Track of the Day: Banríon - 'fooling'

Dublin indie rockers banríon have revealed their brilliant new single 'fooling', taken from their upcoming EP dare to crush.

The four-piece are taking their unique sound to the next level, infusing elements of country, Americana, indie, rock, pop and alternative genres for a soaring result.

Punctuated by jangly guitars and a catchy bass solo, 'fooling' shatters the glass surrounding the use of laughs and tongue-in-cheek jokes to distract from sadness.

The lyrics are diaristic, raw and honest, detailing songwriter Róisín's experience with cancer within her family through the lens of her own disability. Dealing with catastrophe through humour - Róisín had to approach the shift from being cared for to carer and working out a coping mechanism are reflected in the witty lyrics and songwriting style.

"22's never felt so bad/I/ve got eggshells in my pocket to break when I sit down/I wash my jeans every day but they never get quite clean/I'm in a perpetual cycle doing laundry."

"Crack a joke so my songs don't seem so sad," Róisín sings on the worse case scenario track. "So no one walks out of my show or I upset my dad anymore/a little humour's never hurt anyone."

Building in intensity, the swirling instrumentation mimics the need to escape from pain with lightness, before it all comes crashing down around you as you face the music.

The track questions how to handle catastrophic life events; the attempts to fool and be the feel - always easier than sitting with worry or upset but harder in the long run.

The song takes sonic influence from indie-rock acts like Indigo DeSouza, Katy Kirby and Snail Mail. It was recorded in Meadow Lodge Studios by Rían Trench, mixed by Chris Barry and mastered by Morgan Beausaung.

The artwork was created by photographer and videographer Niamh Barry, who recently directed a music video for Sprints, and the cyanotype was printed by Zahra Khan.

Banríon established themselves on the Irish DIY scene as "one of the most thrilling new forces in indie-rock" (Hot Press) through their successful first EP airport dads in 2020.

They've since supported Pillow Queens on their Irish tour, played multiple sold-out shows across the country and growing a small but dedicated fanbase across the country with gorgeous singles like 'end times' (2022) and 'Do You Miss Her' with qwasi in 2021.

Listen to 'Fooling' below.