New Irish Songs To Hear This Week

Lisa O'Neill, 'Goodnight World'

The Cavan singer-songwriter penned this stunning track for the play, The Boy Who Talked To Dogs; originally performing it as a preview on the Tommy Tiernan Show three weeks ago. Following previous single 'Old Note', the musician's beautiful lullaby-like song will appear on O'Neill's forthcoming album All Of This Chance, due to be released on February 10th 2023 next year on Rough Trade Records. "Settle your head, pet / Send your bones to sleep / Every moment that we rest / Bring's a moment's peace," she croons. "You'll not be missing nothin' / the sunshine's sleeping too." It offers words of comfort with simple guitar strumming, sending a loved one into a deep slumber with her gorgeously unique voice.

Ezra Williams, 'Darling I Do'

The Greystones native has covered Landon Pigg and Lucy Schwartz's song 'Darling I Do', after they heard the song while watching Shrek Forever After in the waiting room of a hospital. The single originally landed in 2010, and sees Pigg and Schwartz compliment each other's voices in the duet. "Golden leaves looked brown to me / The world had less colour without you / Shapes in the sky looked plain to my eyes / The world had less color without you," the loving number opens. Bedroom pop/indie musician Ezra Williams puts their own spin on the song, using minimal instrumentation, soft piano chords and layered vocals for a festive offering.

Ezra Williams supporting Malaki at The Academy- November 4th, 2022. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Autopilot, 'Come Around'

The Dublin pop-rock outfit recently dropped their debut single 'Always', and 'Autopilot' is a fine follow up. Tadhg Collins and Cormac Power began playing music together in 2017, and after a break of a few years, are now recording and releasing music under the name Autopilot. Their new energetic, addictive call to action track has the best features of '80s and '90s indie rock elements, with a contemporary pop spin. Layered vocals and catchy riffs make it radio-ready, with the band impressively self-producing their material. "Show me something good you wanna lose / like a fire burning out, you can't stay true," it opens, soft, faraway vocals over acoustic guitar.

Emmeline Gracie, 'Canada'

One of the most beautiful opening lines we've heard in a while: "I have built a home lately, at the bottom of my heart / you say you've found the patience lately to forget the things we're not," the West German-raised pop/indie-folk singer-songwriter starts. Dublin-based Emmeline Gracie creates a delicate environment that allows the space for her hauntingly stunning voice to shine through, crystal clear. Adding subtle pop electronica production to warm, acoustic details; captivating new single 'Canada' tells a coming-of-age story inspired by her life at Lake Michigan, WI. Think Birdy's love-and-loss themes paired with Dominican-Italian roots.

AikJ, 'Eclipse'

Following 'Lavish' and 'Close To Me', the R&B/pop sensation is back with a soulful new single. Born in Nigeria and raised in Dublin, the singer/songwriter brings together influences from both music industries. 'Eclipse' dives headfirst into a story revolving around lust, love and all the trials and confusions it can bring. With slick electronic production, AikJ's vocals are as smooth as ever. 2019 brought his four-track 1992 EP, followed by Phase this year and Phase II. He's a hugely underrated talent, that's for sure.

AikJ.

CABL, 'Stranded at the Airport'

The Irish shoegaze/noise rockers return with their second offering, after 2022's 'What a Pop Song Sounds Like'. The follow up is a slow burner, showing off blistering lyrics and brooding guitar fuzz. The track aims to delineate the frustrations we experience in relationships and friendships, with a dreamy ambience to boot. Lead vocalist, bassist and songwriter, Ava Durran, states “Sometimes following your gut winds you up in the pissing rain, but the rain will always wash you clean in the end." The structure is centred around a sporadic glitch loop, with rhythmic synths and sparse ambient guitars bouncing back and forth off of each other. They, cleverly, enlisted Chris Ryan (NewDad, Robocobra Quartet) as producer.

Sundown, 'Graveyard'

Only their second song of 2022 after 'Blue Jay', 'Graveyard' is hugely compelling sonically. Infusing indie-rock with folk and even bluesy Americana elements, the guitar rhythms are a lot of fun. It marks the first release from their upcoming EP, Get Home Soon. The Dublin quartet decided to team up with longtime collaborator James Smith (Formerly of Gypsies On The Autobahn) for production. The EP was recorded in Hellfire Studios Dublin, after Sundown found inspiration in the house rented by the band for a writing trip beside a graveyard.

James Smith had this to say: “Graveyard, the first single from their EP, always felt like the standout song. Fionn’s vocals and lyrics have always been something which drew me to this band. The rest of the guys do a great job of letting that be the focus and playing together, you can really feel the bond the band has”.

Darren Kiely, 'Ella'

With only 'How Could You Love Me' as a separate release, New York-based Irishman Kiely is brimming with potential and a muscular voice. Sounding like an Irish Tom Grennan and a brother to Dermot Kennedy (hopefully he doesn't wince at that comparison...), 'Ella' has a unique sound nonetheless. 'Ella' has sparse but strong guitar riffs, adding bells and percussion to fill out the textures as he tells the story. "The only lesson she has learned is how to turn her back...so when it's cold outside and you're too numb to breathe / and when you ask yourself what were you send to achieve," he belts. Huge voice, we'll see plenty more of him next year hopefully.

Instagram/@willsinstudios.

Hallie, ‘Bad Habit’

The Irish multi-instrumentalist's new track 'Bad Habit' marks her seventh single release since launching her music career in June 2020. The pop-punk offering saw Hallie take inspiration from her lifelong battle with her mental health/chronic illness/chronic pain and how her brain has a ‘bad habit’ of wishing life away. She worked with alternative electronic act wornoc, who produced the instrumental. The Wexford Arts Council gave her the help to release the track, thankfully. No doubt, the promising track will reach the right people. Plenty more tunes are coming in 2023 from this talent, we've confirmed.

DOLLFACE, 'Fool'

With a video released last week directed by Craig Johnston, starring Dorian Pavoševic, Daniel Redzic, Naomi Ní Conaing, Shauna McGuire and Oisín McGrath; the new down-tempo single from DOLLFACE (aka Caela Murphy from Waterford) is a piano ballad at heart with heaps of emo intonations. It centres around heartbreak and abandonment, where the subject has been left behind by someone who treats them like a mistake. Pure vocals and genuine emotion are injected into the song, which marks a hopeful first release under this moniker for Irish artist DOLLFACE.

Blakkheart & Aran Sheehy, 'Dreamscape from the 2000s'

Cork-based producer, audio engineer, and vocalist Blakkheart and Dublin electronic producer Aran Sheehy have come together for a modern day musical tribute the formative years in the Noughties era. The freelance producers and audio engineers made a collaboration that's undoubtedly a garage number at heart, drawing influence from everything millennium (Sugababes and Massive Attack included). It delves into the darkness that lurked beneath the glossy pink surface of '00s culture, taking in misogyny and more: "Look back/And all you see is pink/Think back/Cause' something there made you sick."

"It isn't just a tribute to the music of this time but rather to the period itself, and in writing this song Blakkheart and Aran Sheehy hope to invoke warm memories of a simpler time in which all that was required to obtain true happiness was a pink Nokia 3310, a pair of oversized flares, and a copy of The Sims 2," a press release dates.

POL, 'Everybody - Kevin McDaid Remix'

From Ireland, POL is a singer-songwriter whose passion lies within harmonies, hooks and melodies. POL- whose name is an acronym of his initials in his native language - has developed and honed his skill of writing by sitting at a piano, hitting a chord, and letting it lyrically and musically evolve. The songwriter’s track is a high-intensity version of the song’s original, which has been remixed by the singer-songwriter alongside Irish producer, Kevin McDaid. Whilst re-creating the original’s vibe, they've upped the tempo for POL's version, as well as thickening the bass, beats and instruments to create a cool, smooth dance version.

Boyfrens, 'Mórrigán'

The songwriting and production project of Dublin electro-pop artist Jack Hevey, Boyfrens has just released his Jocks on Fire 4-track EP. The multi-instrumentalist has compiled a project made up of hard-hitting percussion, analogue synth layers and memorable vocal hooks, including standout number 'Mórrigán'. Thematically and conceptually the project deals with the difficulty and frustrations that come from trying to live and work as an artist in modern-day Dublin. 100% relatable. Opening with bird chirps and distant cheers, there's a personal element to the ambient, free-flowing electronic beats Boyfrens is an expert in.

Boyfrens.

Aislinn Logan, 'Show Me Your Smile'

The Northern Irish synth-pop musician is currently on tour around Europe and UK with Meath pop legend, CMAT. Following last year's 'Contender' and 'Certain Days', she's back with her first 2022 offering. A massively addictive, twinkling track with her signature charisma, Logan's new single is a heartwarming hug to friends.

"Havin' the craic outside a party / There's a fizz in the air with the tall tales and you can hear the sound system bouncin' inside / You're surrounded with faces you love, and in that moment, the world's turning for you, she speaks during the track, with a smile in her voice. We can't wait to see what 2023 brings for Aislinn.

NEVE, 'Glimpse of Us'

A cover of Joji's viral song that exploded on TikTok, the Irish singer-songwriter's breathtaking voice sounds spine-tingling on the cover. Following previous single 'This Christmas', NEVE's jawdropping pop voice could give Ariana a run for money. NEVE moved to Reading from Holywood up North for University, later finding her way quickly into the pop music scene at Ealing Studios after years of studying musical theatre and enduring classical training in Ireland. Sonically, Rihanna, Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus have also played a major role in landing NEVE’s sound.

Martin Ocean & Uppbeat, 'Ghost'

Emo hip-hop is making a massive return, and Irish artist Uppbeat is filling the gap in the business. Martin's inspirations span from Mos Def to Freddie Gibbs and Kendrick Lamar, while the West of Ireland act with a steadily rising streaming and TikTok following credits hyper punk as his current soundscape of note. It's ridiculously catchy, with a hard-hitting beat and repetitive but confident chorus. Uppbeat makes smart choices when it comes to collaborations, and diving headfirst into hip-hop was a wise move. The pair make a compelling duo, with plenty of US sonic inspirations.

Listen to the playlist in full below.