March A&R Department: WILDES, Youngiz, WineMom and more

WILDES and St. Francis Hotel – AKA Anglo-Irish singer Ella Walker and Dublin producer Declan Gaffney – join forces on a synthed up cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘State Trooper’.

“We put our stamp on the song by leaning into Springsteen’s initial inspiration from Suicide, and we ended up with an even darker, grittier, electronic version of this already atmospheric number,” Walker reflects. “It’s an important full stop on the EP, capturing the era we were inspired by and the great artists that have impacted us both as musicians.”

The extended-play in question, Kopfinko, also features three similarly satisfying originals…

Championed by Hot Press when she was still at school, Amano returns with ‘Burn’, her first solo single in ten years which draws inspiration from the likes of Villagers, Lisa Hannigan and Laura Marling.

Recorded in Wicklow’s Meadow Studio with Elise Mollé producing, it’s a peach of a song with lush strings, shimmering hammered dulcimer and vocals that will put goosepimples on your goosepimples.

The Kerry singer chooses her collaborators well with Irish artist Oreganillo supplying the ink paintings, which make the accompanying lyrics video a thing of beauty as well.

Very much on a roll, Amano has another new track, ‘The Birthing House’, out this month which showcases her folkier side – albeit with a Bad Seeds-y surprise towards the end…

Youngiz teams up with multi-platinum Swedish hitmaker von Haartman on ‘Shop Until We Drop’, a melodious slice of hip pop (sic).

As on previous hits ‘Naija Babe’, ‘War In The Club’ and ‘Irish Girl’ – he’s a lover, not a fighter – the rapper’s wordplay could not be more dextrous.

With one of his recent TikToks garnering almost 650,000 views, you wouldn’t bet against him blowing up virally like recent Hot Press cover star Jordan Adetunji…

Dublin Northsider Lara Fitzsimons evokes The Cranberries, Cocteau Twins and The Corrs in equal measure on ‘Smoking Room’, which casts a cynical eye over all things romantic.

“It’s almost like an anti-Valentine’s Day anthem for me,” she ventures. “I hope the listeners connect with the story and embrace making a holy show of themselves with me. That’s my goal!”…

Terry McNally, who possesses one of the finest sets of ears in Hot Press Towers, is v. excited about the new For Nina song, ‘Low’, and rightly so because it’s an alt. rock stunner that justifies the Wolf Alice and Yeah Yeah Yeahs comparisons the Dublin trio have been getting…

Cork post-punk quartet Bowden impress with ‘Be Your Own God’, a jerky guitar anthem with falsetto vocals and a “Hell is me” refrain which once implanted in your head will never go away.

Citing the likes of Big Star, Midlake and Pavement as influences, their debut Glacier album follows on May 9…

If it’s acoustic gorgeousness you’re after, look no further than ‘Seattle’, the new single from Kerry singer-songwriter Tanya O which was co-written with former Walking On Cars man Pa Sheehy.

It’s the latest in a string of quality releases – make sure to check out the R’nB-flecked ‘Let Your Fire Burn’ – which courtesy of Oliver Callan have garnered RTÉ Radio One airplay and kudos from this here monthly publication…

Hot Press Hot For 2025 picks WineMom live up to the billing with ‘Butterscotch Vibes’, a single whose “sulphurous guitar riffs and delicately layered vocals” have already elicited praise from our New Irish Songs To Hear This Week team.

We reckon it sounds a bit like The Last Dinner Party if they were invited – hint, hint Jeff Bezos – to do a Bond theme…

Galway composer, singer and pianist Lõwli serves up the haunting ‘Undone’, which has a bit of a Lisa Hannigan vibe and straddles the neo classical/pop divide…

Slightly Dishevelled live up to their name on ‘Lament’, a grungey/desert rock-y opus which sounds like the missing link between Kings Of Leon and Queens Of The Stone Age. Which is totally meant as a compliment.

Written in Dublin and recorded on Achill Island, it’s the flagship single from their similarly rough round the edges Dirty Dishes And The West Wing long-player…

Former Bitch Falcon guitarist Lizzie Fitzpatrick, synth-playing actor Aoife Heron, drummer Nicki Meehan and Australian bassist Lauren Heron of Merpire reknown join forces as Dose, a shoegaze-inclined outfit whose ‘Paralellogram’ single jingles and jangles in all the right places.

“The song is about being caught up in two relationships, emotionally pulled to both sides – stretching out and losing the shape of yourself,” Fitzpatrick reflects. “I suppose I related myself to a parallelogram – still able to keep a strong base but distorted at the sides.”