July A&R Department: Big Sleep, Holly Munro, The Psychs and more

A big Hot Press favourite back in our Trinity Street days, Kerry singer Amano returns to the fray with THREAD, a collaborative EP with Cork producer Kalabanx.

Trailed by the gorgeous ‘SOUTHWIND’, it weaves together electronica, trip hop, sean-nós, drum ‘n’ bass and good old-fashioned pop.

Add in an Iarla O Lionáird sample and guest turns from Liam Ó Maonlaí, Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Súil Amháin and it’s a feast for the senses…

Marie-Thérése follows up her Iggy Pop-approved ‘Luna’ and ‘Saint Mary’ tracks with a suitably steamy cover of Prince’s ‘Strange Relationship’.

Mr. Osterberg isn’t the only high-profile admirer with Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga manager, Bob Leone, saying that, “She’s doing something really unique musically. I love her voice, her lyrics, her melodies and the production. I hear Lou Reed and Bob Dylan influences.”

Echoing those sentiments, legendary producer Tony Visconti proffers that the Dubliner “is an exceptional writer, her music is so exciting.”

It feels like something big is brewing…

Marie-Thérèse

Drogheda pop-punk trio Rowdy Outsider step it up a gear with Different Heart To Break, a six-track EP that’s pitched halfway between Blink-182 and Busted with all the commercial possibilities that entails.

As well as bagging themselves a Hot Press Track of the Day, they’ve featured on BBC Radio 1’s Future Alternatives and made it on to Spotify’s New Music Friday and A Breath Of Fresh Éire playlists, which usually results in record and publishing company interest…

Hot on the heels of Forbidden Fruit and Sea Sessions appearances, Big Sleep get in the summer groove with ‘Daisy’, which reminds us of The Republic Of Loose’s equally funky ‘Comeback Girl’.

“We wrote ‘Daisy’ a few weeks after we supported this great band from New York called Geese in Dublin, so they were an influence,” the band reflect. “We reckon there’s a bit of Talking Heads and The Strokes in there too.”

You can also catch the Italian-Irish quartet at All Together Now, Electric Picnic and the Dublin Button Factory (October 11)…

As well as being a member of CMAT’s live entourage, Colm Conlan, AKA Púca, has just released ‘And I Gleam Along A Knife Edge’, a deliciously dark slice of electropop which strays into John Grant territory…

Púca

A standout at last year’s Ireland Music Week, Holly Munro “delves into the complex dynamics of relationships, self-discovery, and sexuality” on her Crescendo Ending EP, which has a young indie Joni Mitchell vibe.

It was recorded in Wool Hall, the Somerset studio formerly owned by Tears For Fears, with Jason Mraz, Phosphorescent, One Direction and Alfie Taylor-Hudson man Luke Potashnick

The Dublin singer will be hoping that it receives as much Radio X, BBC 6Music and Spotify love as her Up Against Your Nature debut did last year…

Alt. pop duo PostLast gift us ‘Scavenge’, a song that swoops and soars… and then swoops and soars some more with Mazzy Star, Slowdive and Bach House among the reference points.

Having previously plied their respective trades with Havvk and BARQ, Julie Hough and Stephen McHale have spent the last year writing and recording in secret.

The subterfuge has been worth it with 2fm, Ocean FM, KEXP Seattle and, natch, Hot Press among their early adopters…

Bradley Marshall opens his EMI account with ‘Terrified’, an emotional rollercoaster ride of a song that Dermot Kennedy, Cian Ducrot and Gavin James fans will lap up.

While not reinventing the pop wheel, the Tallaght native has a knack for writing memorable choruses and has amassed over ten million Spotify plays since covering Luther Vandross and Bruno Mars classics as a teenager…

Bradley Marshall.

Kildare rockers The Psychs make it onto the coveted RTÉ Radio 1 Recommends list with ‘So Real, So Surreal’, which suggests they’ve a few Sisters Of Mercy and The Cult albums in their collective record collection.

Every bit as entrancing, energetic, soul shredding, foot stomping and head banging as they claim it to be, the track was mastered in Abbey Road and will doubtless get a live airing in September when they open for Big Country on their Irish tour…

BIMM graduate Nadia Desree nails it with ‘Falling’, an euphoric pop song released last month to coincide with Dublin Pride.

Built around an infectious power loop, it’s single #2 from the Dubliner who’s supported the likes of Aslan and Damien Dempsey and graced the Electric Picnic bill…

Nadia Desree.