Sprints, ‘Heavy’

Dublin garage punk upstarts Sprints have finally dropped their much-anticiapted debut LP Letter To Self.

‘Heavy’ is a typically invigorating, face-blaster of a tune. Starting out with gritty downstrokes and screeching pick slides, frontwoman Karla Chubb delivers her claustrophobic lyrics with a Dry Cleaning-esque deadpan expression.

The band hosted a digital listening party for their new album before it dropped this week, sharing the tracks and hosting a q&a session with eager fans. 2024 is set to be an even bigger year for the four-piece, with a headline tour taking them to Limerick, Galway, Belfast, Cork, Kerry, Dublin and beyond.

SPRINTS (Photo Credit: Niamh Barry)

Lucy McWilliams, ‘Follow Me’

 Lucy McWilliams dives head-first into love with ‘Follow Me’. Dreamy, romantic and reminiscent of Alice Phoebe Lou, the Dubliner marks a firm step into the indie genre with the track’s instrumentation and her soft vocals, which take centre stage throughout the song’s tender choruses.

"’Follow me’ at its core is just a straightforward love song,” she said. “It’s about being excited about someone, and feeling all the possibilities of the world in that person.

“I think it’s a weird feeling, going through different relationships, but never really feeling loved. But then stumbling upon someone and within a small window of time, suddenly feeling at ease."

Lucy McWilliams / photo credit: Luvi Crezia

modernlove., 'unfamiliar ceilings’

Releasing their track with a sentimental end of year message saying "we've gotten to travel the world together as 4 best friends and share our music with so many wonderful people (that’s you)”, Modernlove.’s new song is a life affirming indie banger that echoes this emotion. Rather than opt in for cheap teenage nihilism, the song runs through the normal coming of age problems with a feel good beat that will have you dancing as well as crying.  Having toured North America and Europe last winter, 2024 looks to ring in new heights for the Irish indie rockers, and we have a feeling they’ll smash through every ceiling that comes their way.

modernlove. by Daniel Harris

Skies Behind, ‘Seven Months’

With a healthy dose of a Biffy Clyro influence, the Cork born rock trio Skies Behind have this week released their EP The Spaces which follows the band’s philosophy of ‘bangers only’. A powerful rock ballad, ‘Seven Months’ will have you screeching along with lead vocalist Dan Sheedy and letting it all out to the strong drum beat and fuzzy guitar. Skies Behind will be touring The Spaces with a 13 date Ireland & UK headline tour, which will include the band’s first ever UK shows. Catch them in Whelan’s upstairs on January 24th for some good auld fashioned head banging tunage. 

Skies Behind

Anna Mieke 'Red Sun (Live)'

For something truly different and ethereal sounding, check out Anna Mieke rearrangement of her track ‘Red Sun’ from her album Theatre. The Wicklow vocalist elevates her stunning track with an arrangement that features fiddle, harmonies and clarinet, but also comes across with a modern sound- making use of synthesisers and electric guitar too. The result is a marriage of contrasting but complimentary sounds. Mieke’s live performance of ‘Red Sun’ is unearthly take on the artists track and will leave you with the best chills imaginable. 

Anna Mieke. Credit: Lluís Tudela

One Flew Over, 'Not Good For Me'

One Flew Over are a County Meath based music duo composed of Irene Ní Chuinn and Martin Quinn that formed in 2019, but 2024 sees the pair ringing the year in with a funky, bass heavy track that will leave you wanting more. With a bluesy rhythm coming from the piano and guitar, ‘Not Good for Me’ is tempered with a strong, booming vocal performance from Ní Chuinn. One Flew Over describe the song as an exploration of “the inner conflict of being drawn to someone who makes you feel alive but who is also not good for you”.

One Flew Over at JAM Studios

Arvo Party, ‘MAZE’

A new electronic offering Arvo Party’s ‘MAZE’  can be described as fresh, clean, and crisp. ‘MAZE’ is a dance track perfect for dancing away any January blues, or if you’re feeling brave, the ultimate running track as you get into the New Year fitness frenzy. The Belfast native has released a 6 minute long dance track that takes up on an upbeat journey that’s quite simply invigorating.

Arvo Party. Photo Credit: Billy Woods

Moncrieff, ‘Want You More’

The soaring popularity of Moncrieff has been meteoric in the last year, and with good reason. He’s a master of producing pop tracks that hit the mark every single time, and ‘Want You More’, a track about trying to win someone back - is no exception. Fresh off playing Dublin Castle on the last night of 2023, Moncrieff is propelling himself into 2024 with a bang and a pop banger. Check out ‘Want You More’ on our new Irish songs playlist this week - or don’t. You’ll probably hear an awful lot of it anyway in the upcoming year!

Moncrieff plays The Hot Press Windmill Live Series. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Lucy Gaffney - ‘Locked Up never Fade’

Another Dublin Castle NYE performer, Lucy Gaffney has also rang the New Year in  with a new song, an acoustic track titled ‘Locked Up Never Fade’. ‘Locked Up Never Fade’ according to the artist encapsulates the bittersweet moments of vulnerability, love and friendship. The lyrics talk of memories from our thoughts, forever locked in time, that have the ability to reel us in and even for just a moment we can relive a feeling or conversation in a dreamlike state”. If you were looking for a dreamy song of dreams, look no further as Gaffney has delivered.

Lucy Gaffney by Charlotte Patmore.

pMad, ‘Opinion’

Galway native Paul Dillion, a.k.a pMad, starts 2024 off with a gothic gong. ‘Opinion’ is a brooding track that fans of Joy Division are sure to enjoy, with a Peter Hook-style chorus bassline anchoring the song’s electronic instrumentation and succinct social commentary.

“No matter what side or who's side your on, we all have one, an opinion!” said the artist. “We have one on people, politics, religions, Gods, wars, music, it all! We are very reluctant to listen to other ones though, unfortunately!

“How are we to learn, if we do not listen to the other side, even if we disagree,  we should be open to hear why they believe that way.”

pMad the Irish Music Artist new single Broken with a logo and Stop Hate Portumna Galway Ireland Forest Park

Andy White, ‘The Revolution’

Belfast rock-poet Andy White’s fresh new record Good Luck I Hope You Make It kicks off with a funky, vintage-inspired groove. ‘The Revolution’ is his take on Gil Scott-Heron’s legendary track ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’, which similarly opened the seminal 1971 album Pieces of a Man.

White cleverly adapts the original’s socially concious lyrcism to modern times with lines like :”You will not be able to double-screen the revolution and skip the ads before they end,” and “The Revolution will not be downloadable in any format you choose.”

The troubadour will be taking his new LP on the road this week, with shows in Belfast, Derry, Dublin and Britain.

Molly Cantwell and Emma Langford, ‘River’

Acclaimed Irish folk artist Emma Langford has joined award-winning journalist Molly Cantwell in her debut single, paying homage to the late Laois-native and student, Joe Drennan, who tragically died in a hit-and-run collision last October.

The pair have covered Joni Mitchell’s ‘River’, and will be donating all proceeds to Gay Community News (GCN). The track originally dropped on Bandcamp in December, with today seeing it's release on other streaming services.

The track was chosen by Cantwell while she was walking by the Shannon river - a spot that her friend and colleague Joe adored.

She then approached Langford with the idea, who quickly jumped on board, along with a multitude of Limerick creatives willing to donate their time.

“I decided on a whim that this would be the perfectly dramatic way to honour Joe at a time of year that is so painful for so many,” said Cantwell. “I’ve spoken to Joe’s family about this release, and they are so grateful that this can be something we remember Joe with and raise money for a cause so close to his heart."

 

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 Soul Temp, ‘Darkness'

Dublin-based alternative hip-hop collective Soul Temp mark burst onto the scene with an in your-face track brimming with unapologetic attitude.

Punchy, bouncy, and energetic, the song covers Jaq Reidy’s struggle with depression and paranoia, while his collaborator Sticks takes the reigns to spit on his difficult upbringing.

Alongside the release is an unnerving visualiser, depicting Reidy squirming in a straitjacket beneath black and white strobe lighting - a fitting accompaniment to the single’s thematic undertones.

 

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A post shared by Jaq Reidy (@jaq.reidy)

sophiemaria, ‘Plead’

sophiemaria makes her debut with ‘plead’, a folky, lo-fi acoustic pop song which harks similarities to popular songstresses like Phoebe Bridgers and Julia Jacklin, with Hozier also being cited as one of the up-and-comer’s biggest influences.

Lyrically the song is deeply personal, with apologetic confessionalism littered throughout : “I’m still here asking forgiveness… I’m like a match you put it out over and over again.”

 

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A post shared by soph ♍︎ (@sophiem.aria)

Listen to our New Irish Songs To Hear This Week playlist on Spotify below!