EFÉ, ‘you say that I’m crazy’

Dublin dreampop maestro EFÉ is back with her the dreamy single ‘you say that i’m crazy’, the very first release on her new label FADER. Blending smooth, laid-back rhythms of bossa nova with a modern pop twist, the track paints a heartfelt picture of love so deep it might seem a little irrational, wrapped up in airy vocals and gentle acoustic tones.

Speaking on the single, EFÉ shares: “‘you say that i’m crazy’ is about kinda being a crazy [girlfriend]! I think my love language is quality time and it shows cause I can sometimes get clingy! This song was about when I travelled and got back home and my [boyfriend] was super busy and I was like damn! And not actually communicating that but hoping he could read my mind but then me getting annoyed that he actually read my mind bar for bar word for word!”

James Vincent McMorrow, 'Sunburn'

Ahead of his upcoming tour, which includes a string of dates across Ireland, Dublin-born songwriter extraordinaire James Vincent McMorrow's 'Sunburn' is as about as typically sweet sounding and effortlessly delicate as we've come to expect from the artist - with his trademark soft guitar and falsetto vocals weaved neatly throughout.

"To me this song is about trying to find a quiet space to exist," the signer said on Instagram. "I recorded a lot of versions of it but i kept coming back to the most simple version of the thing. I hope you like it."

 

 

Chubby Cat, ‘Got Hope’

Released ahead of her debut EP, Chubby Cat’s ‘Got Hope’ is a sulphurous alt-pop banger of smooth vocal lines and highly sharp, moody production. A darkly seductive earworm of pulsing electronic basslines, the track was written, in the musician’s own words, by "a whole bunch of besties, resulting in the ultimate song of friendship".

“This song holds the essence of how impactful creating my EP has been on my life and person at the heart of it,” Chubby Cat explains. “By talking about my constant living in hope that people find joy in what I'm doing, but also in anticipation that I'm not good enough to succeed as an artist. The want to give up and run home in constant conflict with the need to keep going to feel true fulfilment. Created with people with whom I spend all my time with, this song is very close to my heart."

Biig Piig, ‘Favourite Girl’

The first single from her upcoming album 11:11, Biig Piig’s ‘Favourite Girl’ is an effervescent and colourful pop number lined with a healthy amount of feel-good funkiness. Written with Zach Nahome and Maverick Sabre, the playful track toggles with the themes of being faced with someone holding back from commitment.

“'Favourite Girl' is a tongue in cheek flirty song I made with Maverick Sabre and Zach Nahome,” Biig Piig comments. “When writing it, especially the pre, I imagined a Barbie-like world and wrote from that perspective. I had so much fun making this track.”

The Butterfly Graveyard, ‘Underdog’

A powerful and dark new offering from Irish alt-rock artist The Butterfly Graveyard, ‘Underdog’ is a punchy track of riveting bass lines and high-octane, reverbed vocal lines. "Everybody loves the underdog,” the artist comments. “This is the phrase that came to mind when I was writing the lyrics. I had a kind of mental image of a boxer walking through a crowd towards the ring, no one giving them much of a shot at the title, but everyone respected that they had the heart of a lion. The underdog overcomes adversity and limitations, sees them as a challenge, not as an obstacle. The underdog allows no one to tell them what they can or cannot do. They just simply say, “bring it on...”

Anthony Byrne, ‘New Standard’

Electronic producer Anthony Byrne returns with his high-octane new single ‘New Standards’, with glitchy and auto-tune heavy production that makes for an incredibly fun offering, wrapped up in a satirical take on the modern phenomenon of online “gurus.” The track critiques the rise of self-proclaimed experts who exploit people’s desires for quick fixes and meaningful connections, commenting on how these figures can manipulate their followers, promising the work in exchange for likes, subscription and monetary support, only to reveal themselves as frauds when exposed.

The Kyd G, 'Wus Good'

Blanchardstown artist The Kyd G's new bop 'Wus Good' sees him team up with frequent collaborator Mubi for a melodic slice of RnB and Hip-hop, taking inspiration from the likes of A Boogie With da Hoodie and Lil Tjay. Described as a "sexy, chill anthem for lover boys, hopeless romantics and players alike to enjoy and vibe to," the hook is addicting and memorable, with the lyrics finding the rapper battling between the blurring lines of love and lust.

 

The Fynches, ‘Too Late’

Irish folk group The Fynches release their gentle ballad ‘Too Late’, a melancholic guitar tune along with soft and vulnerable vocal-harmonies that will make the perfect accompaniment to long, rainy autumn nights.

Reflecting on the song’s creation, vocalist Oisín Walsh-Peelo shares: “In 2023 myself and Ferdia went on a writing trip to the stunning Pyrenees mountains of Spain. We wrote a plethora of new music but also revisited ideas that had swirled around our heads for years. This song was one of the latter. The moment we finalised the song’s format and lyrics, we put it down on tape straight away.

“No computers - just a 4-track machine from the 80’s. We didn’t think much more about it but while recording our debut album in 2024, we decided to try and record the ‘album version’ of ‘Too Late’. We did several takes but could never recapture that first beautiful moment when everything was new and fresh. In a way, that is what this song is about but in the context of a relationship. That meaning extended for us to the very nature of art and music and why we make it. We decided to release the first take, warts and all.”

ROE, ‘Swimming Pool’

A hard-hitting and reflective indie track ‘Swimming Pool’ is the new instalment from a string of exciting 2024 releases for Irish indie pop artist ROE. Although deliciously catchy, the song toggles with the dark themes of feeling hopeless and dreadful in the face of everything that is wrong with the world, wrapped up in a glistening vocal performance and powerful electric guitars.

“The world is grim right now,” ROE comments. “Maybe it always has been and it’s only now that I’m old enough to see it. But I can’t watch the news without it eating me alive anymore and when I don’t watch it then that’s ignorance. I wrote ‘Swimming Pool’ from a place of frustration and anger at the scary and horrible things I can’t control and the feeling that nothing I do will ever be the right call or be enough to make a difference. This song is an exaggeration of the dread that keeps growing as I get older and the sense of hopelessness that I just can’t shake. Cheery, right?”

U2, ‘Happiness’

The latest single from U2’s upcoming How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb project, the previously unreleased ‘Happiness’ is a high-octane, spirited track of rumbling bass lines and powerful rhythmic sections, wrapped up in an incredibly catchy melody.

To mark the 20th anniversary of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2 have announced a special new ‘shadow album’ featuring previously unreleased songs from the original album recording sessions.

“It was amazing to go back and hear some of these tracks that we played as a band; we’re fond of those tracks, they’re your friends,” bassist Adam Clayton said in a recent interview with Apple Music.“You feel that not much more needs to happen. It’s all there.”

Kynsy, ‘Utopia’

The title track from Kynsy’s new EP, ‘Utopia’ is a tireless and melancholic new offering from the Dublin-born, London-based musician. With dreamy, glistening verses and hard-hitting, electric guitar-lined choruses, the song is both contemplative and riotous, announcing an EP that is sure to leave a mark.

Damian McGinty, ‘Lean Into Love’

Derry-born, Nashville-based Damian McGinty has released a heartfelt EP, Lean Into Love.
Showcasing McGinty’s evolving sound and deeper artistic maturity, the songs centre around themes of relationships, new life, and emotional growth. Title track ‘Lean into Love’, is a heartfelt ballad about personal growth and acceptance of the unknown in relationships.

“I wanted this EP to reflect where I am now as a person and an artist,” says McGinty. “Lean Into Love is about embracing every experience—both the challenges and the joys—with an open heart. I’ve poured a lot of myself into these songs, and I hope they resonate with people in a meaningful way.”

Kabin Crew, ‘The Spark’ (Felix Jaehn remix)

Think you can do what they do? We doubt it.

After their viral summer banger ‘The Spark’ went on to garner whopping two billion views worldwide, Cork’s Kabin Crew have teamed up with established German remixer Felix Jaehn for a thumping elevation of the song’s universally resonant message. Set to bring the bop to a broader, club-orientated audience, Jaehn has previously topped the charts in 55 countries with his remix of Omi’s ‘Cheerleader’, with his tune ‘Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)’ also landing at no.1 in 36 nations across the globe.

Yenkee, ‘A Man Alive’

Born and raised in Cork, lo-fi bedroom pop merchant Graham Cooney aka Yenkee has dropped his long-awaited debut album Night Golf, via Kojaque and Kean Kavanagh’s Soft Boy Records. The project’s second track, ‘A Man Alive’ is an excellently executed, wistful indie tune, with its psychedelic production and a jazzy swing emitting a Mild High Club-adjacent charm.

"I’ve been making tunes in me jocks for the best part of ten years now," said Yenkee on social media earlier this week. "My two cents on the album is worth no more than yours but I think there’s comedy and tragedy, silliness and solemnity, profundity and profanity all mixed in together. I’m looking forward to people getting to hear it. So do give it a listen when it drops!"

Huntings, ‘Tells’

Opening with a beguiling clean guitar riff, ‘Tells’ quickly descends into grungey, punchy, and deliciously distorted goodness. Speckled with gnarly stabs and a big sounding chorus, it’s a fine taster from brothers James and Brian Edwards new album Songs Of The Last Resort. Based out of Dublin and taking inspirations from acts like Nirvana, Joy Division and NI rockers Therapy?, Huntings' debut LP was a long time in the making, recorded in their hometown’s Soundcaster Studios alongside Terry Doyle.

Red Eye Pariah, ‘Words’

Antrim indie rockers Red Eye Pariah flaunt a penchant for Latin-flavoured shreddage on ‘Words’, taken from thefour-piece’s second EP Tequila King, which arrives today. The EP was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Neal Calderwood in Manor Park Studio, with the project’s track order designed to tell a story of new beginnings that turn into varied experiences.

“We feel people will be able to relate to this from someone they’ve come across who is living in their own self-fabricated reality and they’re their own centre of attention,” the band say of ‘Words. “The type of person who’s been to both Tenerife and Elevenereife.”

Travy, ‘FSSH’

Travy might have a new alias, but he retains his talent for intense, aggressive and hook-laden hip hop bangers with ‘FSSH’, with the accompanying video depicting the effortlessly confident Nigerian-Irish artist delivering his assertive new tune to a shifting NYC backdrop. Previously going by TraviS, the driller will be familiar to many for his fruitful partnership with fellow rapper Elzzz, with the pair’s sophomore LP DOGHOUSE debuting at no.1 on the official Irish albums charts earlier this year.

 

Smilez x Youngiz x RB24 x Dania, ‘WTCWTS’

‘What’s the craic? What’s the story?’ asks Tallaght-based rapper Smilez, who teams up with a talent-laden Dublin 24 cast including Youngiz, RB24 and Dania on'WTCWTS'. Smilez' first release this year, following on from last year’s Council Estate Dreams album, the tune’s production is slick and jazzy, with each bar-spitters’ verses brimming with catchiness and lyrical weight in equal measure.

 

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Bambie Thug ‘Fangtasy’

After a captivating showing as this year’s Irish representative at the Eurovision song contest in Sweden, Bambie Thug’s rapid continues with her latest, spooky track ‘Fangtasy’, which arrives just in time for the ouija-pop merchant’s appearance on tonight’s Late Late Show Halloween special

A rattling, gritty bassline bellows true the song’s opening - before Bambie divulges into an anthemic, indie-pop chorus evoking the radio-dominating pop-punk of the early ‘00s.

Reggie, ‘Neek Mills’

Young Dundalk rapper Reggie choses the City of Lights as the scenic backdrop to his drill-fuelled belter, with the accompanying video to ‘Neek Mills’ depicting the artist galavanting around Paris. Boasting a steadily growing catalogue of tracks characterised by an imposing, electronic sound, Reggie cites UK giants such as Headie One, Mostack and J Hus as some of his main influences, mainly due to their authentic approach - a philosophy mirrored with aplomb on his latest single.

 

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Meryl Streek, ‘Fine Jail’

Dublin punk Meryl Streek holds no punches on his new album, Songs For The Deceased, a warts-and-all depection of his hometown and nation, and more importantly, those causing their perceived deterioration. ‘Fine Jail’ is case in point, with an atmospheric, fuzzy bass and eastern instrumentation buttressing Streek’s vicious vituperation of both church and state.

“It was only when I finished recording the new album I realised I had made a record that revolved around people and events around my hometown of Dublin,” Streek says of the record. “Now, I admit it's not always a pretty picture I'm painting, and it probably never will be, but these are cases that desperately need awareness.

“This is a collection of stories about Betrayal, Murder, Injustice, and Corruption. It’s not just happening in Ireland, it’s happening around the world and we’re supposed to just take it lying down?”

Pastiche, ‘Abandon The Planet’

Dublin-based pop artist Pastiche releases shimmering synth-fuelled track ‘Abandon The Planet’. Although a dance track at its surface, the tune reflects on hard hitting personal topics for the artist.

Pastiche says of the single, "'Abandon The Planet’ is a culmination of my 2024 experience: dealing with my endometriosis diagnosis, freezing my eggs at 26, moving back to Ireland from London, feeling like a failure and trying to rebuild my music career trajectory after what feels like continuous blows. This song is my Thelma & Louise moment, my Sandy and Danny at the end of Grease when they randomly take off into the sky. It’s the thought that we’ve all had about leaving everything behind.”

For fans of Rina Sawayama and Chappell Roan, you can catch Pastiche supporting Alice Glass in The Grand Social on November 10 and supporting Aiko in The Academy 2 on November 17.

Rejjie Snow, ‘Mask on/off’ 

Paired with the release of his third LP, PEACE 2 DA WORLD, the Dublin rapper has dropped its third single ‘Mask on/off’. The single reflects Snow’s Nigerian and Jamaican heritage, with a playful Caribbean sound. The album marks a new direction for the rapper, written after spending time in Brazil, he speaks of the new priorities he has since becoming a father for the first time, throughout the record.

“On this album I’m speaking to my favourite person in the world and this is the first time I’ve made something for someone specifically. I like working this way because I was forced to honour & challenge myself in ways I’ve never done so before,” he shared in a statement.

Mica, 'Ain't Right'

Tipperary native MICAH's new single ‘Ain’t Right’ follows the success of previous pop banger ‘No Love’ and ahead of her upcoming debut EP, Villain. The new track is a fierce anthem of empowerment, delivering a message about reclaiming personal boundaries and standing up to unwelcome advances. MICAH’s powerful vocals reflect the lyrical depth of the track. ‘Ain’t Right’ is a pop song with energetic guitar riffs and thematic complexity, addressing issues that remind the listener that they are never alone.

Papa Boyle, ‘Tranquillo’

Retro-indie singer Papa Boyle releases a mesmerising new track, ‘Tranquillo’, following the success of his debut single ‘Between Two Fools’ which he released this April. The new song features soothing vocals and gentle guitars, and Boyle’s influence from Father John Misty and Roy Orbison can be heard in the vocals. Filmed in Mallorca, set against a backdrop of a Retro Indie Western landscape, the accompanying video explores the longing for moments of peacefulness throughout day to day life, and feels as if it should be played on the open road.

Speaking about the track, Boyle said: “Tranquillo displays more of range in my vocal, it was an enjoyable process to delve further into this, vocally we wanted to deliver a performance that emulated the likes of Roy Orbison but with a more contemporary crooner feel."

Joe Maxi, ‘Butterfly’

Experimental alt-rock Dublin band Joe Maxi have released their latest single, ‘Butterfly’, a chaotic and fearless exploration of the pure carnage of modern-day experimental music. With their new single, the dynamic four piece take their listeners on a wild ride, embodying their classic frenetic energy and intensity. Raw vocals are layered over a fast-paced guitar riff and a fierce bass line, perfectly encapsulating the underground rock scene in all its glory, with elements of punk, prog-rock and alternative on display.

Annie-Dog, ‘Little Italy’

Coming alongside the announcement of a second EP, set to drop in February 2025, Annie-Dog has this week returned with the brilliant new single to boot.

‘Little Italy’ is an undeniably catchy electro-rock track that teems with empowered vocals and choppy samples, as it climbs a towering soundscape towards the rollicking hook: “I get lost at night in Italy, pretty fucking sure I need to be there, but I’m not there, but I’m not making all the money that I need.”

Hotgirl, ‘In Your Head’

Drogheda/Dublin-based band Hotgirl return with an emboldened new single that navigates the fallout of a relationship to a wildly propulsive effect.

‘In Your Head’ marks the first offering following the outfit’s recent signing to Cartoon Records (Kai Bosh) with an Neil Kennedy-produced EP on the way. Merging bits of punk, alternative and surf-rock, the track channels a rollicking rhythm section with unabashedly honest lyrics, reflecting on the past tension of a relationship that mediates between wanting to stay and a desire to escape.

Gavin Friday, ‘When The World Was Young’

Gavin Friday today releases his hotly-anticipated album Ecce Homo, which features the incredibly powerful track ‘When the World Was Young’.

A wondrous and finely-wrought offering, the track traverses a synth-laden soundscape as Friday turns his gaze outward. Crooning a crystalline examination of the passage of time, as he sings:
“When the world was small and time did call / We sold ourselves, we done it all / And I wondered, I wondered / Where we gonna be? ”.

Damien Dempsey, ‘Landlords In The Government’

The latest album, Hold Your Joy, from Damien Dempsey lands today, marking his first release since 2017’s SOULSUN.

Track seven, ‘Landlords in the Government’, continues Damo’s thread of shedding light on the social “slap across the face” concerning the government’s treatment of the housing crisis, which, as many of them are landlords, seem to benefit from.

A propulsive, acoustic offering, ‘Landlords in the Government’ is lyrically expansive, with Dempsey cutting to the marrow of the matter with scalpel-sharp accuracy. Denouncing the duplicity of government officials who dish out false promises on the ever-growing housing crisis, Dempsey sings, “thousands of kids in B&Bs [are] an insult to James Connolly”, as he urges listeners to “vote them out”.

Aoife Wolf, ‘Bristle of Delusion’

Irish songsmith Aoife Wolf is back with her highly-anticipated new single ‘Bristle of Delusion’.

The single rose like foam following a period of intense creativity and introspection, delivering a wicked performance that is difficult to box in.

“‘Bristle’ is the first single from my latest project, which was born out of a state of anger and frustration amidst the strange and bewildering experience of inhabiting a woman's body,” Wolf remarks.
“To live within a rich and complex inner world, but being coveted simply on the allure of the female anatomy that is so powerful as to drive many to deceit or violence. I wanted to juxtapose the vulnerability in my vocals with the heavy guitar tone to express the confusion of feeling at once both defiant and disarmed.”

Niall Thomas, ‘Not That Way’

Just before the release of his brand-new album False Tide, Niall Thomas has treated us to a second teaser single with ‘Not That Way’.

Thomas first found inspiration for the song after a chance meeting with an unhoused woman in Dublin, who, according to Thomas, had “fallen on hard times, [and] was doing her best to get by, anyway she could”.

With supernova lyrics and a pummelling instrumental, the track sees Thomas exploring themes of social injustice and inequality of the present day to a powerful degree, as he sings: “Balance the scales, see the weight prevail, It’s not a race, it’s just love, that carries us on our way.”

Emileo, ‘Liffey Beer’

Following the release of her second EP A Thief of Mother’s Milk, which landed in May, Berlin-born artist Emileo has returned with a powerful, heart-rending new single.

‘Liffey Beer’ was written for Emileo’s sister, referencing the Liffey beers they’d drink on the Quay’s boardwalk near Temple Bar.

“‘Liffey Beer’ is one of the most emotional and personal songs I have ever written,” Emileo recalls, speaking of her sister. “[My sister] has experienced a lot of pain since she was a little girl, and at the start of this summer she lost her best friend back home – which is when I decided to write this song for her. She is a fighter, but I want her to understand that she does not always have to go through everything on her own.”

PostLast, ‘Halloween’

Dream pop duo PostLast have unveiled their latest offering, the scintillating debut EP Pull Me Into the Open Sea, with the eerie focus track ‘Halloween’.

As the final song to cap off the EP, ‘Halloween’ ties together the nostalgic threads of Open Sea. It doesn’t necessarily romanticise the past, so much as it centres on the “sense of openness to the world that you have when you’re a child,” Julie of PostLast says, and even more so, “the people we were before we developed the barriers, preconceptions, and insecurities that amount throughout our lives”.

Curtisy, ‘Comedy Jam'

Tallaght rapper Curtisy has unleashed a powerful new single alongside releasing the deluxe version of his lauded debut album What Was The Question.

Speaking about the track, Curtisy noted how ‘Comedy Jam’ is something of a “comfort song” for him.

“I’ll listen to this one on the bus to somewhere. I wanted a chance to just speak on the deluxe and I needed some stripped back production, hikii knocked it out of the park with this, it feels like a huge track to me but it’s still so simple. A clear example of how less can be more sometimes. I think this is some of my most concentrated writing, this came from somewhere and I’m still figuring out where.”

Strange Boy, ‘God Help Him (Seemingly He Didn’t)’ feat. Enda Gallery

Sonic polymath Strange Boy - aka Jordan McNally Kelly - has unleashed his powerful new single ‘‘God Help Him (Seemingly He Didn’t)’, featuring fellow contemporary Enda Gallery.

The track is the first from his much-anticipated second album, Say Nothin’. Known for his unique fusion of Irish traditional music with modern hip-hop, Strange Boy’s lyrical introspection and musical innovation on full, sweeping display with this release.

Joshua Burnside, ‘Ghost Of The Bloomfield Road’

Upon announcing his forthcoming album Teeth of Time, which lands on 29th February, Joshua Burnside has unveiled a new single ‘Ghost of the Bloomfield Road’, a double A-side counterpart to ‘Good for One Thing’.

The track follows Burnside as he wanders the streets following the birth of his son. With mother and baby back home, he feels the full weight of his powerlessness, roaming the dark warrens and walkways of East Belfast like a sleep-deprived phantom.

 VJ Jaxson, ‘Tickle Love’

Nigerian-born Dublin-raised multi-instrumentalist VJ Jaxson collaborated with Solow The Astronaut with Jafaris to release their song ‘Tickle Love’ today. The track represents the perspective of a man who pours all of his attention into a girl who has “everything he wants.”

Stemming from a lost-in-lust phase with an ideal of a "Trophy" person Solow created the song, and VJ came and played guitar and sang over it. The song has a distinct Outkast "Tickle" vibe with its playful raw tone and gentle pop melody.

For the past year, VJ has been creating a catalog of music with genres ranging from Pop to Emo Rap, continuing to develop his music career.

Kyral, ‘The Tide’

Kyral fierce new single 'The Tide' explores the challenges of grieving the end of relationships and friendships and learning to live without important people. The lyrics reflect on difficult conversations and emotions from the past, capturing emotions that happen during a breakdown. The emotional ballad has a distinct essence of '00s pop-punk, with edgy, emotional vocals, and a driving guitar riff.

Dan McCabe, ‘Back To Life’

Today marks the release of 'Back To Life' by Irish folk artist Dan McCabe. The track is a gentle, heartfelt tune that underlines McCabe’s newfound viral success with his music.

The new song is a release from Dan McCabe’s first studio album Back To Life, a collection of songs that take a bold, heartfelt journey through Ireland’s most treasured ballads. Recorded at Dublin’s Windmill Lane Studios, it showcases McCabe’s deep connection to the Irish folk tradition.

CODYY, ‘Quarter To Midnight’

Rising Irish indie singer-songwriter artist CODYY returns with a powerful and introspective new single, 'Quarter to Midnight', a self-produced track that delves into themes of heartbreak, regret, and the passage of time, showcasing a darker, emotional side of their evolving sound. A vivid picture of internal struggle and reflection, the lyrics express the sorrow of losing someone who was a beacon of light in a dark world. Drawing listeners in with its melancholic melodies and heartfelt verses, it tells a story of drifting apart, realising the value of a connection too late, and the endless cycle of replaying mistakes.

 

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Check out our New Irish Songs To Hear This Week playlist on Spotify below!