Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes In The Form Of Áine Cahill’s ‘Black Dahlia’

Cavan singer-songwriter Áine Cahill has received fantastic exposure recently for having taken part in the 2fm/Oxfam ‘Play The Picnic’ competition. She managed to reach the top 10 for the national contest, which secured her a slot on the Oxjam Stage at this year’s Electric Picnic. Cahill has already released a 5-track EP called ‘Paper Crown,’ which came out shortly before Christmas 2014 and was named the #1 unsigned Irish EP of 2014 by Unsigned and Independent Magazine. She’s also hugely influenced by the jazz of the ’40s and ’50s, and has only recently started working with a band, made up of four musicians, Louise Johnston (piano), Paul McCann (double bass), Sam Geraghty (guitar) and Paul ‘Foxy’ Cox (drums).
‘Black Dahlia’ is the start of a new project Cahill is currently working on with producer Martin Quinn from Jam Studios. The song tells the tragic true story of an unsolved murder in 1940s Hollywood. Cahill portrays this theme to us perfectly, she creates an eerie mysterious atmosphere that calls you as a witness to  a tragic scene. With touching imagery conveyed through the lyrics teamed with crisp melancholy vocals that add to this nostalgic haunting tone. The track is narrated to us in a sway -like theatrical manner that touches your soul and pulls you in to this painful grievous tale. The light instrumentation to start adds a delicate quality to the track with the soft beats and gentle piano conveying the soft, innocent and hopeful young star. While the guitar seems to lament the death of this young woman the strings add a sense of danger lurking in the back ready to pounce. The backing vocals lull the listener as if trying to ease their mind of the harrowing scene and give comfort to a distressed soul.
A fantastic track from Áine Cahill look forward to hearing more.
You can catch Áine Cahill live at The Grand Social – Friday September 9th
Stream ‘Black Dahlia’ below