PREMIERE: Sky Atlas debut moody new banger 'Old Bones'

Rising Irish band Sky Atlas are back with a brand new single tomorrow, with Hot Press offering fans to hear a first play of 'Old Bones' below.

Encompassing sounds of folk, jazz, rock, shoegaze and more alternative, heavier genres; the Dublin-formed outfit have progressed their usual terrain for a brooding tune.

Opening with swirling, guitar fuzz and warm strings, the track builds to an intense drum beat before frontman Lughaidh Armstrong-Mayock delivers strong vocals.

"Love don't let me down / Pull over those sheets and cull the sound / Now every breath a chant to you and your graces with every feeling tainted with your traces...Let these old bones hang / This loneliness is killing me / The fear it grips and I can hardly see," he declares before frenetic guitar melodies join forces for a wall of noise and fast-paced percussion, drilling the point of isolation home.

Focusing on themes of loss and euphoria, the energised 'Old Bones' marks a distinct new creative direction for the band, brimming with new life and spirit. Check it out below.

The track features a mix of vibrant synth and vocal pads, gritty bowed bass, intricate drum patterns and driving guitar parts. Mingling lush vastness in the chorus with the more stark drum and vocal dynamic of the verses, the production prowess impressively showcases the finesse of their style.

The band, who studied and formed at BIMM in Dublin, also includes multi-instrumentalist Louis Younge, drummer Ryan McClelland, and bassist Danilo Ward. Sky Atlas have come a long way since graduating from the music college two years ago, releasing their debut EP Stone in November that same year and performing a string of sell out shows around the country. Last November saw Sky Atlas release a video for their only single that year, 'Hollow Embrace'.

Since their formation five years ago, Sky Atlas' tunes are cinematic in scope, determinedly pensive and often quite delicate in execution. The band draws influence from acts such as Radiohead, Just Mustard, Jeff Buckley, Alabama Shakes, Jack White, Nick Cave, David Byrne, Paul Simon, Nick Drake, Fiona Apple and Half Moon Run, there is an expanse and freshness to their sound that refuses to be defined.

Previously described by Hot Press as being "surely on their way to becoming the next big thing on the Irish music scene", the quartet are excited to keep growing and to take their music to new heights as they work towards their debut album. Following an outstanding performance at Ireland Music Week 2022, the band completed their first national tour - packing out 10 dates around the country from Dingle to Derry.

Sky Atlas have an exciting year ahead as they commence on their first international tour spanning the UK and Germany. This week sees them perform in Berlin (twice) and Munich.

Listen to 2021's Stone EP below.