New Irish Songs To Hear This Week

Kez ft. Alex Gough, ‘The Follower’

Rising Irish artist Kez has released her latest single 'The Follower’, accompanied by hip-hop artist Alex Gough. Set against a backdrop of minimalist trip-hop beats, touching violins and expressive piano lines, Kez’s stirring vocal lines and Gough’s nebulous lyrics blend together to create an incredibly gripping track.

Kez comments: “I’ve never met Alex face-to-face and I’ve actually never even spoken to him. We worked on the song remotely through Instagram messages and, in a way, that kind of echoes the sentiment of the song.

“‘The Follower’ looks at the wreckage we leave behind in relationships and how the deep, messy intimacy of real-life relationships gets translated into this weird voyeurism online. Creeping on photos of your ex, reading into their lives, stalking their new partners. There’s a certain beauty to social media — this song grew wings through an Instagram chat — but there’s a darkness to it as well — it’s like this big, beautiful, curated illusion.”

Kez

Conor Furlong, ‘Gonna Be OK’

The first release from his upcoming sixth album A Richard Linklater Film, Conor Furlong’s new single ‘Gonna Be OK’ is a fierce yet incredibly hopeful track about being let down in the most devastating of ways - and responding with defiance. With effervescent electric guitar arpeggios accompanying heavily reverbed, ethereal vocals lines, the song is both incisive and bursting with optimism.

Speaking of his upcoming record, Furlong says: “Musically, this album was inspired by two main elements. Firstly, I was listening to a lot of The Beatles’ early work and I was struck by the efficiency of their songwriting and how much they managed to pack into songs that were often only around two minutes long. The goal of writing and arranging songs in which every second is justified was definitely at the forefront of my mind.

“The second musical inspiration was that I was listening to a playlist of 90s music that I had created and I wanted to try and make an album that was a little bit like a playlist, in which every track is killer and essential and could be a single.”

Conor Furlong

Orla Gartland, ‘Late To The Party’ feat. Declan McKenna

The first song of Dublin indie songstress Oral Gartland to feature another artist, ‘Late To The Party’ is a bass driven banger. Featuring Declan McKenna as well as Gartland’s whisper soft vocals, ‘Late to The Party’ is an angsty paranoia driven indie rock tune. Fans of Franz Ferdinand will lap up the song’s intoxicating guitarline, and the exquisite drop- another songwriting first for Gartland. Speaking on the tune, Gartland says: “Late To The Party’ is a big old bratty song about resenting the baggage that you inherit when you love someone and yearning for a time when we were all a blank slate”.

Bambie Thug, ‘Hex So Heavy’

Ireland’s 2024 Eurovision entrant Bambie Thug had an explosive start to the year with their genre bending entry ‘Doomsday Blue’. The unabashed verifiable star is back, better and bolder than ever with their latest single ‘Hex So Heavy’. Another genre traversing hyperpop concoction, Bambie has once again invited us into their delicious and dark world. Complete with stunning theatrical visuals (you’d expect  nothing less from Bambie Thug), there’s plenty of rap, pop, paganism and fantasy- truly something for everyone. Make sure to check out the music video while you are at it. 

Julie Dawson, ‘Bottom Of The Pool’

NewDad’s Julie Dawson has released the titular track of her upcoming debut solo LP Bottom of the Pool. The single ‘Bottom Of The Pool’ is infused with NewDad’s effortless cool but it also has a funky lofi undertone that’s exotic to the Galway band’s dream popoutput.  A poetic tale of escape, longing, and the desire for balance: "I want to look at the stars from the bottom of the pool” Dawson sings ”I don't want to feel nothing, but I don't want to feel everything… I don't want to be big or little, so I'll go somewhere in the middle”. This experimental side project sees Dawson team up with Jack Hamill’s languid and hypnotic production, resulting in a dreamlike and world weary single. 

Julie Dawson Credit: Holly Whitaker

Podge Lane ‘My House’

Eclectic rocker Podge Lane arrives with another impressive alt-country opus, with his third full length album Multiple Dead Ends arriving today. ‘My House’ proves a fine taster for the record, via its twangy guitars and the artists trademark storytelling charm.

“I always planned to tell my first two album stories the way I did, my past and my present, and to end the trilogy with this one, my future,” Lane shares. “As someone who used to go into my parents room at 5 or 6 because I was afraid of turning 40, the future can be scary. So I tried to detail my feelings of this fear of ageing through a winding narrative that never really ends, cause I guess there is no end."

Podge Lane, Photo: Press

Cian Ducrot ‘Can’t Even Hate You’

Cork heartstring puller Cian Ducrot’s latest tasty little number is typical of what we’ve come to expect from songwriter, with his mountain-moving voice soaring over this delicate, string-swathed piano ballad. The track heaves lyrically too, discussing the mixed bag of bittersweet emotions that come after a breakup with his usual candour and poise, elegantly capturing  the struggle of trying to move on while still feeling tied to someone who was once so important.

Cian Ducrot at Virgin Media. Copyright Trevor McGrath.

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Pat Lagoon x RikShaw, ‘Posture’

A single that has been described as “For fans of YG & ScHoolboy Q”, Pat Lagoon and RikShaw’s latest release ‘Posture’ sees the duo collaborate once again. ‘Posture’ was born out of the duo wanting to celebrate their joint EP Recess which was released in 2018. Featuring Lagoon’s strong background in trap, and RikShaw’s mellow beats, ‘Posture’ is a perfect sonic marriage. What’s more, the single’s release coincides with 51 years since the birth of hip hop, an apt celebration. 

Pat Lagoon

Daire Patel, ‘Everything You Say’

With haunting vocals, and acoustic guitar- Daire Patel has kicked off the weekend with the stunning ‘Everything You Say’. A track that’s both morose and dreamy, ‘Everything You Say’ is the musical lovechild of Bon Iver and The Goo Goo Dolls, but it’s also imbued with Patel’s own spoken word. The spoken word/rap elements of the acoustic track elevate ‘Everything You Say’ from your typical indie guitar single, and make it Patel’s own. The Dublin based artist has truly bared his soul with this one. 

Daire Patel by Ayesha Ahmad.

John Spillane, ‘Réamhcheol/Overture’

On Friday September 13, John Spillane will share his most artistically ambitious work to date: Fíoruisce - The Legend of the Lough. Until then, we have the scintillating morsel of ‘Réamhcheol/Overture. Featuring Niamh Farrell and Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin on vocals, the single is nothing short of otherworldly. Opening what will be a three part folk Opera, Fíoruisce - The Legend of the Lough,  the work is an imagined re-Gaelicisation of the Victorian Cork fairytale Fior-usga. The story is a surreal tale culminating in a drowned kingdom, which as lore tells us, becomes The Lough in Cork city as we know it today. 

Really Good Time, ‘Pension Fund’

Dublin scuzz rockers Really Good Time have unleashed a blistering new single. Hot on the heels of their Beware, The Wish EP in March, ‘Pension Fund’ is a raucous offering of bluesy hard rock.

With fiery riffage and cheeky lyrics, the track is a high-octane, thrill-pushing auricular that snarls with biting vocals and a fevered rhythm section. It’s Really Good Time travelling at breakneck speed, toeing the line between pummelling and melodic, contemplative and anthemic, deftly capturing the ecstatic release found in a sweat-beaten crowd moving between a menacing wall of sound.

Kingfishr, ‘I Cried, I Wept’

Irish indie-folksters Kingfishr have today released their vibrant new single ‘I Cried, I Wept’. The latest release shows a new side to the band: the track was born out of rousing, guitar-led melodies.

‘I Cried, I Wept’ is a punchy, energetic gem that see’s Kingfishr add a lively indie anthem to their rapidly growing and impressive back catalogue.

“It represents the feeling of burying some piece of yourself in order for the rest of you to live on, and then wondering if that sacrifice will actually make a difference. If it doesn’t, then where are you?”

Kingfishr

Susan O’Neill, ‘Rewire’

Clare singer-songwriter Susan O’Neill has unveiled another single from her upcoming album Now In A Minute, which arrives on 20th September via Star House collective.

‘Rewire’ is a stand-out track that is full of gravity and beauty, suspended by texture and plugged-in musings. The soundscape is a radiant like sunlight refracted on water, tender like butter left out on the counter. O’Neill’s raspy vocals cut through the fuzz and reverb like a knife. With her latest release, O’Neill continues to build anticipation for Now In A Minute, which promises to be a wondrous showcase of O’Neill’s bubbling creative prowess.

Susan O'Neill at the Irish Music Month launch at Áras an Uachtaráin. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

banríon, 17 egg

Dublin indie-rock export banríon are back with an offering of acoustic brilliance. ‘17 egg’ boasts the warm sound of psych-folk melancholy sparsely appointed and loosely fleshed out.

The subdued piano tricklings and threadbare percussion evoke the acoustic salad days of Bon Iver or Adrianne Lenker’s first solo record, but at the heart of ‘17 egg’ is the achingly alkaline vocal performance from lead singer Róisín. By turns feathery and mesmeric, ‘17 egg marks another sublime release from banríon.

banrion. Credit: Anna Heisterkamp.

Dunx, ‘Heaven In All Forms’

Synth ribbons and exospheric guitars entwine the latest single from Irish-Australian songsmith Dunx. ‘Heaven In All Forms’ marks the first release from the artist’s forthcoming EP.

Dunx fills this pocket of desert-rock resplendence with slick-as-glass vocals, atmospheric instrumentation and a crystalline sense of place. Much like the title itself, this song boasts a gauze-like heaven in all forms.

"Heaven in All Forms is a song about nothing and everything at the same time, an intersection of science and spirituality,” Dunx offers. “Fusing elements of big beat, shoegaze and grunge it weaves a hypnotic scene. Hope you’re keen.”

Dunx, Photo Credit: Ross Stewart

Vera, ‘Leave Me Alone’

Northern Irish rockers Vera are back with ‘Leave Me Alone’, a blistering anthem of empowerment. The new single follows on from their previous offerings ‘No Help From You’ and ‘Reasons’.

With ‘Leave Me Alone’, Vera continue to cement themselves as a band well worth the hype they receive, poised to become one of the premier rock bands on the scene.

“‘Leave Me Alone’ is a ferocious response to the overburden of messages received from someone you have absolutely no interest in,” the band says. “With relentless synth arpeggiators, thunderous drums and growling melodic bass, the song holds a mirror to the chaos and disorder in our heads when an exasperating individual just won’t stay away…but actually, maybe we’re the real problem.”

Vera, Photo Credit: Sarah Ellis

Ryan McMullan, ‘Us’

Singer-songwriter Ryan McMullan has unveiled a new single ahead for his forthcoming debut album Redesign, which lands on 1 November.

‘Us’ is a deftly-penned anthem that showcases McMullan’s dynamic blend of soul-stirring vocals, heart-rending lyrics and feisty instrumentation. The track starts out modestly with lo-fi vocals before exploding out of the gate at breakneck speed, keeping the listener entranced with its infectious melody that is sure to leave you humming for the next few weeks.

Ryan McMullan at Stendhal Festival August 2021

Ciaran Lavery & Liz Lawrence, ‘Ctrl Alt Del’

Acclaimed maker of melodies Ciaran Lavery today announces his fifth studio album Light Entertainment, out 15 November, with lead single ‘Ctrl Alt Del, featuring Liz Lawrence.

Telling a tale of woe, the track explores a cycle of abuse concerning abstract things, and how sentience does little to end it, Ciaran says: “This is a song of desperation”, Lavery says. “There is a real self-awareness of how history is repeating itself, and how those responsible for the greater decisions are sending the common people into a whirlpool. It is also a song that deals with the self-awareness that self-awareness is not enough, and how heady it can be to carry this around without any ability to change things. It is an acknowledgement that those above us would rather they could reset us, or we reset ourselves, to make all of this less painful, hence ‘Ctrl, Alt, Del.’”

Ciaran Lavery. Credit: Wolf James

Listen to our New Irish Songs To Hear This Week playlist on Spotify below!