Tag Archives: Sun Mahshene

Sun Mahshene ‘The Righteous One’

Sun Mahshene have released their new single, ‘The Righteous One.’ Sun Mahshene’s collective years of experience have helped them deliver some incredible live shows, including appearances at Whelan’s Ones to Watch 2018 and 2019, Ireland Music Week 2019, and high-profile support slots including Black Doldrums (UK), Magic Shoppe (US), Stony Sugarskull (DE) and Wand (US). Releases to date include three self-published EP’s, followed by three critically acclaimed singles on Reckless Records IE. Spotify and extensive national and international airplay supported these singles with playlists on the BBC and RTÉ Radio radio.

‘The Righteous One’ is an exhilarating psychedelic rock anthem that fizzes with the luring musicianship of Sun Mahshene. The track effortlessly weaves between hazy shoegaze, crashing indie rock, and dazzling psychedelia to create a high-quality gem that is a joy to listen to. Layering fuzzed guitars over agile rhythms the band provide an expansive and biting wall of sound. The whirring on guitars creates an ominous and mysterious quality within the band’s brand of psychedelic shoegaze whilst also capturing the most captivating sonic elements of 90’s guitar music.

The blazing instrumentation swirls around a sweet, delicate melody while supple vocals from Nathan Henderson anchors the listener within the musical maelstrom. He coos through the bewitching soundscape with a cool, emotive tone while bass rumbles, and pounding drums, wrestle for dominance in the thrilling background. Frenetic distortion covers the atmosphere in a crazed frenzy of crashing guitars, agitated bass and resounding drums as the harsh backdrop becomes aggressive for the building crescendo. At the same time, Henderson’s vocals echo gently, creating a blissfully dreamy, hypnotic contrast for the listener to indulge in.

‘The Righteous One’ is a glorious assault on the senses. Sun Mahshene have a masterful ability to express emotion through the medium of music. This is what makes them so special. They have a remarkable sound that entrances the listener from the very first note. ‘The Righteous One’ takes their music to a new level of achievement as Sun Mahshene continue to explore the depths of their unique, mesmerising musicianship.

Stream ‘The Righteous One’ below


Author : Danu

Sun Mahshene ‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’ EP

Sun Mahshene, Ireland’s premier shoegaze / noise-rock band have released a new digital EP , ‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’. Coming off the back of a successful 2019, the EP contains two previously unreleased Sun Mahshene tracks along with their three critically acclaimed singles, Tales of Fiction, Leave This City and This Girl I Know. All tracks were recorded at Darklands Audio, Dublin and co-produced with Daniel Doherty (Fontaines DC, Vulpynes, Slyrydes, Damien Dempsey, Sombodys Child).

With psychedelic adrenaline-filled highs and fuzz fueled intensity smudged into sweet melodies and a thrilling wall of sound ‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’ is laced in Sun Mahshene’s first rate and exhilarating musicianship. The EP is the prismatic swirling home of ‘Tales of Fiction’, ‘Leave This City’ and ‘This Girl I Know’ – three sublime singles previously featured on Indie Buddie. The composition within these tracks are rich and thoughtful as dreamy melodies drift above a fizzing underbelly of dynamic, crashing and frenetic instrumentation.  It is easy to get lost in the layers of intricate wobbly guitars lines, rooted bass grooves and punchy drums as acid soaked distortion swirls prismatic facets of blinding scintillation between the effortless cool vocal delivery by Nathan Henderson.

The band warp, dazzle and bend genres with tracks like ‘Ride The Wave’. Opulent textures create a psych pop mirage through a heavy alternative sonic sheen while a moody grunge – esque melody floats lucidly over this dazing harsh backdrop as if aloof to the bubbling mania beneath. ‘Demons Gold’ closes the EP on a high. The band craft wonderful component parts to produce a mellowed gem brimming with intricacies. From the lamenting guitars weaving elegantly between thumping drums and shimmering keys the track maintains the band’s majestic intense sound with a level of grace and prowess only Sun Mahshene can do.

‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’ is an impressive display of musicianship from Sun Mahshene.Their ability to create implosive epic tunes which exude exquisite production is mesmerising.

Stream ‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’ below 


Author : Danu

Sun Mahshene ‘This Girl I Know’

After the success of their last single ‘Leave This City’, and a busy summer of festival appearances ahead. Dublin’s Sun Mahshene have released their powerful and poignant new single ‘This Girl I Know’. This is the band’s third single to be taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’. It was recorded at Darklands Audio, Dublin and co-produced with Daniel Doherty.

‘This Girl I Know’ wraps your ears in Sun Mahshene’s melodically rich musicianship. A psych hued shoegaze wall of sound delicately caresses the soft verses while Nathan Henderson’s vocals melt upon the sweet nostalgic melody. This track seeps deep into the brain with a fuzzy dreamy atmosphere as ethereal guitar distortion and soft rhythms whirl with heart stopping vigor while creating a marshmallow comforting effect. The melancholic tone sweetly wisps about the track as Sun Mahshene display their musical finesse effortlessly. These guys have some serious talent. Their ability to create a wholly invigorating track while showcasing tender emotion as well as  building and layering their music in intricate instrumentation is mesmerising and oh so lush on the ears. The shrills and pines on guitar are majestic as graceful keys, warm bass and subtle percussion jingles all create the intricate and utterly profound sound that is the glorious delight of Sun Mahshene’s tunes.

Stream ‘This Girl I Know’ below


Sun Mahshene’s ‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ single launch at The Grand Social Dublin with support from The Thrash Blues

Nestled in the heart of a rainy Dublin city The Grand Social Dublin host psychedelic band Sun Mahshene’s ‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ single launch. A projected mirage of kaleidoscopic colours, swirls and patterns decorated the stage wall creating a prismatic dreamy atmosphere as we eagerly waited for the nights music to begin.

Rock n’ roll duo The Thrash Blues cooly take to the stage to ignite the night with their burly grooves and slick riffs. Not one’s for banter they whack into each track with surety and vigor loosening up the crowd’s hips with their swagger steeped richly developed tunes. Liz and Ro have finely chiseled their sound for maximum impact. The beefy riffs, slick guitar licks and melodic purrs weave their way suavely through the punchy drums superbly to create a thrilling contrast. Their raw yet refined sound is perfect to dance to. The Black Keys – esque ‘Wicked Man’ blasts out the energised and playful loose musicianship of this band with an edgy punk whack that hits you in the mouth half way through. There are lush guitar twangs, riveting drum rumbles and warm smooth vocals throughout the set filling each track with its own unique and vibrant character. For bluesy tinged, punk slapped rock n’ roll The Thrash Blues are the ones to call.

Poised on stage amidst the purple hued smoke of dry ice, Sun Mahshene stand ready to melt our mind with their glorious psychedelic drenched tunes. The dim lighting causes their silhouettes to haunt through the smoke providing a spooky, eerie atmosphere.Their set is brimming with malleable elastic soundscapes weaving their way through sharp slinky guitars, elastic bass grooves and chiming keys as Nathan Henderson coos and warmly caresses the euphoric melodies with his velvety vocals. The distorted whines introduce opening track  ‘Making The Call’ as the band peer through the shadowing mist. These guys bend their shredding raw rock and delightful sweet psychedelia seamlessly making for a gritty and diverse listening experience. Sun Mahshene are musical guru’s who leave a trail of sugary sprinkles throughout their tracks which lead you down a delicious rabbit hole craving for more. ‘The World Will Grind You Down’ and ‘This Girl I Know’ are mesmerising live as the band entwine each track in glorious layers adding rich depth to each component. There are three guitarist on stage Ryan Daffy, Ian McGinn and vocalist Henderson – this brings a new dimension and thrilling intensity to each track. These guys are also fun to watch on stage bassist Darren Hughes dances, executes all the suave guitar poses and hair flicks known to man while hopping, bopping and wiggling along to the tunes – he only stops to place a can to his brow to cool himself down while Dave Murray’s proficient drumming is a joy to watch and listen to. Backing vocals and percussion were provided by Ray Burke while Rob Crosbie took to the keys to help flesh out and adequately translate Sun Mahshene’s stunning sound.

‘The Righteous One’ is one beautiful 60’s – esque gem. Distortion on guitars fizz and bubble over a dreamy vocal and euphoric melody while punchy drums and enchanting soundscape create a dizzying sweet wall of sound to encapsulate your mind, soothing, sedating and enlightening you all at once. It’s pretty magnificent. I forgot where I was for a brief moment – the tracks are so luscious and consuming. The new single ‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ was equally as gripping. Its anthemic chorus had members of the crowd jumping and throwing their arms in the air while that defiant beat thumped through our chests invading and controlling every bounce and bop. There was no lag or cavity in their set. Every track was engaging and blissful on the ears. These guys are growing and flourishing beautifully and with a sound that leaves you thirsty to hear more their live show is the perfect medium to guzzle up their dazzling sound and refreshing tunes.

The band closed their set with the effervescent ‘When The Bomb Drops’. However the crowd refused to allow that be the end, they demanded the band return for an encore. As they shouted for “No Control”  Henderson shrugs and timidly obliges “Right we’ll do it”. ‘No Control’ takes the roll of the final track in its stride. Sulky and brooding it swarms in with dark tones, shrilling guitars, reverb vocals and a magnificent wall of sound that rushes adrenaline and fiery intensity into your veins. This exhilarating track was the perfect closing tune.

‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ is released on 15/02/19 make sure to check it out. These guys have something special.


Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Sun Mahshene

Dublin’s “Psychgazers”, Sun Mahshene, are set to release their fizzing new single  ‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ tomorrow the 11th January. This is the second single to be taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘Contradictions and Tales of Fiction’. It was recorded at Darklands Audio, Dublin and co-produced with Daniel Doherty.

‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ coolly whacks out that shivering dark and wild side to Sun Mahshene’s psychedelic shoegaze. These guys have never been shy at throwing everything they have into their tracks and this new single is no different. Brimming from the start with shrilling guitars blistering through a hyper drum pound, charging bass and scalding raw electronics, this lean mean psych spun number is saturated in mind frazzling soundscapes and adrenaline inducing energy. The catchy melody drips nectar coated bliss onto the effervescent backdrop as Nathan Henderson’s deep vocals rumble the verses through the snappy drum whack and flexible bass blitz. Filled with ominous spine chilling distortion, pristine production and breathtaking musicianship- this is another killer track from Sun Mahshene.

Stream ‘Come Alive (Leave This City)’ below


Sun Mahshene ‘Tales of Fiction’

Fresh off their slot at Vantastival, Dublin Indie Psychgazers Sun Mahshene are set to release their new single ‘Tales of Fiction’ on the 28th of July. The track was recorded and co-produced by Dan Doherty in Darklands Audio. This is the first single to be taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘Contradictions & Tales of Fiction’ which is due for release in October 2018. Sun Mahshene started off as a solo project by guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Nathan Henderson and soon turned into a collective of talented musicians, bringing Dave Murray on board for drumming duty and Ian McGinn on rhythm and lead guitar. With a mutual ambition to create something special they decided to merge their wide range of influences and joined forces with Darren Hughes on Bass and Ryan Daffy as third guitarist.

These guys know how to make mind melting tunes and ‘Tales of Fiction’ is no different. Filled with shrilling guitars and floor shaking punchy drums and bass combination, the monstrous wall of sound this track brings is something to behold. Swirling soundscapes mystify with wispy dreamy kaleidoscopic hues while the crashing biting guitars soar, wail and glide with a relentless onslaught into your ears in the most captivating and thrilling manner that leaves you in a blissful haze of euphoria. The adrenaline rush that exudes from this track is sublime while the smooth honey drizzled melody flows in on a laid-back cloud of sweet sedation. Henderson’s vocals weave between powerfully dynamic and velvety smooth tones while oozing a fiery passion. It’s a big tune camouflaged as a sweet psych trip. Once this track kicks in it goes full throttle – psychedelic indie rock at its shoegazing fueled best.  Once again Sun Mahshene produce a fresh mouth-watering slice of captivating infectiousness to sink our teeth into.

Stream ‘Tales of Fiction’ below


A Chat With: Sun Mahshene

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We caught up with Nathan Henderson from Sun Mahshene  last month after their set in  Sin É Dublin, to get to know them a little better and try and decipher the inner workings of those blissful psychedelic tunes

Tell us a bit about yourselves?

N: My name is Nathan Henderson and I’m the chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist in Sun Mahshene. Myself and the other core members of the group make up a 6 piece indie/psych rock n roll outfit from Dublin. The other members are Ian McGinn on guitar, Ryan Daffy on Guitar, Darren Hughes on bass, Dave Murray on drums and Ray Burke on percussion and backing vocals. We also have some other players who stand in if we’re short. They are Stephen Mooney on guitar, Graham Matthews on guitar, Martin Fagan on bass and Tom Moylan on drums.

How did ‘Sun Mahshene’ come about?

N: It originally started out as a bit of a “bedroom” project for me back in 2014. I was in between bands and putting down ideas in my home studio to keep myself entertained. But once I put some demos up online it soon grew legs. There was a good bit of positive feedback coming in so I decided to work on taking it to the next level. The early incarnation of the band consisted of friends who I had previously played in bands with, who agreed to helped me to get the ball rolling. Dave is the only one left in the current line up from those early rehearsal sessions. There’s been a bit of a revolving door of members but we’ve a settled core group of players now.

 Tell us about what it was like when you first started writing music and coming up with your sound?

N: Before Sun Mahshene I was involved in mainly indie rock bands with sounds along the lines of The La’s, Oasis, The Stone Roses, that sort of thing. So this time around I wanted to create something with a bigger, more raw and darker sound. It was when delving  into the Shoegaze, Neo-Psych and Garage rock genre’s the my vision became clearer of what I wanted to achieve sound wise. I did a lot of research on how my favourite bands from these genre’s achieved their sounds from what guitar pedals and amps they used right up to the type of guitar strings and different tuning scales. I’ve a box in my studio that’s absolutely full of guitar pedals. It’s been a fantastic voyage of discovery so far and a lot of fun. And long may it continue!

You released your fourth EP ‘Drones That Don’t Kill’ last year tell us a bit about the EP?

N: Yeah, the EP was released on New Years Eve. We recorded it at Darklands Audio in Dublin and was co produced with Daniel Doherty who’s the main man there. Working with Dan was great and a nice learning experience. He chipped in with some good advice and little ideas to help us fine tune things. It was our way of closing off  what was an eventful year for the band. 2016 was a year that we worked hard on establishing the line up and creating a cohesive live sound. So we wanted to put something out, for ourselves more so than anything else, so that we had something to show for our hard work. And we’re happy with the overall reception it has gotten since it was released.

Do you have a favourite track on the EP?

N: Mine has to be the lead track, ‘No Control’.It’s an absolute belter of a rock n roll tune and great to play live! It’s also Darren’s go too tune. Ryan and Dave are into ‘Shine Your Light’ and Ian is into ‘In The End’. Martin Fagan, who was our bass player at the time of recording the EP, loves the bonus track ‘I Love You’ which plays on the tail end of ‘You’.

The tracks are hazy and soaked in blissful twisted psychedelia with enough fuzz and heaviness to keep it punchy but it’s still ridiculously dizzying and delusional tell us how you achieve this sound and what drove you to create a mirage of darkly saturated tunes?

N: We wanted to do something which not many are doing here at the moment. Or certainly not in Dublin. There are some good indie bands doing the jangley thing but we’re more interested in playing tunes with a bit more bombast to them. So we’ve got 3 guitarists rather than the standard 1 or 2 you’d get in a lot of bands. It adds extra weight to our sound and an extra dimension to how we play.

 The track ‘In The End’ was co-written and features vocals from Lydia Des Dolles of Daag Hur, how did that collaboration come about?

N: I was part of an early lineup of  Daag Hur with Lydia and we had recorded a demo of In The End before I left the band. The song used to be called Before The Light Fades which had different lyrics and slightly different melody which I used to sing. We reworked the lyrics and vocal melody to suit her style of singing. After I left I thought it’d be a waste not to put the song out on something and so asked Lydia if she’d be cool with it being a Sun Mahshene release. She was happy to go with it and the result was great.

 There is a lot going on in your tracks with swirling soundscapes meandering through droning sometimes explosive percussion and sharp piercing guitar arrangements talk us through the writing and producing process for your songs?

N: I have a studio at home and write all of the parts for the songs and take them to the rest of the guys. It’s probably not the most democratic of bands but once an idea is brought to the everyone the feel changes somewhat as their different styles of playing add extra personality to things.

How do you find the recording process is there anything in particular you find difficult?

N: We love being in the studio and recording. It’s extrememly gratifying to hear something you’ve been working on in rehearsals come together. Sometimes you’re focused on your own parts of the song when rehearsing making sure you’re getting it right. So it can be easy to miss or not fully take in what everyone is doing. So once it’s put down in the studio you get to hear the consolidation of everyone’s input fully. I think the most difficult thing is the mixing process. We tend to layer up a lot of different sounds and guitar effects so the impact of certain songs can be lost when there’s too much going on. We really need to sit down and make some tough decisions on what parts need to be stripped out to ensure the song we happen to be working on can be as good  as can possibly be. Drones That Don’t Kill was co produced with Daniel Doherty. So he helped push the song in the right direction and offered great advice.

 Tell us about the concept for the cover art for the EP?

N: The cover art was a summary of what a crazy year 2016 was politically. Both on a national level and internationally. We had the Irish Water debacle happening, Brexit in the UK and then the Trump farce in the US. So we wanted to captured that somehow. It goes back to what Nina Simone once said, an artist’s duty is to reflect the times.

 What is a live show with you guys like?

N: Loud, sweaty and full of melody. We’re probably not the most animated bunch on stage. But we hope the music does the speaking for us. Although, Darren on bass does enjoy a bop.

 How do you get a crowd warmed up and ready to engage and rock out with you guys?

N: Our set is full on from start to finish so our ethos at the moment is to kick the door down and ask questions later in that respect. There’s no better way to catch someones attention by blowing their heads off. As an unsigned band you have to do something which will capture people’s attentions right from the start. But we’re constantly working on new ideas on how to change things up a bit so I’m sure how we deliver our shows will evolve into something else as time goes on.

 Have you had any bizarre things happen while you were on stage?

N: At one show we played, a guy in the audience loved our stuff so much he started throwing beer mats at Ian. He was punching the air and giving rock signs with his hands. I don’t think Ian even realised what was happening. He’s a typical shoegazer, once the song starts his head drops down when he’s playing. So it was funny to have beer mats flying past our heads like frisbies. We got off lightly though because the guy threw a bar stool at the headline act because he was so into their stuff. Luckily it didn’t make it on to the stage. I guess people can have a funny way of showing their appreciation. Either way we’re glad he liked it!

 What is your favourite venue to perform in so far and why?

N: Out of the venues we’ve played so far it’s probably The Workmans Club in Dublin. They have great sound engineers there and the venue is a nice size. As an added bonus, we all manage to fit on the stage which can be a struggle for us in other venues.

 What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

N: The biggest challenge is when one of the core members can’t do one of our shows. It can be at short notice, so getting one of our stand ins up to speed with new songs can be tricky. But everyone that comes in to play for us are great musicians so they generally pick up on things fairly quickly. We haven’t had to cancel a show yet and long may it continue.

 What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band?

N: Forget about trying to be the next big thing or trying to sound like what the flavour of the month is on the radio or whatever platform you listen to music on. Do what ever feels right and inspires you. And ultimately enjoy yourself. The hardwork will pay off in the end.

 What’s next for ‘Sun Mahshene’?

N: We’ve a couple of shows coming up, one in Stage 19 on Francis Street, Dublin on the 14th of October. We’ll have great support on the night from Segrasso and Free Sunshine Acid. Then we’re in with the good folks at Gigonometry on the 20th of November in The Workmans Club, Dublin. We’re also demoing our debut album which we aim to begin recording early next year.

Stream ‘Drones That Dont Kill’ below