The A&R Department: Cosha, Just Mustard and more

Cosha limbers up for the July 2 release of her debut Mt. Pleasant album with the pulsating ‘Run The Track’, which was recorded in LA with Frank Ocean and Clairo man Rostam.

Real name Cassia O’Reilly, she formerly operated as Bonsai and has already been championed by BBC Radio 1,
Stereogum, Resident Advisor, Vogue, i-D and The Guardian whose “gaspingly sexy R&B” description is spot on.
Born in Indiana, raised between Wicklow and Dublin and now based in London, she’s worked with the likes of Nile Rodgers, Mura Masa and Vic Mensa and penned Charlie XCX and MØ’s 2017 banger, ‘Porsche’. Coordinating what looks like an imminent chart breakthrough are Native Mgmt who also look after the aforementioned Mura Masa, Nao, Tirzah, Jadu Heart and Saint Saviour.

Making a very different sort of noise but also turning industry heads are Enola Gay who contrary to the name are not young electro poppers in thrall to OMD.

The Belfast four-piece instead make a big noise not dissimilar to IDLES or Fontaines D.C. on their ‘Sofa Surfing’ single, which has already been championed by BBC Radio 1 tastemaker Jack Saunders who credits them with “pushing the boundaries, breaking the mould” and the NME who describe them, quite rightly as “vicious”.
You’ll be able to run the rule over them in November when they play Listowel, Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Derry and Dublin.

Just Mustard have signed to Partisan Records, the Brooklyn/London-based label that the aforementioned IDLES, Fontaines D.C., Fela Kuti and Laura Marling also call home.

As well as prepping their second album, the Dundalk quintet have released a full-length concert film, Live Dreams, shot in the An Táin Arts Centre by Collective Films.

There’s also an Irish and UK tour to look forward to with a Dublin Grand Social stop-off on October 28.
Signing on the dotted line too are Cork three-piece Rowan whose Everybody Talks EP has been picked up by Beverly Martel, an LA independent run by legendary English producer Sandy Robinson who worked way back in the mists of time with Gay and Terry Woods.

His latest charges have more of an indie jangle to them, and have just released the title-track from their Everybody Talks EP, which follows on July 23.

A&R Dept. faves Nerves used the breaks between lockdowns to go into Dublin’s Sonic Studio last August with Girl Band’s Daniel Fox.

One of the songs the west of Ireland guitar shredders knocked into shape with him, ‘Leigue’, is out now and sounding not unlike a fist fight between My Bloody Valentine and Big Black with Kevin Shields’ mob the winners by the narrowest of margins..

With Ash, Maxïmo Park and ISLANDS PR company Prescription working it for them in the UK and Gilded ALM taking care of column inchage here, the band seem to have all their musical ducks in a row.

Making Spotify waves with his debut self-titled solo album is backinhumanform, the Mayo Artist Also Known As Joe Clarke who’s now residing in the London borough of Bow.

Formerly lead singer with Manchester band Adventures Of Salvador, he’s been variously compared to Beck, Midlake, Mazzy Star, John Cale and (by us) the Beta Band in their more chilled moments, and in ‘Auld Lang Xiety’ has a song that would sit very comfortably with all the other quality Irish music RTÉ Radio One is playing these days.

Derry indie popper Reevah looks to build on her previous Spotify playlist picks with the release of ‘daydreamer’, a woozily gorgeous tune that has lead to favourable Lana Del Rey comparisons.

Longlisted in 2000 for a Glastonbury Emerging Talent slot, she’s been supported along the way by Help Musicians UK, Arts Council Northern Ireland and the PRS Women Make Music Fund.

Catch her live on July 9 at the Stendhal Festival in Limavady and on October 21 in the Dublin Workman’s. Because of reduced Covid capacity, the former is also running a second weekend blowout from August 12-14.

Another master of mood, majesty, melodrama and other words beginning with ‘m’ is FYA Fox whose new ‘Sunset’ single is a real everything including the kitchen-sink affair – but in a good way!

Managed by David Reid who’s also been guiding Robert Grace’s soaraway career, the Monaghan singer will be looking to build on the support her previous offerings, ‘Body’ and ‘Black & White Lies’ received from 2fm, Today FM, BBC Radio Ulster, Record Of The Day, Co-op Edit and, of course, our good selves with FYA’s recent Y&E Session available for hotpress.com catch-up.

Anonymous Dublin duo Gorgeous Wrecks are hoping for a speedy vaccination rollout so they can tour their Gentle Art Of Persuasion debut, which is out in September.

Produced and mixed by U2, The Cure, Kasabian and Martha Wainwright man Ger McDonnell, the latest ‘Strong Suit’ taster suggests an off-kilter Coldplay, which has obvious commercial possibilities.

They’re no slouches in the video making department either with their Frank (The Man With The Orange Head) mascot reminding us of that other famous oddball Frank, Mr. Sidebottom.

Also getting the retina-pleasing promo vid it deserves is ‘Sick’, the third single to be lifted from Maeve’s debut Caravaggio In A Corner Store EP, which is out on June 17.

“We’ve made a broken masterpiece in an unstable world,” says the Irish-Cayman Islands singer who also answers to the name of Arianna Broderick. “We’re messy, we’re sick, we’re in love and we don’t give a fuck.”

Inspired by Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic (look her up) and sounding not dissimilar to Martina Topley-Bird when she used to hang out with Tricky, it explains why she’s been getting serious tastemaker support – Clash, Flaunt, BBC Radio 1 – in the UK.

The independent Cork imprint co-founded by The Frank & Walters’ Ashley Keating, FIFA Records, have signed ‘90s Irish indie supergroup Klubber Lang whose ranks include Revelino’s Ciaran Tallon, ex-(sic) bassist Ciaran McGoldrick, former Mexican Pet drummer Fin O’Leary and Joe Elliott’s right-hand studio man Ronan McHugh.

In addition to trace elements of all their former bands, new single ‘There, There’ also had us scribbling “Mark E. Smith on one of his speed benders” and “Hawkwind-y space rock synths” in our notes. An intoxicating brew for sure!

Having raved over 16-year-old Ollie West in the last Hot Press, we’re delighted to give a double A&R Dept. thumbs up to Mayo singer-songwriter Michael Moloney whose debut Universal Music Ireland single, ‘All That I Do’, lands before his fifteenth birthday.

Recorded again in Windmill Lane with Niall Horan and Van Morrison man Gavin Murphy overseeing proceedings, it’s about his father who tragically passed away in 2017.

Sadly he wasn’t around to see his son nail Dermot Kennedy’s ‘Giants’ on the last Late Late Toy Show, and appear totally unfazed when Mr. K joined him unannounced for the megahit’s climax.

From Limerick comes ‘Taxi Driver’, the zero punches pulled new single from Hazey Haze who’s joined in the booth by Krome and Don Chi.

On Bandcamp and social media too, it’s further affirmation – if any were needed – of how much hip hop talent there is down by the Shannon.

Limrock also has more than its fair share of talented singer-songwriters with Seán O’Meara impressing with his brooding new single, ‘Gold’.

Blurring the lines between folk and pop, Seán started taking this music lark seriously when he won an All Ireland Fleadh in 2012 and then went on to become the first person to ever play ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ in Belfast City Hall.

Having survived to tell the tale, he toured with the likes of Máirtín O’Connor, David Gray and Ralph McTell and has more recently performed alongside Hot Press cover star Denise Chaila on a number of occasions.
Carrie Baxter enlists the help of actor Craig Charles’ son Jack Tyson on her new Motown-y soul banger, ‘I Wasn’t Looking For You’.

A personal trainer by day, the Waterford-reared, London-based singer has also featured on many a dance anthem and sounds ripe for signing.

BIMM Dublin’s remarkable production line continues with Sky Atlas whose new ‘Stone’ single is a powerhouse ballad that Chris Martin & Co. (again) would be proud of.

They’re no mere copycats though with Louis Younge’s violin adding an orchestral feel, and Deftones-loving drummer Ryan McClelland taking it into heavier territory.

Vocal duties fall to the excellently named Lughaidh Armstrong-Mayock who’s also part of David Keenan’s touring band.

Previously a founder member of Dublin indie rockers Spies and a contributor to Tandem Felix and Royal Yellow, Neil Dexter evokes Arthur Lee, U2’s ‘Zoo Station’ and William Orbit – we totally get his own ‘Ray Of Light’ comparison – on the euphoric ‘Loving You’.

His debut solo single, it should like everything else in this month’s A&R Dept. be lavished with Irish radio love.