Hey Rusty is the songwriting project of Limerick musician John Ahern. A combination of jangling 12 String guitar riffs and ear-worm vocal melodies, Hey Rusty is an exercise in presenting earnest, thoughtfully crafted songs with a stripped back, lo-fi aesthetic, reminiscent of 90s acts such as Elliott Smith and Bright Eyes.

More recently, Hey Rusty’s sound has progressed to include elements of 1960s Wall of Sound pop and influences from contemporary retro-pop acts such as Camera Obscura, Richard Hawley and the Divine Comedy.

This  sound is evident in his Double A Side, which was produced by Mícheál Keating of Bleeding Heart Pigeons in his studio in West Limerick and features local legend Post Punk Podge on strings.

With its tremolo guitars and “Be My Baby" Drums, All Night Daylight is a complete tribute to 60s chamber pop, while still retaining elements of Hey Rusty’s acoustic based indie sound.

Since We Were Strangers follows in a similar vein, but with more of a country influence and just a hit of danceable kraut-ish drums. Both songs are love songs, sort of. All Night Daylight deals in melodramatic forlorn angst, whereas the narrator in Since We Were Strangers is grappling more with the emotional plateau of a long-term relationship.

The music video for “All Night Daylight”, directed by Graham Patterson, premiered last week. It is as send-up of RTE’s 1960s priest-presented documentary show ‘Radharc’ and 60s music shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and Ready Steady Go. Watch it below.

You can listen to Hey Rusty's new double A Side on bandcamp or on Spotify. #BuyIrishMusic