In just a few short months, BOLD LOVE have penned new management deals, been added to line-ups of international festivals and supported some of the country’s biggest acts.

While it may appear an overnight success story, the Dublin-based sextet are no strangers to graft, as they relate when they call into Hot Press.

“I had a surprise birthday party last night, which was amazing, but I’m very shaken today,” admits keys player and vocalist Megan Nic Ruairí. She’s not alone in her photophobic candour. Every single member of the sextet, in fact, admits to having a skinful the evening prior.

Even if they might be feeling slightly worse for wear, the warmth between the group is obvious. Now each in their mid-to-late twenties, the band grew out of various longtime friendships, some of which stretch back to their pre-uni days of gig-going. In Megan’s words, they “were friends first and the music came second.”

There’s been plenty of shared experiences as both pals and bandmates, including a litany of name changes, having answered to Coyotitio in their early days.

“We didn’t know what we were,” laughs guitarist Adam Curtis. “We had no idea what was going on there.”

In November they were rechristened once more, switching from Big Love to BOLD LOVE.

“It was going to be complicated down the line and we just wanted to get ahead of it,” says singer and lyricist Cian Ó Maonlaí, alluding to potential legal challenges. “We were working with a lawyer who told us to get in there before we get too big, otherwise it would be a nightmare.”

What first appeared as an administrative inconvenience stands as a marker of the band’s trajectory.

“I feel like it’s the perfect time. Things are happening in a nice way and we want to launch the new name at the same time as that,” Cian continues. “We’ve got a lot of work in the bank and we’re releasing lots of music in the new year.”

The ball began to roll following BOLD LOVE’s appearance at Ireland Music Week in October.

“It was the start for us,” reflects Megan. “We were working for so long and had so much trust in ourselves that it was really nice to do Ireland Music Week, and then to be vindicated for how we feel about ourselves and have that confidence.”

Among their admirers at the event was Irish superstar Dermot Kennedy, who publicly proclaimed them as one of the stand-out acts at the festival.

“He’s lovely and what he said about our music was really sweet,” Megan says. “He said he couldn’t believe that we didn’t have millions of streams.”

Have a listen to the hattrick of singles they’ve released so far and you’ll likely draw a similar conclusion. Brooding, expansive, and emotionally charged, BOLD LOVE fuse elements of indie and shoegaze with lush, pop-tinged melodies, culminating in songs that brim with potential mainstream appeal, without compromising any street cred.

It’s a sonic river fed by many streams. Each member comes from a different musical background, ranging from jazz and funk to traditional Irish music.

“We like a lot of similar bands, but at our core we all draw from really different influences,” Adam says.

“It’s like the good side of ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ – too many cooks enrich the broth! It’s definitely a blessing more than a curse, if you do it right: if there’s no ego and you just let it happen.

“It’s super-important to trust that the other musician in the room has a good idea and that it might be better than your idea. There was a lot of trial and error, but when we started, we loved hanging out and that’s what kept us coming back. You’re working on your relationships with each other as much as you are the sound.

“It’s a good wrestle,” adds Cian. “We all have a common goal, but I might have an idea and see something going one way, and the lads may have a different vision. We all steer it in the right direction and it ends up finding its place. No one tries to take over. If it serves the song, then we do it.”

Bold Love. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

BOLD LOVE headed over to London to tie it all together with producer Matt Glasbey, recording their singles ‘Is It Over Yet’ and ‘Never Enough’’, as well as a number of yet-to-be shared songs. Closely observing someone who has collaborated with the likes of David Gilmour, Alt-J, Bloc Party and Ed Sheeran, to name but a few, was an eye-opening opportunity.

“There’s honestly nothing like working with a professional,” Adam enthuses. “One of the highlights recently has been getting to be around people who are experienced in the industry, and seeing how they operate.

“You’d watch Matt Glasbey all day. You see him come up with ideas and change something, which brings out a completely different part that you didn’t know was there. He hears stuff that you don’t. We were made to feel very comfortable too. It’s a telltale sign of a bad producer when he’s dismissing ideas.”

At the time of our conversation, the band are gearing up for a support slot for The  Coronas at one of their sold-out Olympia gigs. There’ll be plenty more big shows in the near future too, including a pilgrimage to SXSW in March – the Texas festival credited with helping springboard the careers of artists like John Mayer, Odd Future, Haim and plenty more.

BOLD LOVE will be heading over with a clean conscience, after a boycott from acts taking part at last year’s festival – a strong portion of which were from the Irish contingent – lead to SXSW organisers cutting ties with weapons manufacturer Raytheon.

“All the biggest bands in Ireland are political right now for the right reasons, and it’s amazing,” Cian says.

BOLD LOVE themselves were one of the driving forces behind a Gig for Gaza fundraiser at the Grand Social last June.

“I was having a coffee with a friend of mine, Jack Leavy, who’s in a band called BASHT,”  explains Cian. “We were saying there’s no point in feeling like you’re not doing anything, and wallowing in that, because you’re just wasting more time. So the least we could do as musicians was bring a lot of people together and make money for Palestine, and do it in a loving way.

“It was a great feeling in the room and it was really powerful to have people singing and speaking about what’s going on.”

“There’s definitely more of an obligation,” Adam notes, ”if you’re an Irish artist. I think we were all victims of that [oppression], and the music was a huge part of what got us through it.”

On the subject of being in touch with their Irish heritage, BOLD LOVE also share an affinity for the cúpla focail.

“It was mad moving into a gaeltacht and having to learn Irish very quickly,” says Megan, who spent the early years of her life in Nottingham before relocating to Donegal, where her father is from. “But I love Irish, and we’re proud to be gaelgeoirs. We’re trying to get Adam to learn a few words…”

“We do use it quite a lot, it’s a huge part of our identity,” adds Cian, whose father Liam is a member of Hothouse Flowers and a well-known Irish language advocate.
Did it feel natural to set out on a similar career path?

“I went away from it for a long time – as a rebellious teenager I wanted to be anything but,” Cian says. “I was into sports for a long time and then it just came back.

“I don’t think I’d go to him with a song I was writing, he’d just get carried away and make it his own! But for advice, sure. The industry is a crazy place and he’s been through it. So it’s good to have that from someone close.”

• ‘Never Enough’ is out now.