The Burnside brothers – Joshua and Connor – have started a new trad project called /////// (or Seacht Líne). Their stunning debut single, 'Hawk On The Cliff' is out today.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, both of the brothers began learning new instruments, eager to keep creative during their respective lockdowns, Joshua in Belfast and Connor in London.

“I started learning the fiddle during the lockdown, and it was a great distraction for a while," explains Joshua. "But I knew that if I didn’t use it in a creative project then I probably wouldn’t keep it up. The whole idea of /////// was really just to have a bit of craic – the band name started off as a bit of wind up, and then it stuck. Even the idea of something being ‘post-trad’ is a little bit ridiculous.’’

Joshua recently released his own 'post-trad' (sorry, Josh!) masterpiece, a strong contender for album of the year which Hot Press gave 9/10 stars and called "a lyrical masterclass, and an essential entry into the catalogue of Celtic rock."

'Hawk On The Cliff' comes with news of a full four-track EP, to be released in 2021.

“I would come up with a melody on the fiddle and send it over to Connor in London," Joshua continues, describing the process of recording at a distance, "and he would come up with a beat and record that, and then this would go back and forth until the tracks started making sense. Although there are few words on the EP, we wanted themes like family, nostalgia and home to be a core element of the music, hence the old family photos we’ve used for each track."

Considering live music is still on the back-burner due to the ever-present spectre of the pandemic, I will happily take anything that encapsulates the warmth of a pub, complete with pints and trad sessions.

Listen to the track below. As it's the final Bandcamp Friday, please also consider supporting independent Irish artists like Joshua and Connor by purchasing the track.