Tag Archives: Alternative

Indie, indie rock, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Pete Mac ‘Disappear’

Pete Mac has released his new single ‘Disappear’. Disappear’ is the first original solo track released by Paradox frontman Pete Mac in over 10 years since the release of his first solo album ‘In Limbo’ in 2009.Recorded at Wavefield Recording Studios in West Cork ‘Disappear’ takes a different direction to the usual harder sound of Paradox featuring Brian Casey on grand piano and keys and Peter O’Sullivan on drums. The track was written during the lockdown period with Pete experimenting with different sounds. Pete has also been kept busy in 2020 recording some of his favorite cover versions at his home studio and releasing them on Spotify aswell as collaborating with other musicians such as drummer Mick Cross from Bunnosionn via long distance recording on such tracks as REM ‘Man on the Moon’ and The Smashing Pumpkins ‘Disarm’.Pete Mac plans on recording and releasing more original music this year with the plan of releasing a full length album next year.

‘Disappear’ is a tender track which spreads delicate and moving melodies over a building rhythmic backdrop. There are subtle elements of alternative grunge flickering through the warm powerful vocals with rock ballad aspects oozing from the melody while the lonely desert pine on guitars, buoyant rhythm and acoustic guitar strums flood the track in rich textures. The piano embellishments fill out the track’s wispy backdrop creating an ambient and ethereal atmosphere for the melancholic melody to brood within. A joy to listen to, ‘Disappear’ is a fantastic display of Pete Mac’s refined and beautiful musicianship.

Stream ‘Disappear’ below


Author : Danu

Alt Rock, Atmospheric Music, Electronic, Hypnotic, Indie, Indie Psychedelic, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic, Psychedelic/Folk, Singer/Songwriter

James Lonergan ‘Brendan Valeʼ

James Lonergan is set to release his debut single ‘Brendan Valeʼ tomorrow September 25th. James began playing guitar and writing music aged 9 when, amidst a recently admitted period of “unexplained, unwarrented childhood depression”, his father brought him home a battered old classical guitar. This awoke James into the current stream of conciousness he now exists in. Inspired by his father, who worked as a gigging musician in pubs around the county, James immediately began writing music – joining his first band aged 10. Throughout the years James has fronted a range of bands, as a vocalist, guitarist & keyboardist, most notably being the vocalist, guitarist & principal songwriter of the recently disbanded progressive band, Synk. Now self-producing his debut solo album, James is seen to be furthering the development of his own breed of contemporary alternative/ folk/electronic music.

‘Brendan Valeʼ is an immersive track which exudes ambient electronic soundscapes and the spellbinding songwriting of James Lonergan. Lonergan’s ability to weave wonderfully rich textures and tones through haunting sombre melodies and intricate progressive guitar flurries is mesmerising. The track seems to carry the listener into an otherworldly utopia of melancholy as Lonergan effortlessly draws the listener further into the songs rippling depths. With wispy electronics hovering over the soothing guitar and cushioning beat, Lonergan creates an eerie contrast to the song’s tranquilizing outer shell. A trotting rhythm embellishes the backdrop in a country hue while Lonergan’s vocals soothe and coo with tender and soft tones, however there is a tense and slightly asphyxiating undercurrent to the track which is displayed through the electronic pulses and brooding alternative rock elements. ‘Brendan Valeʼ is a richly crafted number with varied emotions presented through psychedelic flourishments, thought provoking lyrics and bubbling rhythms. Lonergan’s ability to create such emotive and expressive music is what makes him such a treasured talent. 

‘Brendan Valeʼ is set for release tomorrow 25th September for more you can follow James Lonergan on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/James-Lonergan


Author : Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music

Black Violets ‘Rebel’

Black Violets are set to release their second single ‘Rebel’ on the 25th September. The band released their debut single ‘Falling on the Radio’ to much acclaim, peaking at No.2 in the iTunes Alternative charts in Ireland. The song received airplay across on 2fm, Classic Hits 4fm, Corks 96fm, KCLRFM and Red Fm as well as in the UK (Newcastle) and US (San Diego 91X).

Swirling through a vivacious soundscape of fizzing guitars, punchy drums and dizzying electronics, ‘Rebel’ continues Black Violets’ onslaught of exhilarating alternative rock. With razor-sharp guitars soaring through the dark bass rumble and pounding drum foundation the band create a biting and thrilling wall of sound reminiscent of Kasabian while maintaining their own unique edge. The track travels at a relentless brisk speed as the delusional swarm on guitars warp and ricochet off the galloping rhythm with relentless stamina while the power rock vocals bounce off this kinetic backdrop, thriving within the musical chaos. The acid soaked synths give the track an 80’s vibe as the band blend alternate rock with an effervescent shot of electronic pop before slapping some punk attitude on top. Black Violets have created an energetic raw new anthem that is sure to revolve in your head for days. 

‘Rebel’ Is set for release on 25th of September for more check out Black Violets facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/weareblackviolets/

90's Grunge, Alt Rock, Indie, Indie Buddie Introducing, indie rock, New Music

Indie Buddie Introducing : Thom Southern

Thom Southern, a Belfast based singer, songwriter and producer, has released his debut single ‘Shivers’. Recorded in Southern’s Belfast based home studio, ‘Shivers’ has been co-produced by iconic producer and 2 time Grammy Award winner Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters, Feeder). Thom Southern started his musical career busking in Belfast aged 16. After winning a national competition he was awarded a trip to Nashville and some recording time in a studio. The resulting material saw him awarded ‘Songwriter of the Year’ by Belfast City Council. He teamed up with his sister Lucy to form the band Southern. In 2012 they signed to Marathon Artists.Within 18 months they had toured with the likes of Jake Bugg, Bastille, Hudson Taylor, Catfish & The Bottlemen and The Kooks, saw their work used in international campaigns by ESPN, Netflix and Channel 4 and performed events around the world for brands such as for Yves Saint Laurent and Burberry. In 2016 the duo took some time off to launch another project – a self recorded psych-rock project called MMODE – before Thom made the decision to move back towards recording his own work.

Encased in a 90’s haze of sun kissed alternative grunge and the beautiful songwriting of Thom Southern, ‘Shivers’ is a captivating debut. With dizzying distortion on guitars swirling around ethereal sonic flourishes the track maintains a buzz of heightened emotion. Southern’s velvety vocals coo with reverb whispers over the dreamy melody while the steady drums and psychedelic embellishments create a colourful prismatic wall of sound. The song rushes with intensity as the blazing backdrop and impenetrable guitar onslaught provides a raw, alternative grunge edge to this gem. The pulsing bass gently protrudes though the hazy melody as Southern displays his flair for melodious, breezy, memorable compositions. ‘Shivers’ is a solid debut from Thom Southern.

About the track Thom Southern said : “Shivers is the concept of love feeling like a drug, a sensation of being outside one’s own body, floating and observing oneself from a different perspective. I wanted to embody this meaning within a dense sounding track, to mainly focus on one swollen guitar sound which never stops throughout and accompany that with repetitive beatnotic drums” 

Stream ‘Shivers’ below 


Author : Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music

Brass Phantoms ‘What We Leave Behind Us’

Dublin five-piece, indie rock band Brass Phantoms have released their new single ‘What We Leave Behind Us’, taken from their upcoming album ‘Holding Out For Horrors’. So far, the band have released their well-received single ‘Waiting Up’, which garnered national airplay. Their guitar driven, drum fuelled track ‘City Of Wolves’ was used to promote Irish television coverage of the UEFA Champions League this year, as well as being added to Spotify’s editorial Hot New Bands playlist.Their music featured on the likes of BBC Radio 6 with Steve Lamacq, RTÉ, Today FM, 98FM, Radio Nova, Amazing Radio and more. No strangers to the live scene, Brass Phantoms have toured throughout Ireland, the UK and the United States, having been listed as one of the top acts to see at MONDO NYC Festival. They have a host of major festival appearances under their belts plus support tours for the likes of Delorentos and The Slow Readers Club.

‘What We Leave Behind Us’ is a prime example of how Brass Phantoms’ sonic flourishes have gradually grown more nuanced and refined with each release. These guys are on fire, each track they produce provides an exciting glimpse into a band pushing and merging the sonic boundaries of indie rock to create something truly mesmerising. Strident stings on guitar soar above a building swarm on synths creating a frenetic ethereal atmosphere while a fantastic bass groove lures the listeners mind into the tracks swirling abyss. As the track progresses the kinetic soundscape becomes a tangible force of nature of epic and cinematic proportion supported by a buoyant drum foundation.

The funky flex of the track provides swagger and a strut element however this gives way to the chorus which shimmers with a celestial melody and delicate vocals provided by Colleen Heavey. Ryan Cashell’s deep sinister vocals exude a haunting, theatrical and dark tone which contrasts the sweet innocence of Heavey’s vocal coo’s. She is a breath of fresh air within the tracks spiraling soundscape.

‘What We Leave Behind Us’ sees Brass Phantoms lean into their rich sound more boldly than ever before adding a duet style dialog and cinematic aspect to their songwriting. With chiming keys and resounding percussion the track is laced in rich layers and textures while maintaining that indie rock bite we have come to love from Brass Phantoms. 

Stream ‘What We Leave Behind Us’ below


Author : Danu

90's Grunge, Alt- Pop, New Music

Burning Pools ‘Bang Bang’

Garage rock collective Burning Pools have released their new single ‘Bang Bang’. Burning Pools is the new band led by former Smashing Pumpkins bassist Ginger Pooley. The band’s members share a long list of studio and touring credits and collectively have worked with rock legends like Tom Morello, Siouxsie Sioux, Slash, Morrissey, Liz Phair, Scott Weiland, Tegan and Sara, and bands like Jane’s Addiction and Weezer

‘Bang Bang’ is noise pop perfection as Burning Pools take a smooth melody and douse it in attitude, fuzz and alternative rock. With dark gritty riffs fizzing through punchy drums and 90’s grunge elements the track kicks into motion with swagger, sass and power. A drum beat struts with mighty confidence as Burning Pools create a crashing wall of sound that is just too good to fight. Ginger Pooley’s soft vocal coos glide over the melody with ease creating a sublime contrast to the raw backdrop of squealing guitars and resounding bass rumbles. With a moody dark atmosphere haunting beneath the power pop explosions and alternative backbone, ‘Bang Bang’ is intoxicating and luring new single from Burning Pools.

Stream ‘Bang Bang’ below


Author : Danu

Alt Rock, Indie, Indie Punk, indie rock, New Music, Post Punk, Punk Rock

Bullet Girl ‘Concrete Bed’

Photo Credit : Conor Diggin

Dublin four piece Bullet Girl have released their new single ‘Concrete Bed’.Bullet Girl are guitarist Dylan Keenan, singer Aaron Doyle, bassist Tony Keyes and drummer Noel Dempsey. Their recent shows, including a standout set at TiLT in the Button Factory for 98fm’s Totally Irish, have elevated their standing in the Dublin live scene and earned them an invitation from Aiken Promotions to support hotly tipped The Mystrines of Liverpool for their performance at Eastbound Dublin.

‘Concrete Bed’ is a thrilling taste of the raw post punk Bullet Girl do so well. With scraping sharp guitars shrilling over an abrasive bass the band create an intoxicating wall of sound which accelerates from ominous tension to frantic chaos. This fantastic build and progression is why Bullet Girl’s musical prowess is mesmerising. They mix coarse piercing soundscapes with lighter guitar shrills and ferment this concoction until it’s simmering with unadulterated red hot fury. The pounding drums bash the tracks foundation with bloodthirsty mania while the frantic vocals scream and shout over the explosive anarchy. It’s anger, aggression and disdain all set to exhilarating musicianship, to create a mosh worthy onslaught for the listener to indulge in. Lyrically the track paints a vivid image of drug culture, homelessness and modern despair in Dublin City and the band reinforce this with dizzying soundscapes and the honest, bruising yet beautiful sound that is Bullet Girl. 

About the track the band says: “Musically we wanted to create a spiralling soundscape to emphasise this endless cycle. We purposely wanted to write a song that went out of its way to strip away the romanticism of Dublin. As a city, Dublin and Dubliners have a lot to celebrate but while sleeping bags lay parked outside government buildings, it’s hard for us not to feel anger for the current state of our city. We don’t pretend to offer the solution to these issues, we only want to shine a light on it by presenting it in the most unfiltered manner possible.”

Stream ‘Concrete Bed’ below 


Author : Danu

Event News, Live Music, New Music

Event News : Laters with Griff…

A series of hybrid live and livestream gigs will take place across five nights in September at music venue Drop Dead Twice on Francis Street, Dublin 8. 

Some of Ireland’s most up-and-coming artists will play live at the lightly-attended gigs on September 18th, 19th, 24th, 25th and 26th. The shows will also be professionally live streamed using a multi-camera set-up, bringing the live experience to viewers at home. 

Artists playing the shows (in alphabetical order) are: Bi Curious, Blackbird and Crow, Blue Fish Diamond, Chris Kabs, Contour, Dubh Lee, Dublin City Rounders, Emily 7, Fanacanta, Funkulele, Gaolbyrd, God Creative, Jaxson, JyellowL, Kieran Mulvihill, Lethal Dialect, Marcas Carcass And The Trail Gang, Modern Love, New Valley Wolves, The Last Vinci, TYG, Vernon Jane, Vulpynes, Witch Trials.

Laters with Griff… will be hosted in a table-service only environment by David Griffin (A.K.A. Griff), who is well-known as a champion of breaking Irish music. One of the founders of Knockanstockan, the frontman of Dublin band New Secret Weapon, and a solo musician in his own right, Griff has been putting on shows for most of his life and wants to use this opportunity to draw attention to the importance of restoring the capacity for skilled technicians and artists to do their jobs in safe and controlled environments. 

About the event Griff says : “The motives behind producing this series of shows is to begin a narrative to restore the capacity for skilled technicians and artists to engage in their vocations in a safe and controlled environment within the regulations and parameters set out by our health officials and Government. As well as moving towards providing income for our decimated entertainment industry. We, along with so many people in the music and live events industries, are constantly innovating in this ever-changing climate that seems to move its goal posts every time we take a shot at restoration of the arts community.”

 Laters with Griff… will be co-hosted by actor, poet and spoken word artist Emmet O’Brien. 

Tickets for each act will be sold separately and strictly limited 40 to per sitting. Attendees are kindly requested to arrive at their scheduled time, as admittance to the venue will not be possible until then. There will be a one way system in place for entering and exiting the venue, Covid tracing measures and hygiene kits on each table.

 “Not only is the safety of staff and customers of utmost importance to us, but so is the opportunity we have to show that live music can be enjoyed responsibly and without breaking the law or putting anyone’s health at risk,” says Griff.

Griff has pulled in some amazing talent and dynamic live acts for this event. I am lucky to say I have seen most of these acts live and personally I am looking forward to this event. It’s one not to be missed.

To get tickets follow this link https://www.facebook.com/events/604286776923123/?event_time_id=604286776923123


Author : Danu

Alt- Pop, Indie, New Music

TOYGIRL ‘Poison’

Dublin-based five-piece TOYGIRL are back with their third single out to date, ‘Poison’.Comprising Cork natives Aran Hopkinson (Bass), Ciaran Whelband (Guitar), Fiachra O’Mahony (Guitar), and Cian O’Leary Hegarty (Drums), and British / French lead singer Hannah Worrall the band have already notched up over 250K streams on Spotify and have been firmly established on the Irish music circuit, TOYGIRL is ready to extend their reach across international borders.

With layered ethereal synths shimmering over a rhythmic soundscape, ‘Poison’ ripples with the mesmerising musicianship of TOYGIRL. The majestic soundscapes fill the crevices of your mind with soft caresses while haunting whispered backing vocals lull in the backdrop creating a tranquil atmosphere for the listener to indulge in while the rich intricate drums build the tense and darker undertone.

TOYGIRL craft and layer their songs superbly so each listen reveals a new sound or hidden sonic delight which makes every replay just as compelling as the first. Chiming guitars delicately meander through the song’s vast pool of musical intricacies. Only for Hannah Worrall’s vocals (which exude passion, soul and rich tones) it would be easy for the listener to become lost within the track. Her sultry coos anchor and guide the listener through the tracks abyssal depths.The song builds in the later half. The intoxicating synths and bass intensify as the dark and sinister undertone bares its teeth and becomes more apparent.

‘Poison’ is an excellent display of the refined and immaculate musicianship of TOYGIRL. With each release TOYGIRL display musical prowess well beyond their years. Their music evokes a myriad of emotions and stimulates every sensory factor of the listeners imagination. ‘Poison’ is a joy to listen to again and again and again…

About the track Hannah Worrall said : “For me, this song is about deep infatuation, platonic, or romantic.The feeling that someone has accepted your purest form and loves you unconditionally. It’s one of the first songs that I wrote where my words felt transparent and straightforward, in some ways that makes me feel more vulnerable but also more connected to the song ” 

Stream ‘Poison’ below 


Author : Danu

Alt Rock, Garage Rock, Indie, indie rock, New Music

TV People ‘Nothing More’

Rising Dublin quartet TV People have released their third single of 2020, ‘Nothing More’ and its accompanying video directed by Robert Clarke. Mixed and recorded at Darklands Audio with Dan Doherty (Fontaines D.C., Vulpynes) and mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright (Radiohead, Blur, LCD Soundsystem), ‘Nothing More’ sees the band come to terms with identity and the struggle of finding a purpose in life.Hailing from the heart of Ireland’s capital, TV People are a Dublin four-piece who lace their indie/garage rock sound with punk-infused undertones.

Doused in moody tones of garage rock ‘Nothing More’ sees TV People take a more delicate approach to their sound. Structured and driven by a rooted bass rumble, the tracks underbelly is dark and sinister as the deep almost nonchalant vocals mirror the immersive melancholy of the bass. However the sweet lament on guitar is the light in the darkness – radiating a pure ray of hope as it chimes and twinkles through the depressive soundscape.The band’s attention to detail has always been a compelling aspect of their sound and again they do not disappoint; TV People’s slow paced and deliberate approach to this track stops time. The steady beat ties all the airy, raw and emotive components together within a loose veneer of indie rock allowing the bass and guitar to flourish underneath as the track builds gradually becoming more dramatic and intense before settling on a beautiful guitar refrain for the outro. Displaying lyrical depth, maturity and deft musicianship ‘Nothing More’ marks a significant moment in TV People’s sound and strong musical growth.

Speaking about the single, the band explain: “It reflects on the superficial challenges of finding yourself that you face in adolescence and early adulthood, and contrasts these with a deeper existential anxiety that emerges in their place as you begin to overcome them.The song documents the experience of trying to make peace with the realisation that life may be inherently meaningless and deal with the burden of being responsible for your own life’s purpose. It was written remotely during the lockdown period by sending each other music and mixing a home demo which was a new way of writing for us.”

Watch the video for ‘Nothing More’ below 


Author : Danu