciting pop-drizzled indie rock track. The song is skillfully produced and superbly layered as Ailbhe Reddy fills an expressive soundscape with rampant bass lines, biting guitars and a sweet pop melody. Reddy is a very talented musician. The artist’s tracks ooze emotive lyrics and evocative musical arrangements that leave much to be admired. ‘A Mess’ is no exception – within the track, thrilling grunge elements and shoegaze flirtations reverb beneath smooth vocals that create dreamy tones throughout the song’s dynamic soundscape. This wonderful combination of elements is eargasmic and beckons repeat plays from the listener. Reddy sets the bar high with this fantastic tune. The track is a joy to listen to and is an enticing display of musicianship from Ailbhe Reddy.
About the track, Ailbhe Reddy says: “‘A Mess’ is about not feeling good enough in a relationship and examining old patterns and habits. It’s about feeling fed up of going around in circles, while focusing on a throw away comment that ‘no wonder it was such a mess’.”
Moncrieff has released his new single ‘Ruin’ via energie. The song comes hot on the heels of his smash single ‘Warm’ which went to the top 10 in Irish Radio and saw the up-and-coming musician perform live on Germany’s ARD Network (“Frühstücksfernsehen”). Following his recent Irish nationwide tour, Moncrieff is set to take to stages across the country this summer including Indiependence Festival, and is appearing as a special guest for Stereophonics at Fairview Park.
‘Ruin’ showcases the passionate and diverse sound of Moncrieff. The track twist and turns through elegant ballad-esque tones and vibrant indie-pop outbursts to create a wholly immersive listening experience. Moncrieff’s knack with melody is on full display as he drizzles lush tones over a bubbling rhythmic foundation and shimmering synths to create a catchy tune sure to revolve in the listener’s head for days. His powerful vocals soar across the dynamic backdrop and anchor the listener within the track’s expressive soundscape as the song rushes to a cinematic crescendo. Moncrieff is a master of his craft. He captures heart-racing emotion through compelling hooks, evocative lyrics and emotive arrangements that stir the soul, ‘Ruin’ is an excellent example of this.
RIA RUA has released her new single ‘Breathe’. RIA RUA is a modern Irish female hyperpop singer, songwriter and producer. RIA writes about power, love, obsession and control and she will be playing gigs in Ireland, Germany and Switzerland in 2022-23.
‘Breathe’ is a dark electronic powerhouse that rushes with the irresistible and wholly immersive sound of RIA RUA. Filled with swagger and attitude the track’s pounding beats pulse through thick asphyxiating soundscapes to create a luring and bewitching listening experience. The chorus exudes anthemic power enhanced by a catchy melody and EDM embellishments while the verses maintain a haunting and eerie quality. ‘Breathe’ delves deep into RIA’s production wizardry – the result is a sonically rich and intriguing tune ready to enthral the listener.
Mayo born singer-songwriter Tracy Gallagher has released her new single and video ‘Caves’. The song is a collaboration with Belfast based producer Michael Mormecha. Having tried her hand over the years at a number of various careers from teaching French to hypnotherapy, Tracy decided it was finally time to commit fully to music and produce her first studio-recorded work. This ultimately led to converting an old work van into a rustic home on wheels and hitting the road to write and live out her dreams as a wayfaring musician.
‘Caves’ is a wonderful display of musicianship from Tracy Gallagher. Within the track are elements of vulnerability and innocence aptly portrayed by Gallagher’s expressive vocal delivery and enhanced by the raw untamed moments of indie rock in the song’s dynamic soundscapes. The song is well crafted and layered to create a dizzying almost psychedelic effect at times with just Gallaghers soft vocals acting as the listener’s anchor between the constant ebb and flow of instrumentation. Eloquent lyrics depict themes of love, loss and hope while icy keys create an eerie sense of whimsy throughout – Gallagher combines all these aspects to create a compelling listening experience for listeners to enjoy again and again.
About the song Gallagher says “Caves is inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell, American professor of Literature and well known mythologist, credited by George Lucas as having inspired Star Wars. While reading his book ‘The Hero With A Thousand Faces’, I became enamoured with the idea of each individual being the hero in their own story and the trials and tribulations each of us have to face and overcome throughout our human experience in order to grow and develop as human beings. Caves explores the relationship we have to the natural world and simultaneously to the inner self, it is a look at the wild, powerful and sometimes frightening aspects of nature that can act as a metaphor for the unexplored parts of our inner worlds. The wildness of the ‘seven seas’ and the dark unknown of the ‘cave’ represent our innermost fears, that which we try to keep hidden from ourselves and the world at large but this is also the place where the deepest treasures and revelations lie, where personal growth and development happens.”
Emerging from the west of Ireland, Brian Corbett has released his new single ‘Wonder’. After moving across the Atlantic five years ago to live in Toronto, Brian Corbett found himself in a music scene he had never experienced before. He rubbed shoulders with a variety of artists and writers who instantly broadened his music and writing palette. After five years away from home he grew tired of city life and moved home to the deep wilderness of Connemara. Having left as a wishful teenager he returned as a focused musician with a voice that can be delicate when necessary but can roar a chorus as good as any vocalist on the island. Since returning, the Galway artist has found his stride in writing and recording new songs that are now ready for the world to hear.
Within ‘Wonder’ Corbett blends warm folk tones and cinematic tendencies with earnest lyrics to create a compelling new tune. The song travels on twinkling guitar and a pulsing beat exuding suspense throughout while Corbett’s warm vocals and lush harmonies croon the gripping lyrics, “hope you spin my head around. Round and round until it falls. Pick it up and it’s all yours“. The track is a joy to listen to as the artist eloquently captures a sense of longing through ethereal soundscapes while the folk foot-tapping rhythm grounds the track. Laced in catchy melodies wholesome musicianship and heartfelt lyrics ‘Wonder’ is a stunning new single from Brian Corbett.
Speaking of the single Brian Corbett said: “My new song feels like the perfect way to kick start something I’ve been working on for the last few years. The track touches on my teenage years and lacking the bravery to tell a close friend that I wanted to be more. I look back at that situation with huge regret and often wonder what would have happened had I just let a few words fall from my mouth.”
Stream ‘Wonder’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
