- Music
- 09 May 25
Brilliantly eclectic debut from Waterford star. 8/10
You feel that Maybe It’s Fine is dropping exactly at the right time for Moncrieff, following, as it does, hot on the heels of the 2023 EP Highways & Hurricanes and last year’s Selfcare mixtape.
When you also consider the man was mobbed by thousands of fans in Waterford City’s Apple Market – when he performed a pop-up gig around the filming of the video for ‘Hard Feelings’ – Moncrieff momentum is definitely at peak.
For good measure, that clip is a promo like no other, featuring the Tramore native bringing the liquid funk to Phil Grimes’ boozer, and pucking a sliotar with some of Déise’s finest hurlers.
Moncrieff fever may have been kickstarted by celebrity fan Elton John spinning ‘Warm’ on his radio show in 2022 - a track which subsequently won the prestigious RTÉ Choice Music Prize for Irish Song of the Year. But the man his Mama calls Chris Breheny is no overnight success.
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Rather, he’s been ploughing the territory for over a decade, racking up over 50 million Spotify streams in the process, which is no mean feat. Possessing an immaculate set of pipes and a chameleon-like ability to flit through genres, Maybe It’s Fine more than matches the hype.
Opener ‘Somebody’s Baby’ sets out the stall early – this is going to be a swashbuckling record. Moncrieff nicely layers the song, from just lonesome vocal and vamping piano to a full orchestral arrangement, complete with soaring gospel choir. Sonic bedfellow ‘Float’ more than matches the gospel pomp, with an added sprinkle of neo-soul.
Gears shift slightly on ‘Something To You’ – a modern R&B banger that treads the hit factory territory of Grammy darling Leon Bridges. Elsewhere, ‘Shangri La’ is a delicious slice of Italo disco-pop, while ‘Dashboard Confession’ ushers the record in a tasty indie-acoustic direction.
There is so much to savour here. Maybe It's Fine is a stunning opening salvo from a hugely gifted artist.
Out now