September A&R Department: The Fae, Gurriers, Tim Chadwick and more

A&R Dept. faves The Fae do their shoegazey slow/fast/slow/even faster thing on ‘So You Said’, which Manchester independent Scruff Of The Neck Records has released as part of their Singles Club.

“We’re frequently finding new music we love, particularly from our shows and tours, so we wanted to introduce something in between a full blown label deal and our gigs; and the singles club felt like the perfect way to shine a light on the best new bands in a more agile way,” proffers SOTN founder Mark Lippmann.

Having helped The Reytons score a UK no.1 album, you might want to hit them up at scruffoftheneck.com/submit.
Meanwhile, The Fae return to live duty next month as part of October 1-4’s Irish Music Week...

Gurriers slow things down (a bit!) on ‘Top Of The Bill’, a “distorted love story” lifted from the Dundalk quintet’s Come And See album which is out on September 13.

The track sounded fucking huge recently when Hot Press caught them opening for Kneecap at the Galway Arts Festival.

Gurriers had to work hard to win over the hip hop-inclined crowd but win them over they did with plenty of frenzied moshpit action towards the end…

If it’s groovy radio-friendly bangers you’re after, look no further than ‘Downgrade’, the latest from BIMM Dublin alumni Micah which is exciting the good folk at Spin 1038.

Exploring themes of self-respect, betrayal and empowerment – her ex- gets a serious tongue lashing – it’s the first taster from her debut Villains EP which follows in the autumn.

There’s a bit of an Andrea Corr vibe to the vocals, which you’ll be able to hear live on October 26 when Micah plays a launch show in Whelan’s.

It’s amazing how many quality young artists BIMM nurtures without them ever sounding samey…

Nia Keyo impresses with ‘Yeah’, a Chris Kabs-produced track about flirting, which is full of Afrobeat-y pop goodness.

“It’s about recognising the signs – the stolen glances, the light touches and the lingering conversations – that signal more than just casual interaction,” the Dundalk artist reflects…

From Kilkenny come The Hujas, an eclectic trio whose debut Something’s Broken album fuses together choice post-punk, goth, grunge and metal influences.

Catch them live on September 20 when they join Aoife Destruction and The Nilz as special guests to Kerbdog in the Set Theatre.

Cormac and the chaps will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their self-titled debut album by playing it in its emtrety…

The Gweedore-born, Belfast-residing hhH – possibly not his real name – nods at Half Man Half Biscuit and The Ting Tings on

‘We’re Going 2 Australia’, which was created using authorised samples of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s ‘Cyrus’ Theme’ chopped up on a vintage Nintendo Gamecube controller.

Also make sure to check out the accompanying daft as a brush video which is directed by Derry comedian Leann Toland.

Featuring a guest turn from fellow Donegal maverick ARN, it’s the flagship single from his Flex The Mexx album – ‘Mexx’ is an Ulster Scots term for cash – which features additional input from Róis, Brian Coney, Muckno, Rory Dee, Stevie Lennox and Nigel Hegarty…

Having already amassed over ten million streams and had nice things said about him by Graham Norton and Billboard, queer alt-popper Tim Chadwick has released his debut Pulverise album which nods to the likes of Ryan Beatty, Troye Sivan and Lizzy McAlpine.

Blessed with a gorgeous falsetto and knack for penning memorable choruses, the Galway-based artist has spent quality studio time with producers and mixers who’ve previously worked with Frank Ocean, Sam Smith, Paramore, Justin Timberlake and Shawn Mendes.

That could explain why Aer Lingus, Brown Thomas and Made In Chelsea have all sync-ed Chadwick’s music…

Fronted by Dubliner Matthew Sutton, industrial noise pop trio TAYNE have signed to MNRK, the massive American independent formerly known as Koch Records, and released the seriously kickass ‘Coherent’.

Equal parts Nine Inch Nails, Lady Gags and your favourite vomiting Scandi death metal band, theirs is a scabrous noise albeit underpinned with surprisingly sweet melodies and guest vocals from Cage Fight’s Rachel Aspe.