Leeds indie four piece Ten Hands High have released their new single ‘6 Weeks’.After releasing their debut single in January 2019,Ten Hands High have played several packed out shows in their hometown of Leeds. The band were in creative overdrive, releasing 5 singles in 5 months, selling out their debut London headline at the Hope and Anchor in Islington along the way. Having supported Split Milk Society, The Clause and Luna Bay, Ten Hands High are quickly becoming a live act to be reckoned with.
Saturated in light guitar lines and summer vibes, ‘6 Weeks’ presents Ten Hands High’s tight indie in all its glowing infectiousness. A buoyant beat bubbles in the backdrop providing sweet punchy rumbles while the intricate bass weaves and wiggles creating a spongy foundation.The band use warm guitar refrains to provide subtle bursts of scintillation as the song progresses to the chorus.With a catchy melody and laid back vocals ‘6 Weeks’ is the perfect sing along indie tune.
Ten Hands High are cultivating their sound perfectly. Each track they release shows strong musical growth and impressive musicianship. I can not wait to hear more from this band.
Pauric O’Meara has recently released his new EP ‘Looking forward to Hindsight’.Pauric is an independent singer-songwriter from Co. Tipperary, based in Dublin. He has been making his mark on the Irish music scene for quite a few years. His raw, powerful vocal has been known to grab people’s attention, and his previous work has garnered over 150K on Spotify alone. Through the years, he has performed in many top venues around Ireland supporting bands such as Hermitage Green, Hudson Taylor, Billow Wood, Amazing Apples and HAWK but had a breakthrough year in 2019, with 2 headline shows in Dublin in The Soundhouse and Workman’s Club, as well as making his Electric Picnic Festival debut.
‘Looking forward to Hindsight’ presents Pauric O’Meara’s folk-hued musicianship through warm melodies and earnest song writing. With soothing guitar, melancholic tones and soft twinkling soundscapes ‘Is this Real’ kicks the EP in to motion. Instantly Pauric’s rasped velvety vocals exude passion and emotive tones lifting each track and providing a comforting constant throughout the EP. Pauric takes his honest lyrics about heartbreak and places them on a vibrant bed of indie pop with ‘Wasting time’. With sprinkles of zesty radiant guitar, buoyant rhythms and catchy refrains the track sits snugly as the half point of ‘Looking forward to Hindsight’ . Highlighting the importance of staying positive through hard times ‘Beacon Call’ brings the EP to an upbeat finale – a vibrant pick me up the track is an adrenaline inducing gem that will make you instantly press replay.
As a whole ‘Looking forward to Hindsight’ is a journey through a relationship and break up. We get a wonderful glimpse of the heart warming songwriting of Pauric O’Meara as he establishes himself as a talented musician crafting wholesome enjoyable tunes that venture through folk and indie genres with ease. There are sweet tender moments expressed through beautiful melodies and heartwarming guitar as well as fun and golden moments creating a well rounded EP with something for everyone.
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Moncrieff
Having kicked off this year featuring on a host of 2020 hot lists, Moncrieff has released his new single ‘PLAYLOUD’ today. His debut body of work ‘The Early Hurts’ EP featured lead track ‘Like I Do’, this debut radio single (released in Sept 2019) received extensive airplay across national radio racking up nearly 12 million audience impressions and 5 million streams. The success of the single and EP led to Moncrieff selling out his first headline show in Dublin in less than 3 hours. Moncrieff’s growing reputation also landed support slots touring with headline Irish acts Picture This and Walking on Cars. With the current state of world affairs in turmoil, this new chapter sees Moncrieff explore his role and place as a young person transitioning into adulthood in a world that seems to be getting crazier by the day, the first chapter in this new story is ‘PLAYLOUD’.
A fun, free and anthemic expression of youth, ‘PLAYLOUD’ announces Moncrieff’s triumphant return. With crisp production and electronic soundscapes blended beneath R&B and pop elements, this buoyant slice of rebellion is a refreshing boundary breaking new tune. Moncreiff’s unique vocals drift over the melty melody with dark humour and honesty alongside lush textures which weave between skittish beats, chimes on guitar and synths.
A choir of kids tease though the backing vocal while Moncrieff delivers an exhilarating middle finger to those in power failing to support society but instead aiding to oppress with their opinions and decisions “We chase our dreams while you spread your lies, Build castles in the sky, Heaven knows we’re all gonna die”. Moncrieff is an intriguing artist who posesses an uncanny skill to bend and warp genres – ‘PLAYLOUD’ is a superb example of this. His ability to inject humour into his lyrics while still getting straight to the point with a few brief words “I’m a fucking unicorn if I say so” is admirable.
‘PLAYLOUD’ is an empowering delight and that chorus is so infectious. There is something utterly freeing about this track as Moncrieff uses his earnest and powerful songwriting to create an upbeat song with heart and passion at its very core.
Speaking about the song, Moncrieff says: “PLAYLOUD was written as a reaction to a world that seems to be getting more messed up each day. It was written as a call to arms to young people and any one who feels frustrated and alienated by the world they live in. A world where greed, consumption and the desire to make money trumps over all. With Global leaders not doing enough to tackle (and some outright denying) the threats of climate change, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Since it was written in January we’ve seen how the world’s two biggest leaders fumble through a world pandemic, with countless thousands of lives needlessly lost as well as the continued systemic racism and police brutality inflicted upon the black community in the states and the UK.PLAYLOUD stands as an act of defiance and social disobedience by the youth to not allow the failings of those in power to stand in the way of their pursuit of happiness and self expression. Life is too short to waste time being concerned with other people’s opinions, and the youth want to be free to determine their own destiny as individuals. To live life to the fullest as the truest and most unapologetic version of yourself you can be no matter if the world feels like it could end tomorrow”
Exhilarating Manchester indie-rock band The Covasettes have released their new single, ‘Be Mine’ today. Firm favourites on any indie music fan’s playlists, the four-piece have totted up an impressive 1 million streams on Spotify alone, after being added to ‘The Indie List’ and ‘Summer Indie’ playlists. The Covasettes have already had a game-changing start to the year – previous single ‘Spin’ buzzed through the airwaves in February and in April they made the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition longlist.
With adrenaline pouring from the curdling rhythm, blazing guitars and dirty bass rumble, ‘Be Mine’ is another irresistible anthem from The Covasettes. There is swagger dripping off every note as the band flourish a raw driving indie rock backdrop with scorching guitar refrains and sultry licks while the rampant beat stamps the track firmly into your head. With cool vocals spread upon a catchy blues-hued melody the band present a chilled attitude driven sound brimming with confidence and blazing instrumentation. The Covasettes are building and crafting their sound superbly creating pockets of refined splendour within their blistering indie rock format. These guys write vibrant tunes for you to dance and mosh to. Another absolute smasher from the quartet.
About the track the band said: “Be Mine is one of our favourite tracks ever. As soon as we’d written it, we couldn’t wait to play it live and get it recorded in the studio.Every time we play Be Mine at gigs, it gets such a lively reaction and creates a real buzz in the room, so when it came to deciding our next single, Be Mine was the clear favourite. We think it follows on really well from Spin as it has a raw, gritty sound that is more rock driven than some of our previous releases. We’ve had Be Mine ready to go for a long time now and we can’t wait to get it out there for everyone to hear. We hope that people get behind it like they have with our other releases and come and sing it back to us at the live shows.”
AER Music, Fluttertone and dootdoot Records have come together to create a series of intimate evenings of exclusive live performances from the best emerging and established artists.Last night they had the music sensation that is Sam Wickens.
Sam Wickens enchanted the viewers of Virtual last night.There is nothing more special than a performance from Wickens. We saw him in his home studio all geared up and tech savvy. He ventures through tunes with acoustic guitar, synths and reverb as well as some haunting effects. He has become known as the “tech wizard of Oz”, for he has been helping other artists that have performed on Virtual making sure their sound is crisp and clear. However tonight it’s all about the beauty in his songs and majesty of his voice.
Wickens is a passionate performer and exceptional instrumentalist ( he made his synth himself) however it’s the moments of heightened emotion and depth within his songs that takes your breath away – tracks such as ‘I Was’ breaks your heart in a swift, raw and striking instant.His performance is wholly consuming as he ventures between country, soul and folk with ease while subtly adding delicate textures in the background. While having a cheeky little vape during the set as well, Wickens explains he is “mathematically challenged when it comes to song length times “ and planning his time for shows.
Wickens shows the tenderness and emotion in his voice through the immaculate ‘Winter’ while ‘Oh Mother’ displays the rich and soulful marvel of his vocal range. He uses synths and effects to create a haunting atmosphere and reverb. The synths fill out the sound while at the same time emphasising the purest form of his music. Wickens treats us to some new tracks from an EP he will be releasing later this year.Yet to be released ‘Murky Waters’ in particular is perfection.The lush falsetto, foot tapping tempo and soothing melody creates a heavenly melodic ambience while ‘Cliff Side’ is a folk-hued number that has Wickens “trying to be a didgeridoo”. The set continues with fans asking him to do four more… five more songs, Wickens jokingly replies “I’ll do none, I’ll feck off now” before delving into the latter half of his set.
There is real serenity to the performance, a great relaxation that’s beautiful to witness as Wickens plays guitar and keys with ease. Not only can Wickens present moving and lyrically poetic songs he can drift through some pretty slick covers as well. A time stopping cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Crawling Back To You’ graces the setlist however it is the much sought after ‘Jericho’ which leads to revered appreciation and adoration from the viewers.
Sam Wickens is an artist to treasure. His songs form their own universe, primed for the listener to dive in and find their own little corner to indulge and delight in. His technical virtuosity and moving vocals are incomparable and this Virtual medium gives a real frisson of excitement and thrill to Wickens performance creating the space, silence and mood to truly appreciate his beautiful songs.
A Q&A follows the performance which satisfies the insatiable need of the viewers to ask and connect with Wickens. Questions from what’s your favourite fruit, favourite burger joint to how does he get into the head space for his songs, inspirations as well as more personal topics such as him being a “sober little pickle”.He has fans in Canada and America watching. Unfortunately “Sammy” is “too cool to say it back” to fans declaring their love for him however this does not halt the flood of compliments and love for Wickens from pouring in.This Q&A in particular is lively and Wickens banters and chats honestly to his fans providing them with a more personal one to one conversation approach which is a special feature of this Virtual medium. Another mind blowing performance on our weekly fix of Virtual.
After Three extremely successful single launches, Finnian has released his new single ‘Fly’ taken off his debut album ‘Under The Influence’ which will be released on July 24th. Growing up in Dundalk, Ireland, Finnian has carefully nurtured his songwriting to the point where he is now being lauded by his peers as one of the most exciting talents in the country.
Saturated in bluesy swag and jazz elements ‘Fly’ is a bright number steeped in the sleek and engaging songwriting of Finnian. The song is anchored by the jazz piano refrains while elements of blues rock and retro soul adorn the track in lush tones. With banjo twangs between a foot moving rhythm, jaunty organ and warm guitar the track has a strutting sass all of its own. Finnian’s clever turn of phrase and passionate songwriting are at the forefront of his powerful, intricate musicianship. This is best shown when the listener admires the song as a whole – the instrumental backdrop flourishes behind Finnian’s rasped vocals giving the track a fluctuant and kinetic texture that is vibrant and uplifting without becoming overpowering.His beginnings as a folk based songwriter have now truly evolved and this song is a fine display of Finnian mastering his craft.
Irish pop/rock singer-songwriter Fly the Nest is set to release his new single, ‘Borrowed Time’ on July 24th.Dublin native Fly the Nest (Stephen Cooper) started playing music at a young age, performing in various bands. Last year he started solo project Fly the Nest, under which he writes and releases his own music. Stephen also writes for sync, and says that writing for film and TV has opened up another facet of his creativity. The name Fly the Nest came from travelling and moving on from a previous musical journey to the one he’s currently on.
‘Borrowed Time’ is filled with lush instrumental surprises as Fly the Nest crafts an anthemic rock track laced in heartfelt passion. From warm string laments to triumphant brass the song drifts through a majestic arrangement with ease. Cooper allows the track to unfold beautifully. The anthemic rock remains at the forefront creating emotive tones through dusty drum beats and steady guitar strums however its the brass that lifts the song into an adrenaline induced state of jubilation.
The song is a journey through someone’s life and finding their purpose. The lyrics talk about giving life everything you have while you are on this earth, appreciating what you have, and embracing every opportunity. Coopers emotive rasped vocals portray this message perfectly while powerful progressions and a catchy pop-rock melody ensures the track will stay in your head all day. ‘Borrowed Time’ is well paced with Cooper taking his song writing to new heights – looking outside the box to bring a track that is sweet, sincere and bursting with cinematic energy.
I caught up with The Coronas frontman Danny O’Reilly to talk about their new album ‘True Love Waits’ which is set for release on July 31st. We talked about the new direction of the album, its intricate production, and missing the buzz of live shows as well as his collaboration with Gabrielle Aplin,the pressures of previous success and much more.
A quartet for 13 years, last summer The Coronas became a trio when guitarist Dave McPhillips unexpectedly left. Briefly they questioned whether to continue but, once the shock had subsided, something dawned on the Dubliners. If they weren’t the band they used to be, why make music as they always had? – the result is The Coronas’ new album ‘True Love Waits’. The album is set for release on July 31st and Danny is eager to let fans hear the album and see what they think.
“ Yeah absolutely I mean we finished the album in January, early February we signed off on everything and we are really proud of it. We have released four or five songs off it already and it’s getting a great reaction so yeah we are really excited about getting it out. Initially with the lockdown we postponed the release just by a couple of months then we weren’t sure when gigs were going to come back and as we saw that they weren’t going to come back any time soon we said alright there is no point in delaying it any longer, lets just put it out there. I think there’s an appetite there for new music and we can see a serious engagement from our followers online so it felt right to get it out and then we will wait for gigs to come back, hopefully it won’t take too long.”
The band have taken a different approach with this album.They have some brass and a lot more keys and sonically the album takes a cleaner less band heavy approach.This was a natural evolution for the band as they experimented with what their sound is without their guitarist Dave McPhillips who left last year.
“Yeah it’s sort of organic for us usually we tend not to talk about those things too much we let the songs lead us and if it suits the song to be a bit more guitar -y or if it suits the song to be a bit more synth- y we will try and do it that way but it was really working with our producer George Murphy in London. We had worked with him before and he’s brilliant he knows the band he knows our strengths and when we sent him the bunch of demos the reply he had to each song was so bang on.We were just getting excited at his email, I forwarded on his email to our bass player, I was like George listened to the demos, look what he has to say in each song and it was just crazy how much he was in our heads. We had the same ideas even though I had just sent the demos I didn’t really say anything about them, his comments on them and where we should go with them was exactly what we were thinking so straight away we knew it was good.
We did work with two other producers as well Rob Kirwan in LA for the first batch of songs. Rob was brilliant as well, but it just made more sense to us financially as well as everything- we couldn’t get back to LA to finish it off and George was great and then we worked with a great Irish producer called Cormac Butler as well and then George sort of put the whole thing together and again we didn’t overthink it. We wanted it to sound cohesive we wanted it to sound like one piece of music and I think with Dave leaving last year as well that sort of led us to evolve without even trying too hard.We knew the album was going to sound different with a guitar player leaving who always had a good input in the songs so in a way that sort of took the pressure off. We could just follow our instincts and try and do what we thought was best for each song.”
The album still has the massive choruses, melodic hooks and passion that The Coronas are known for however the backdrop is tighter, perhaps more refreshing as the band grow their sound, softening the guitar and rhythm driven backdrops we have come to know from them and opting for a more spacious, relaxed and well paced sound. For instance in ‘Haunted’ there is a light beat and delicate electronic element between the soft keys and sweet desert rock guitar melody. But the band don’t belt out all these elements together; they take each part and allow it to flourish and grow at a steady pace to create a wonderful and expressive atmosphere in a delicate and subtle way. I wondered if this was what the songs and songwriting warranted or something they actively tried to achieve in the studio.
“ I think it was a bit of both. We definitely had ideas from even the initial demos and for the first time we actually ended up keeping some of our demos and some of the sounds on the demos because often when you write a song it has a little magic and if you try and change it and redo it you can almost make it worse. I think when Dave left the band last summer I opened out my song writing to loads of different friends as opposed to taking on the burden of just being the main writer myself. I started writing with different friends of mine and opening out some of my ideas and I think that all came into play as well and the songs started taking different shapes.You’re right though these subtle sounds and stuff, again we didn’t spend forever it was organic in the studio and thankfully we were all on the same page.”
Title track ‘True Love Waits’ is the first song on the album. The track epitomises the theme The Coronas wanted to portray.
“I think we knew it was going to be the first track on the album and Knoxy our bass player suggested it as the name for the album even though that’s probably the only I’d say love song on the album but it has a bit of positivity. A lot of my lyrics I think thematically on the album are sort of about self improvements and the journey, trying to get somewhere, trying to be the best person you can be, the best brother you can be the best band mate you can be and a lot of the lyrics have that sort of thing.I think ‘True Love Waits’ had that as well. In a way it’s like you’re trying to get somewhere and you’re being optimistic that you will get there and it will all work out in the end sort of thing and it seemed to be a nice little phrase to encapsulate the mood of the album in a way. “
‘Lost in The Thick Of It’ is one of the album’s highlights, a beautiful duet with Gabrielle Aplin, written in Brighton with Gabrielle and her partner Alfie Hudson-Taylor. I wondered how that collaboration came about.
“ Gabrielle is a friend of ours so I literally went over to stay in her house in Brighton. Her and her partner Alfie Hudson-Taylor invited me over just to hang out last summer. We have sang with them before but we have never actually sat down, well I’ve written with the Hudson Taylor lads before but myself, Gabrielle and Alfie have never written together.
We didn’t put too much pressure on it we went just to hang out, chill and then we took the guitars out in the afternoon and ‘Lost in The Thick Of It’ came so easily and that’s how it happens, it’s a good sign I suppose when the good songs come quicker. Straight away I was really excited about it and it was just one of those natural things.We worked out the chords and the little piano riff and I brought it to the guys and Gabrielle is such a talented melody writer as well and she straight away started singing the chorus and I was like ‘oh my God this is great!’ It came together very easy. I did a good bit of work on the lyrics afterwards and based the lyrics around the sort of sounds Gabrielle had been making in the original demo which was her just sort of mumbling words that didn’t really say anything but I was hearing little lines come out of them.
Often that’s how I write lyrics. When I’m writing melodies myself I just mumble words that sort of fit around it and then all of a sudden, oh thats a line!, maybe the song is about that and it will sort of lead me in that direction.That’s the way it came together it was great and we are so happy to have her feature on the album as well because initially we were just writing the song as a co-write and I was writing for Coronas stuff but then it sounded so good with her voice we were like you have to sing on this and thankfully she did and hopefully we will get to do it together live sometime.”
It can be important for artists to collaborate with other artists, to bring diversity to their writing style or sound and Danny really enjoys the opportunity to see what other artists bring to his songs.
“I think it is great, you know in general the Irish music scene is very strong and I’ve definitely seen it grow and the support that is there is amazing. When we started out I didn’t do many co-writes at all. I used to write all the songs myself. It’s only in the last couple of years really. I think co-writing can be difficult. It’s such a personal thing there is a lot of ego involved.
I think collaborations in general are great and we had lots of people playing on our album. We had Larry Kaye from All Tvvins who played guitar, Dave our old guitar player played some guitar as well, Cian (MacSweeny) from True Tides played some guitar and did some backing vocals and my sister Róisin did some backing vocals and we just sort of opened it out and had lots of different people involved.
That was just good for us after Dave left as well. It just made sense to open up the family a little bit as opposed to ok just the three of us are going to be here doing it. I think if it’s beneficial for everyone it’s only a good thing but co-writing can be a tricky thing and I’ve only gotten a bit more comfortable with it in the last few years.
Also the other thing I find about co-writing is when you write a good idea if your messing around yourself and you write something yourself you want to finish that song straight away and then the little bits that you bring to a writing session usually are the leftover ones that didn’t excite you as much but what I’ve tried to do in the last couple of years is when I write something that I think is really good I’ll sort of bank it and not finish it off myself and bring it to friends of mine so everyone is excited about it and they are like ‘oh that’s really cool’ and then we start from scratch with that sort of enthusiasm.
That’s what I did with ‘Lost in The Thick Of It’ and with a lot of the songs on the album even ‘Light Me Up’ our new single. I had the chorus written and I brought it to Cian and he was like ‘ah the chorus is cool man’ and we just started working on it. So I think not using up your good nuggets is important if you’re co-writing with people and also writing with talented people that you are comfortable with, as I say, we are lucky that we know a lot of them.”
The Coronas have had quite the career, their thirteen-year journey has definitely been unique with a handful of multi-platinum selling albums and a huge fan base in Ireland and abroad. However the bands previous success does not weigh heavy on Danny. He doesn’t feel pressure to match his previous work
“ I think the longer we do it the more I appreciate that it is actually something to be proud of that we have been together for so long. When we first came on the scene we were a young student band getting loads of radio play and there was a slightly older generation like the Frames and BellX1 and stuff that I loved you know, Republic of Loose and we were the new kids on the block. Now I feel we are at that stage and there is a whole new wave of bands coming through you know the likes of Picture This, Wild Youth and The Academic with just amazing music. So to be honest I don’t feel pressure.
We always put pressure on ourselves to try and write good albums, to try and write good songs. The only time I felt pressure was when we moved back from London before ‘Trust The Wire’ came out. We had a bunch of songs that I thought were good but I really didn’t think we had enough and usually writing under pressure isn’t good, for me anyway. I like to have a bit of time and space but thankfully right at the end of that process I wrote ‘We Couldn’t Fake It’ and ‘Give Me A Minute’ which became two of the big songs on ‘Trust The Wire’ – actually no – ‘Give Me A Minute’ in fairness was earlier, but it was ‘We Couldn’t Fake It’ and something else towards the end, I think it might have been ‘Gut Feeling’ or ..yeah, I can’t remember what song it was but I definitely remember writing two or three songs right at the end and I was like oh thank God we needed them, we needed an album starter and ‘We Couldn’t Fake It’ was it.So I felt a little bit of pressure that time.
I think it was the closest I’ve ever been to have a little bit of writer’s block or something… I mean in my early twenties I used to write a song in a day no problem and I’d just move on and I thought that was just an age thing but this year I’ve been writing a lot more and even late last year when I wrote 70% of the new album since last summer. I was definitely going through a creative burst. I think it can come in waves and you just have to be aware of it but that’s the only pressure we put on ourselves really.
One thing we didn’t put pressure on ourselves with this album was we were trying not to write pop radio singles like we used to. There was not much point in us trying to compete with the likes of Wild Youth and Picture This and try to get student radio when our followers have grown with us. We’ve been around for 10 years and the people who come to our shows are of all ages. We’re not just trying to get on daytime radio anymore we are trying to evolve.
I think as we get older we are grateful that we still do it and thankfully touch wood up until now we’ve managed to keep selling tickets which is the most important thing really.Fingers crossed that continues to happen when gigs come back.”
‘LA at Night’ is a perfect closing song. It’s very evocative and beautiful. The trio dabble quite heavily into the electronic pop scene with beat machine pulses. Danny discussed how he wrote the track and how its simple arrangement transformed into something quite special on the album
“That was one of those songs that came together very quickly. I wrote it in Dingle County Kerry. We toured America in probably November, end of 2018 and we finished up in LA and I was really tired after a long tour.I’d just been through a break up and was emotionally drained and we were meant to fly home and a friend of mine who I was hanging out with in LA was like why don’t you change your flights and stay for a few days and I just had a really lovely few days in LA. She showed me around. It was really nice and I came home then and I felt like I needed that.
I went to Kerry and I wrote the song very quickly. It’s one thing that the guys, George and myself did well I think because I wrote it on piano it was a pure ballad and we didn’t really want to change it or for the production to get in the way because it was a nice song, but we didn’t want it to be just me and a piano and strings. We wanted it to fit into the album as you say. I was really happy with the production that George did on that song in particular because if it was just piano and vocals I think it might have been borderline cheesy you now, like a lot of my songs. But that one it’s got a simple message about if your wrecked or tired you can have something that will just make you feel better, you can have a couple of days with a friend or whatever it is and then all of a sudden you realise that its going to be ok.”
Like many bands and artists The Coronas have had to cancel shows this year. As a band who are popular for their live shows and energetic performances Danny is experiencing some withdrawal symptoms from lack of gigs.
“Oh my God so much.You have no idea.For us gigging is the centre point of what we do. It’s my favourite thing in the world to do.We are praying that it’s going to come back. We have thought about possibly doing social distancing gigs or even drive in gigs or whatever and it just doesn’t really sit right with us. You just don’t know how they are going to go.At the moment we are just trying to bide our time and wait for it to come back and hope that it comes back fully and properly.
It’s one of the things we are missing immensely. We’ve been putting stuff online and we recorded the full album in a studio, played everything live and filmed it as well so we will be putting that on our Youtube channel as a sort of launch I suppose for the album but thats all we can do. Usually we are doing a lot of promo at this time, then you’ve got a big gig that you are looking forward to as well. It’s strange but I think it will hit me when all the promo is done and the album is out, like a week later it’s going to hit me like a ton of bricks, like oh my God I’m not going to get the payoff of having a few amazing gigs.
We had some big festivals lined up and big gigs so anyway we will get on with it. We are luckier than most and we should be able to ride it out. Hopefully gigs will be back next year and there will be as much if not more of a demand than ever. “
Also, just like the rest of us Danny is spending this crazy time sharpening his culinary skills and binge watching TV
“I’m watching a lot of Netflix. I got a dog yesterday… Jess is amazing. She’s a mixture between a Collie and a little bit of Rottweiler but she is beautiful and I got her in the DSPCA and she is the best. Yeah I’m baking and cooking and 5ks so I’m a total cliche”
The Coronas have had a lot of success and experienced every aspect of the music industry ( labels, learning about production and improving songwriting) along the way. I wondered what advice Danny would give to his 18 year old self now that he can look back on a significant, interesting and successful career.
“I would say enjoy it. Enjoy your twenties appreciate it a bit more maybe. Not that I didn’t appreciate it but definitely, I’ve been thinking wow we are so lucky. In our early twenties we were sort of going with it and having fun. I don’t have any regrets. I wouldn’t have too much I would change.There is always a bit of, what if we signed to a label at a certain time would we have gotten bigger but there is no guarantee. I think the most important thing is we have a great career, we are doing music and I’m happy. We could be in a bigger band, you could be Chris Martin and still be miserable.There is no guarantee that if you have success you will be happy..You put your happiness on things if you say oh if only this happens then I’ll be happy and if only I get this I’ll be happy.
You know when we started out all we wanted to do was play Whelan’s and some stage at an Oxegen festival. The goal post continued to change and that’s good. It’s good to be ambitious but I think you can put your happiness on that. Some people equate their ambition with success but you have to enjoy the journey. You also need to be able to pat yourself on the back sometimes and say you’re doing alright. I’d say to my 18 year old self Danny you’re in for a good life you’re lucky.”
Hopefully The Coronas can tour the new album soon. It’s a cohesive well paced album that flows seamlessly as a whole. The bands mature and evolving sound definitely makes for a chilled and emotive listening experience with some catchy tunes on there too.
‘True Love Waits’ is set for release on July 31st until then check out The Coronas’ latest single ‘Light Me Up’ below
1000 Beasts has released his debut EP ‘On A Different Page’.1000 Beasts is an electronic producer & musician from Cork City. Starting off producing electronic pop songs in 2017 he has already achieved great critical success, with spins on BBC R1, heavy radio support in Ireland (TodayFL, 2FM…) and some of the biggest editorial playlists on Spotify (Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds: Pop, New Music Friday UK, The Pop List, A breath of Fresh Eire…), Apple Music, and Deezer.
‘On A Different Page’ reveals 1000 Beasts impeccable ability to create rich layers of brooding electronics filled with R&B, pop and lo-fi elements as he provides a collaborative EP ready to tantalize the senses. The laid back night-time vibes envelope tracks like ‘Is This Love?’ in ethereal atmospheres of swirling synths while the sticky slapping beats provide a danceable groove.
The use of different vocalists on the EP gives each track its own character and persona. 1000 Beasts pulls in mesmerising vocals from Shiv, Kayleigh Noble, Lenii and Alex Tierney to surge soul, warmth and R&B sass into the EP. However it is through the subtle intricacies and layering that 1000 Beasts excels. If it’s the soft jazz guitar in ‘Le Marais’ and funk elements in ‘It’s Cool’ to the tropical rhythm and bubbling electronics in ‘Tokyo’ the soundscapes within each track are meticulously crafted for a satisfying listening experience.
The tone of the EP is quite dark at times and this dark theme continues in ‘Waistcoat’ which boasts sweet vocal coos over skittish trap beats and a smooth noir pop melody. There is something eerie about the track as it ventures down a sound that could fit on Billie Eilish’s debut ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’
The tender ‘5 Points’ brings an end to the EP – a euphoric track with a building background full of suspense-filled synths and breathtaking pulsing beats.
‘On A Different Page’ is an engaging musical experience with laid back lo-fi pop elements sweetening the more weighty electronic and groove rich moments. 1000 Beasts presents himself as a musician to get excited about as he creates a sound laced in depth and dexterity with masterful musicianship at its core.
Luke Clerkin is set to release ‘What Little Time We Have’ on July 24th. The Dubliner’s highly anticipated EP was produced by previous collaborator Gavin Doyle, and Jack Keenan, at Cabin Space Studios in Dublin. It was mastered by the internationally renowned Pete Maher (Jack White, Damien Rice, U2), in London. Luke Clerkin has been playing and releasing music for the last five years, gaining international airplay and support, whilst also topping the Irish Singer Songwriter Charts on multiple occasions. He is also known for playing over 250 gigs in 2015 as a way of honing his craft. Since then he has headlined famous Dublin venues such as Whelan’s, The Workman’s Club, and The Button Factory. His music has brought him all over the world, with multiple tours of Germany, as well as festival slots in America, The UK, and Ireland.
‘What Little Time We Have’ is an earnest emotive collection of tracks which showcase the tastefully memorable and enjoyable musicianship of Luke Clerkin. From the wonderful build of ‘Confession Box’ to the tender struggle with mental health in ‘Stones’ Clerkin displays his ability to present sweet melodies and heartfelt songwriting through a lush blend of genres. The classic rock ‘Not In Love’ is the boldest expression on the EP. Clerkin’s vocals spread over sharp guitars and punchy drums with a stinging guitar solo bringing the track to its crescendo.The track grows into its loud, sweeping finish, with the lead guitar blending perfectly into the thumping background.
Though Clerkin experiments with pop rock he maintains the stripped back wholesome style we have come to know him for. The emotive ‘Closure’ surrounds heartbreaking lyrics and sweet falsetto on vocals with graceful piano accompaniment. Within the melody there is innocence and glimmers of positivity and healing. ‘Nocturnal’ brings the EP to a close with a catchy chorus, charming guitar refrains and danceable atmosphere. Instrumentally it’s an upbeat and vibrant end to an EP that pulls at your heart strings.
‘What Little Time We Have’ is a poignant honest account of self-discovery and self-reflection.With instrumental subtleties appearing throughout the EP which often at times is mixed behind the vocals there is something to enjoy with each subsequent listen. ‘What Little Time We Have’ is deeply personal and a sublime EP from Luke Clerkin.
Talking about the release Luke said ”For this project, I wanted to experiment with new genres, and new sounds. Over the past few years, I’ve worked with amazing musicians and songwriters from all over the world, each of them influencing me in a different way. So these recordings are a reflection of that.’I’m known mostly for my heart-on-sleeve vulnerability, so when moving to a more pop rock genre for songs like ‘Nocturnal’ and ‘Not in Love’, I tried my best to retain this. My lyrics on this project are still as honest as they’ve ever been. This is especially present on ‘Closure’, I think this is the most personal song on the EP, and I feel because of that, it’s the most relatable.”
‘What Little Time We Have’ is set for release on July 24th.For more you can follow Luke Clerkin on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/LukeClerkin/
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
