Formed in 2022 and headed up by Evan Walsh (former drummer with The Strypes) The Savage Hearts have made several exciting appearances on the Irish scene including sets at Electric Picnic (2022 & 2023), Sea Sessions, Kaleidoscope and others. The band have performed support slots including a notable appearance as special guests of The Boomtown Rats in July 2023 (Evan later joined the Rats onstage for a jam of Mary Of The 4th Form and John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom). The band have now released their first single ‘Gang War’(co-authored with Ste Kelly of Dublin’s own indie powerhouse Raglans). The track is released in collaboration with Galway-based Blowtorch Records, an Irish indie record label whose previous credits include Adore, Turnstiles, Search Results, TV People and The Swedish Railway Orchestra.
‘Gang War’ is a top-notch record. It is a thrilling concoction of garage rock, psychedelia and gritty rock and is an intriguing glimpse into the exciting potential of this band. The song opens on slinky keys, and sleazy howls on guitar while the drums stomp throughout; laying down a swaggering foundation that complements the 60’s psychedelic element on keys. With blasts of harmonica injecting a warm tone; the band create a prism of sounds that is both dazzling and tantalizing to the ears. ‘Gang War’ is an exciting new release from The Savage Hearts. Keep an eye on these guys.
Irish pop-dance sensation LYRA has released her new single ‘Chess’, which is taken from her highly- anticipated upcoming album. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss the new single, what we can expect from the album and what she has planned for her upcoming tour.
“So this song is about the mind games I was going through at the very early stages of my career in the music industry trying to make it as a female artist. I wanted to write about it but I didn’t want to write about it in the way of like pointing the finger and being like, Oh, I can’t believe you all told me to lose weight. How dare you kind of finger wagging style. I wanted to do something that told the message, through my style, which I suppose in this song a bit darker, a bit poppier. My dad taught me how to play chess when I was younger, and I was like, Well, this is a perfect way to say what I want to say, but not have to do the whole finger-wagging thing. So I sat down on my sofa and put the two concepts together and started writing about my experience. The lyrics say exactly what I want to say so there’s no hiding there, so it’s all out there like, “Would it make a difference if I was the same sex” It’s unfortunate us poor women seem to be pitted against each other? I don’t know why because I would love if we all got the lime light, it would be fantastic. And actually another one; “I dont want the lime light I just want a fare fight”, you know, I just wanted my chance, my opportunity to show them what I could do. So that’s the main inspiration behind the whole song, just me wanting to get there.”
Whether it’s energetic dance elements, bright pop soundscapes or moving ballads, LYRA’s music is filled with dynamic and passionate instrumental arrangements that express the tone of the track. ‘Chess’ is a fine example of this. LYRA has wrapped the darker subject matter of the lyrics in pulsing beats, tense synths and ethereal soundscapes to create a track that is mesmerising and moving while balancing darker tones throughout.
“Yeah, I knew that I wanted to have dark elements in it, but I also didn’t want it to go too dark. Because obviously with the message being dark, you don’t want the instrumentation to completely go to the dark side because you just end up with a track that you know, it’s not very uplifting and I didn’t want it to be a woe is me kind of thing. I also wanted to have the uplifting side of it. So when I was going about producing this with Dan Priddy, who is a producer on it, I was very much expressing that to him. There are certain sounds that I knew would sound good in this track, like, the bass and clicks and stuff like that. So, I’m very, confident in myself to be able to express that when I am in the studio, in order to make my songs sound very much like me. I have had a massive input in it. When I’m writing songs and when I’m sitting at home on my iPad, when I was coming up with the lyrics and the melody, I can almost hear how the song should sound. So it’s very easy for me then to just portray that to a producer and be like, Okay, this is how this song needs to sound because that’s how it will get the story across the best.”
“ I’m not going to sugar coat it. It is telling a darker message. It is telling a message of, being a woman and, being kind of battled up against other women, which is something that I am not for. I am all for women supporting women and, you know, going through being told to lose weight to fit in this box that they wanted to put me in or you know, things like that and it was a struggle, so that’s why I did want to bring the production down the darker side of things because it is a dark side of the industry.”
The melody within ‘Chess’ is luscious and oozes emotion. It’s a powerful pop song that boasts a catchy refrain and striking melodic flow.
“With this song when I sat down at home, I knew what I wanted to write about and I had written down some words. Then I just started singing the words and the melody just came. I actually didn’t have the chorus for a while, which actually is the easiest part of the song because it just says “chess you want to play chess”. I don’t know how I didn’t come up with that at the start. But it was more about telling the story for me in this one than finding a melody and then hoping that the words fit. For me, this one was all about the lyrics. So I started with that. Then I just threw down a few chords on my iPad, and it just came about. They just all seemed to match together. It didn’t take me that long to write which is great when you have one of those. Not all of them are like that, but this one, I think I was so passionate about what I wanted to say that I was like, right? Here are the lyrics, lets find the melody for it and that was it. “
‘Chess’ is an exciting glimpse into what we can expect from LYRA’s upcoming album.
“Oh, that album. It’s gonna be so bloody juicy. It’s a nice little introduction to the album for sure. This is the start, it’s kind of like okay, we have a little flavor here. The flavour is gonna get more and more and more intense until your mind is blown.”
“I’m really excited for it. I actually had to stop myself from listening to them, like don’t listen to it now you’re gonna ruin it. You’re going to ruin it for yourself and I keep picking out things. I’m like, oh, that bass could have been higher. Oh, that beat or whatever and I’m like stop listening to it now. But I’m very excited for everyone else to listen to it. It’s definitely gonna tell a journey and it’s going to tell people a lot about me and my life. So people are going to get to know me and I can’t wait to tell them what every song means and why I wrote it and where I was in my life when that happened to me etc. All of them are personal journeys to me. It’s what I’ve been through the past couple years so I’m looking forward to sharing it with you in a musical way because it makes it not so scary when its a musical way”
UK producers Mark Crew and Dan Priddy who have also worked with Bastille, Rag ‘n’Bone Man and Freya Ridings, worked on the record with LYRA. We discussed what they brought to the songs and how they influenced her sound.
“Yeah, you know, in fairness credit to the boys. I started Chess at home on my ipad and it literally was just a melody, lyrics and chords. When I brought it into Dan he was like, this idea is amazing, lets go with it. I know the production I want and I’m very good at vocalising it but it was you know, trying to go through the libraries and catalogues of sounds and stuff like that. It’s fantastic to have him on board saying, okay, I get what you mean there, I think this sound is what you’re looking for. So to have that from them is really good. Sometimes I suppose, me being so close to the music, I need somebody on the other side to have a fresh set of eyes and ears. I really appreciate [them], they’ve worked on songs with Rag ‘n’Bone Man, Bastille the new Shania Twain stuff. I know they know what they’re doing. So it’s really nice to also ask their advice and pick their brains with things like, oh, how would you think this would sound bigger or wider or what reverb do you reckon we should use on my voice? I love things like that. That’s why I love collaborating and finding new people and it originally started with me and Dan creating Chess. Then when I went to reproduce it for the album, Mark Crew came in, so it was really nice to have another fresh take. It’s nice knowing that they’re so well up in their game, and I feel very confident with the choices that we make together as a team, which I love.”
To celebrate the release of ‘Chess’, LYRA will be heading out on a twenty-two-date Irish Tour this Spring including two dates at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin. This is huge for the singer-songwriter and a wonderful opportunity for her fans to see her charismatic stage performance and mesmerising presence.
“Oh my god. I’ve actually started to do spin classes because my mom was like, you’re doing 22 shows and I suppose I didn’t really sit down and let that sink to my mind. I was like, oh my god, I’m doing 22 shows. I’m going to be found dead in the bush somewhere if I don’t get my cardio up because getting on stage in thigh high boots, heels, and belting out the songs is a lot. So I was like, right, I need to get myself in shape. So I actually started these spin classes. I hope they don’t mind me there in the back and any track that I know I’m like trying to sing along quietly to try and get my lungs working while I’m sweating myself on the thing. So it’s going to be a great tour. I think [the] tour is actually one of my favorite times because you get to sing your songs. You get to see the audience you get this initial reaction and communication with them and its such a life experience. I’m always bawling, crying when I come offstage. Everyone’s like, oh my god, you give her a minute. She’s bawling. But I’m never sad. I’m so overwhelmed with happiness just seeing people have your back. It’s a very lonely industry that we’re in. So to get on stage and see all these people who have come to support you, and love you is just mind bloody blowing, like the best ever. So it’s my favourite time. I’m going to really live up these 22 days.
LYRA is a passionate and compelling songwriter who pours all she has into her art. ‘Chess’ is a fine example of first-rate musicianship and is a delight to listen to. With this track as a tantalizing appetiser, it’s sure the album is going to be a triumph for her. LYRA is gaining momentum and has a lot more exciting things to come.
“When we’re selecting the album, we had so many tracks to choose from. So this is chapter one of LYRA. Then I’m just going to keep going and spend this whole year doing my album, it’s all about my album and it’s all about getting out there singing it for people, getting people to know it. Getting people to know me as an artist. This is what this year is about. It’s about everything LYRA and I’m so excited I finally get to do this. I’ve been waiting for so long. I feel like this is the time now. It’s so exciting. I just feel I’m living the dream.”
“Obviously, all this was supposed to happen the year that we were stuck inside and covid got us all locked down. I thought that maybe that was me done. I thought I’m never going to build up momentum again. Two years of lockdown. I’m not very great at social media. People are gonna forget about me and I couldn’t get into the studio and do my album. The bans got lifted. I had to go back out on the road just to get people re-familiar with me. So the album took another backseat. Now I’m finally happy to say that this year, we’ve spent so many months working on it and it’s actually coming out. It’s weird. It’s actually so surreal. Every time I post anything about it. I say to my sister, I feel sick. I can’t believe this is actually happening. Even yesterday when I posted the album cover for the first time I was like I feel sick. Eight months ago I was in a photo shoot and now with one click of a button everyone has seen it. It’s just weird, but it’s great. I’m really just going to enjoy it and live it up because you never know when it can be taken away from me again so I’m just going to go hell for leather girl.”
LYRA’s grandmother has been at the forefront of her mind and career since she started releasing music. Her first single ‘Emerald’ was about her grandmother and even today as we discuss her stunning album cover she feels her grandmother is watching over her and blessing her music endeavours.
“Thank you. I think it was like one of the first shots that we actually took and we all, well I didn’t because I couldn’t bloody see it. I was bloody blinded by that light that was in my face. But everyone in the crew just went, that is it. I was like surely not. We’ve literally just started, that can’t be it and they were like, that’s it. I looked at it and I was like yeah, that’s the one. I’m all about my nan being with me for this whole experience because I wrote Emerald about her which was my first song which started my career. So I feel like she’s been there and that happening, I was like yeah, for me, she’s making it happen.”
LYRA is a diverse and captivating artist who isn’t defined by a genre. ‘Chess’ showcases an emotional and powerful ballad aspect to her sound and teases an exciting glimpse into what is sure to be a brilliant album.
Former lead singer of Walking on Cars, Pa Sheehy, has released his new Christmas EP ‘The Christmas Fool’. I caught up with the Kerry songwriter to discuss his musical inspirations for the EP, his European and UK tour, his plans for next year and what sparked the decision to release a Christmas EP.
“Basically what happens to me almost every year, well the last couple of years.I get this lovely notion to release Christmas music around November time, but by the time November comes, it’s too late.So I found myself a bit more organized this year. I spent half the summer working on Christmas tunes.The weather wasn’t great anyway, so it wasn’t too difficult to get into the swing of things and pretend it was Christmas. So yeah, I always wanted to write a Christmas song and I just felt that it needed to be part of something bigger. So I found some songs that felt right and I’m happy to have something out there now.”
The Title ‘The Christmas Fool’ comes from one of the musical gems on the EP, ‘Abigail’ we discussed the track and why it sparked the title for the EP.
“[The title] is a lyric in a track called ‘Abigail’. I suppose for me ‘Abigail’ represents a symbol of Christmas or a symbol of sadness, loss, its a symbol of home, craic, all the things that represent Christmas. That tune is about looking back at simpler times, and times like for me probably early 20s when all your friends are in the same room at Christmas but life is very simple. It’s all about just going out and having the craic and being with your friends and it’s all easy. Then you fast forward a couple years, where everybody has their own life and everybody’s doing their own thing and that room suddenly becomes a lot smaller and the people in it become far less and it’s just a different place that everybody’s in their lives. So ‘Abigail’ represents what we had back when I guess.”
‘Abigail’ is a beautiful track. With delicate instrumentation encased in strong drums and icy piano. Sheehy eloquently captures that sort of chill and cold harshness of Christmas while balancing a warmth and cosy contrast showing the many emotions that Christmas can bring.
“Thanks very much. I had that motif, for ‘Abigail’ for like two years. I knew it was a Christmas song, but I didn’t know what to do with it or how to approach it. So I met a friend of mine one day this year, and we sat down and we got on it. Yeah, delighted to evolve into what it is now.”
Within this EP, Sheehy manages to keep the instrumentation and production sparse and organic. It is never overpowering yet is filled with emotion. The production, his voice and his choice of instrumentation all ooze passion and tenderness. Sheehy takes the time to allow the music to evolve naturally and form relatable images of Christmas within the listener’s mind.
“Thanks for noticing that. That is something that I was very, very mindful of. I suppose a lot of my earlier career was around making songs as big as possible and like throwing the kitchen sink at it production-wise. I often look back at the music I made my early days and think its over produced and it hasn’t aged well because we used modern production a lot. Whereas I really want to just keep it as organic as possible. Because in 10 years time, a drum kit is gonna sound like a drum kit. A real piano is gonna still sound like a piano or the guitar is gonna sound like a guitar. I feel the minute you start adding too much modern sounds to it you’re going to walk away and look back in a couple of years time and think why did I do that? So I was always mindful to keep it real and keep it really organic and acoustic “
Sheehy provides a wonderful cover of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ on the EP. Again he provides a timeless and moving version of this song. With warm vocals and expressive instrumentation, he creates a soothing, warm and sombre rendition.
“I think it was one of those Christmas songs that like its Christmassy but it’s not cheesy. Because there’s a lot of cheesy Christmas songs and they’re all great, but this one just has a little bit of class to it, I think. Yeah, to be honest, the guys that produced that track, John Bird and Jake Curran. They really brought that to life with the fretless bass and just had the little fire in the background and it feels nice Christmassy. They did really well and they didn’t overcook it”
Sheehy was in the airport heading to one of his shows while we were chatting and we discussed how the European and UK tour was going.
“Yeah, really enjoying it we had our first gig last night in Berlin and that went really well it was a nice really warm welcome and the crowd were unbelievable. So really nice way to kick off things. We’ve just landed in Amsterdam now and ‘Abigail’ and ‘So Much Wine’ are the two tracks that are on the setlist and yeah it feels really good to play live. “
“I think we’re just in time. I think if we were on tour last week, it would have been too early for Christmas songs. But it’s just the right moment I think we got lucky with the tour dates”
With a fantastic Christmas EP just released, I asked Sheehy if he plans to release more music in 2024.
“I have a song coming out on the 12th of January. Its a cover. Myself and my friend Hannah Cullen have recorded an acoustic version and its set for release on the 12th of January and then after that, I’ve got loads of music on my laptop and I have made no plans. I need to make January my planning month so at the minute I just have loads of music but no plan as of yet.”
Pa Sheehy is a musician to treasure. His ability to evoke raw images and capture emotion within his songwriting and musicianship is captivating and makes his music timeless and relatable on many levels. His songs are heartfelt, raw and catchy. ‘The Christmas Fool’ is a glorious listening experience and a moving example of his talent.
Hawke The Band have released their new single, ‘If I Made The World’. Hawke The Band was formed in 2018 by two friends in the shadow of the world-famous Guinness Brewery (in the south of the city) and features Richie Power (vocals/keyboards) and Eoghan MacMahon (vocals/guitar). Irish rock legends Aslan quickly declared themselves major fans, with frontman Christy Dignam proclaiming Hawke The Band “the next big thing” to emerge from a country that consistently punches above its weight in terms of quality music.
‘If I Made The World’ showcases an emotional and tender side to Hawke The Band. The lyrics were inspired by “the outlook of a homeless man who Richie bumped into after a night out in Dublin. He illustrated how the world would look if he was the one in charge. His optimistic, idealistic and selfless imagination in contrast with his bleak reality was a message we tried to convey in this track.” The band express this message wonderfully through poignant lyrics and uplifting soundscapes. With warm guitar gliding between soft vocals and emotive tones, ‘If I Made The World’ is a moving beautiful song. The band build the instrumentation to create a cinematic effect that is thrilling making for a wholesome tune and a glorious listening experience.
Last Thursday night Cork’s “Best Rock n Roll Bar & Venue” Fred Zeppelins whipped up another fiery night of alternative rock frenzy with up-and-comers Reserved for Rehab and special guests The Luminesc and Ether.
The venue had a bustling atmosphere as first act Ether took to the stage. Chris Kett, Rob Cashman and Shao Tampus presented their Grungy-Shoegaze sound to the eager crowd. Filled with sweet guitar melodies, buoyant drums and tantalizing bass grooves the band displayed a tight and fun presence for their debut show. Each member has other musical projects and on the night they performed newly written songs and a refreshing encore that showcased Rob Cashman’s solo material. Ether’s performance was a solid debut.
The Luminesc took to the stage with a heavier sound that reverbed through the venue with a thrilling frequency. There’s a 90’s rock vibe about this band’s sound as they put a modern twist on The Smashing Pumpkins -esque melodies. Their melodic groovy sounds and strong riff-based tunes engrossed the crowd from start to finish. Rob Doherty, Diarmuid, Francis Hayden and Ryan O’Dwyer gave us a diverse energetic set with polished bass riffs, robust drums and zealous guitar. The band’s tracks showed off Doherty’s strong vocals as he effortlessly slid into falsetto between howling out angst-riddled lyrics. It was a brilliant and fiery performance from The Luminesc.
Reserved For Rehab wasted no time and steamrolled into their set of powerful and melodic tracks. Each tune showcased mature lyrical content, rich musical diversity and refined musicianship as the band ventured between rock, indie, shoegaze and hints of moody grunge. The crowd were enamoured from the start; dancing, moshing and bellowing back the lyrics with enthusiasm and an excited frenzy that is rare for a new band to inflict. Covers of ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ thrilled the young audience. However, it’s the band’s original songs that hooked the crowd. They bellowed back the lyrics of ‘Guerrilla’ and ‘Ivory’ without any prompt as they manically moshed throughout and it’s easy to notice why. The young band’s original work is very impressive. Each song has an instrumental that draws you in and the encouraging energy on stage from the four-piece is infectious. These guys play with such skill and passion it leaves much to be admired. Mikilaj Musko’s hair flicks between slick guitar manoeuvers while Shao Tampus’ (also performed with Ether) flips between intricate drum taps and mighty belts. Chris Kett’s (also performed with Ether) slick bass grooves are a joy to listen to and Ramah Kinane- Kumar’s nonchalant yet charming stage presence between grungy vocals and rasp-filled howls is an entrancing sight to behold. Even the time-stopping final track ‘Hollow’, which has a slower pace and more moody tone had the crowd in a trance. It was a moving tune that displayed Kinane-Kumar’s vocal ability and exposed a vulnerability we haven’t seen from this band before, sparking the audience to shout for an encore.
It’s exciting to witness new bands showcase their sound and watch them grow over numerous performances. All three bands put on an impressive performance last Thursday night. It will be interesting to see how more gigging and experience will shape these extremely talented musicians.
Following a whirlwind summer of songwriting, performing, and charting, Isaac Butler has released his new single ‘Heart of Gold’, ahead of the upcoming headline show at Dublin’s Academy on December 1st. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to have a chat about his upcoming show, his plans for the rest of the year and how he created his new single.
‘Heart of Gold’ is a wholesome heartfelt tune brimming with anthemic melodies and passionate songwriting. Butler explained the personal story behind the track.
“Yes, so it’s a funny one. It actually came about from a conversation that I had with my dad. The pre-chorus leading into the chorus, those lines are: “my dad said son you’ll find the one but love is never easy” and this whole conversation came about because I had just ended a relationship and I was feeling almost worried and anxious about like, oh my god I’m getting on. I’m into my mid to late 20s and I’ve just broken up with or from a long relationship like, what’s the story? Am I going to dial up? I was freaking out, I suppose and he let me have my panic, kind of 10 minute rant. Then he just looked at me and said right are you finished? and then gave me some advice and he said, Look, you need to relax. Just chill out. It’ll all happen. If you get out of your own way. I suppose it was those two lines. My dad said son, you’ll find the one, love is never easy and then I wrote the song around that idea.”
As in all of Butler’s songs, the lyrics are relatable, express a sense of vulnerability and are deeply honest. This earnest quality enriches his songs and makes the listener really connect.
“Is it hard for me to put out there? Yeah, it probably is. But I’m getting much better at it. I think I fell into this trap when I was first releasing music of, well not a trap but I suppose this works both ways. But I was writing songs that weren’t too personal. There were stories that I heard or even things sometimes that I just kind of created and what I found is in recent years is the songs that really connect are the songs that I can talk openly [ about ], like this. I think it comes [ across ] in the actual recording. Then when I’m speaking about them, like in this situation I can really get into the deep tissue of what the songs actually mean to me. I think that’s what connects with people more so than catchy melodies all that kind of thing.”
‘Heart of Gold’ has Celtic elements sweeping between indie guitars, pop melodies and an anthemic chorus. We discussed the production and how Butler envisioned the song’s sound when he first wrote it.
“I started with those two lines. Obviously, that’s what I build the song around, but I had the “My Heart of gold” I had that chant in my head on the first day and I again, tried to build the chorus around that big chant because I always come back to the reason I’m doing this is I want to play big shows. I want to have people belting out these songs and I think the best way to do that is, there’s three things that I’ve put it down to; tell the truth. Number two, make them anthemic and three, make them emotional. But yeah the big guitars and also all the vocals was definitely a very important part to me even from day one of writing the song and I made that very clear when we went in to produce it.”
The new single is released ahead of what will be Butler’s biggest headline show to date at Dublin’s Academy on December 1st.
“I’m very excited. Yes, I’m very excited. I got some tickets to sell, but I’m very excited. So Whelan’s obviously was in March. That was great. So they seemed to really enjoy it. I loved it and then yeah, moving now towards The Academy. It’s going to be obviously my biggest headline to date, but my biggest production to date as well. I’m bringing in some lights guy, sound team and stuff. So yeah, it’s really going to be a level-up. So for anyone listening that wants to come along, it’d be great to have you there because it’s really going to be I suppose my best showcase to date”
Upon listening to Heart of Gold, the listener gets an instant feeling that the song is going to be epic live. Its powerful chorus sparks images of crowd’s bellowing it back live. I wondered if Butler had a particular track that he is excited to perform in The Academy.
“There’s a few unreleased ones, you know super emotional ones I’m gonna probably chat about a little bit before I play them on the night. I’m excited to see how they go down. There’s going to be a couple where [ it’s ] myself and the guitar. I always liked doing that. But yeah ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘On The Run’, ‘Devil on my Shoulder’ they’re always just so much fun to play”
Butler is becoming quite the confident performer on stage and we discussed how he approaches his interactions with the crowd at his shows.
“ I really used to struggle with it quite a lot and that’s only because I felt like it was a little bit ill-prepared. I’m kind of comfortable enough now where if something happens, I can pick up on it. I think my starting out or even up until a couple of years ago, I probably rushed through the sets quite a lot, just a little bit of nerves, a little bit of anxiety, but now I feel I’m more mature, more confident and able to control myself a little bit more as well.”
“It’s a funny one even as an up and coming performer. For instance you can’t do full band shows three or four times a week unless you’re doing a tour but you need to do that to get to that level. It’s a funny chicken-and-egg situation. I’d love to be doing full band shows three or four or five times a week. But you have to create that demand first and then hopefully the demand is there and like, oh god, I’ve only done a few full band shows but you got to roll with it a little bit.”
Butler’s upcoming headline show at Dublin’s Academy on December 1st comes fresh off the heels of a sold-out performance at Whelan’s main room in April. December is always a good time for shows as everyone is in high spirits and love a good December show.
“I think so. I was lucky enough to get a Friday, which is great. The Whelan’s headline was 31st of March as well. So it was a nice gap. But yeah, it felt natural to have that on the first of December.”
Butler has previously sold out shows in ‘Whelans’ main room, ‘The Grand Social’ and ‘The Soundhouse’ and amassed 3 million spotify streams for his singles (including ‘Moon Song’, Just One Night’ and ‘On The Run’). He is growing his following more and more each time I speak to him. We chatted about how he is finding getting this recognition for his work.
“ We probably first chatted five or six years ago, which is pretty crazy. Maybe five years ago. It was definitely before Covid Anyway.. But yeah its nice. Obviously Covid in between that and that was a major deal obviously for everyone for lots of reasons. But now the last couple of months it really seems to be growing nicely. So yeah I can’t complain. All I can do is keep doing what I’m doing, chip away and hopefully get a bit lucky.”
Isaac Butler’s music is a delight to listen to. The artist has a wonderful ability to create expressive soundscapes and emotive lyrics that connect with the listener with ease. ‘Heart of Gold’ gives Butler the chance to showcase how he can take these qualities and deliver them through an exciting energetic and blistering sound. I have no doubt his show in The Academy in December with be one not to miss and Butler has some exciting plans for the rest of the year as well.
“ I’m supporting True Tides and their tour, their Irish tour. So that’s six dates in November, which should be great. Then leading up to obviously the Academy show on the first [ December ] and then I’m going on tour with Ryan McMullanin in December. That’s all of the support shows. I’ll be doing some smaller acoustic shows. I’m playing a few in the Hard Rock Cafe in October and November in Temple Bar. I’m toying with the idea of releasing another song before the gig. We’ll see. We’ll see.”
Breakout Irish indie rock band N.O.A.H have released their blistering new single ‘Something To Believe In’.The track follows the recent single ‘Sour Kiss’ which received more than 500 plays across Irish/UK and International radio and reached #2 on the Amazing Radio Charts.
Boasting crisp production and expressive melodies; ‘Something To Believe In’ is a time-stopping listen.The band take icy guitar lines and weave them between driving bass and powerful drums to create the perfect balance between hauntingly cold and vibrant edgy indie. This song is superbly crafted. It ebbs and flows with subtle textures of shimmering synths and heavy rock riffs while Ryan’s sweet falsetto glissades upon a chilling melody that at times cools the fiery instrumental outbursts. Well balanced and laced in N.O.A.H’s superb brand of effervescent musianship ‘Something To Believe In’ is an exciting addition to their fantastic catalogue
About the track the band said: “We love the fact we can mash our heavier rock influences with our pop-rock melodies and indie guitars. It feels like we are pushing ourselves and our sound.
This is the most authentic we’ve ever sounded, it’s the type of song we’ve always wanted to make. We were inspired by bands like Nothing But Thieves, Bring Me The Horizon and Fontaines DC”
Irish Alternative pop quartet Soda Blonde have recently released their sophomore album ‘Dream Big’. This album is an impressive follow-up to the band’s acclaimed debut and I sat down to discuss the album and dissect its themes and wonderful musical elements with the band’s Adam O’Regan.
“ It’s been about a year since we started writing it. We gave ourselves six months to write it and record it and then you’re waiting around for a while, but we really worked hard on it. I’m really proud of it. So it’s been really nice. Everyone has responded really positively to it and yeah, it’s been great.”
Following two successful introductory EPs (2019’s “Terrible Hands” and 2020’s “Isolation Content”), Soda Blonde released their debut album, ‘Small Talk’, in 2021. The LP was subsequently nominated for RTÉ’s Choice Music Prize for Album of the Year and received rave reviews. We discussed the pressure that comes with releasing and creating the follow-up to such a successful and highly praised album.
“Yeah, I mean, only within ourselves. It’s important that we feel we’re always doing work that we’re proud of, and we definitely were very proud of ‘Small Talk’. We knew that we had something to live up to I suppose. There was a minute where you go, how are we going to do this, but very quickly, we just got into the studio and we started writing and you just have to leave the past in the past and focus on trying to make good stuff. We are always trying to challenge ourselves and always trying to push ourselves and very quickly, it just became its own thing, and we knew what path we were on.”
‘Bad Machine’ was the first single released from the album. It gave us a wonderful glimpse of what musical treats the album contained. With biting guitar and an indie edge, it was the perfect introduction to this era of Soda Blonde. The thrilling angular, scratch guitar element cuts through the pop soundscape and injects an eerie tone throughout. I wondered if the guitar was the element that sparked the song’s formation.
“Oh, well, I’ve got two answers to that question. The first one is it didn’t start with the guitar. It started with a piece of.. like a chord progression and a vocal that Faye had been working on. She’ll never come to us with a song unless the lyrics are finished and the structure is complete. So sometimes it can be a bit frustrating for us because we want to start working on music and she’ll have a verse or a chorus and we’d be like, please play it for us and she won’t do it. This one occasion she sang this little piece on the guitar that she was working on. It was very, very different to what you hear now and she had no lyrics she just had the melody and kind of like an acoustic, almost like a country ballad sort of thing. So we started working on the music right away. That’s the first part of my answer. Then the second part of the answer is that I was very interested, making this album to try and bring more guitar into the record. I’m a guitar player. I don’t think I’m a guitar player first necessarily, but I’ve certainly been playing guitar the longest in my life. When I started the band, I was playing guitar and I wanted to bring a bit more aggression or a bit more kind of bite into the record. So I started trying to find different sounds and this was the first occasion when we were working on the music for this song that I stumbled across this sound and it was really exciting. So the music found itself before any of the lyrics did and we built this big broad-shouldered kind of electro-rock song, whatever you want to call it. Then there was the process of trying to figure out what the song is about. That was fun.It was definitely a sidestep, you know. It’s very different from the first record but we liked that about it. It’s a palate cleanser.“
When it comes to recording and creating their music Soda Blonde do everything themselves. We discussed the journey the songs on the album went through before the final version was released in the album.
“Yeah, they always go through different stages. Well, they always start off differently, on this record we didn’t have so many. So many of the songs go through such a journey, I think ‘Midnight Show’ is the only one that we took a little bit of time going through. We actually went into the studio and made the whole album and that one just wasn’t right and so we came back to it but this album, everything happened fairly fluidly. You know, it wasn’t too much going back and forth like there was with the first album.”
Title track, ‘Dream Big’ is a musical delight. Soft soundscapes which are created by a warm expressive bass, rich drum beats and Faye’s elegant vocals produce an exciting cinematic atmosphere that has strong indie undertones accomplished through the use of synths and hazy guitar. The band manage to brilliantly layer and create lush textures within this track making it a joy to listen to. O’Regan explained how they created this gem of a tune.
“I think that we were just letting our imagination run wild and we were just having a lot of fun and we were feeling very free. We were feeling very trusting of one another. We went into this writing retreat for about two weeks, called The Beekeepers Daithí [Ó Drónaí] owns it and we just had this beautiful environment surrounded by woodlands and it sounds a bit corny, but we just got lost in the music and that song in particular. On the first album, we recorded everything in our bedrooms and in our living rooms and part of the limitation of that was we actually recorded every drum separately because in order to get the sound that we were looking for, we had to record every drum separately, and then I would mix it together. That worked out but it slightly inhibited our drummer, Dylan, we’ve got one of the best drummers in the country, and I’m not afraid to say that. So it was really exciting making this album, we had the freedom to be in the recording studio and we were able to record Dylan properly. So there’s a moment in the album where the song takes off, and he’s doing all this amazing drumming and it’s so exciting to have that playfulness on the album, you know. I think that if there’s one thing that I really hope comes across, it’s the playfulness and the fun that we were having”
‘Space Baby’ is a lush little ditty and memorable moment on the album. It’s catchy, sweet and filled with the melodious goodness we love from Soda Blonde. With warm guitar and striking lyrics, it’s a clever expression of Soda Blonde’s unique songcraft and musicianship and fits flush with the other tracks on the album while holding its own sense of identity. In fact, all the songs do. We discussed the selection process for the songs.
“Oh, it’s funny, I think that every writer will tell you like, this might be some sort of inside confession. But I would say that most writers kind of make sense of the work when they look back, you know, when we’re making the stuff we’re just making this stuff and then it comes to the point where it’s like, Okay, we have these other songs. What does this all mean together? How does this all sit together? How do we make this feel cohesive? So yeah, it definitely wasn’t the case that there was some sort of preconceived method to what we were trying to do you know, but I’m really pleased that you feel that it runs that way and that it feels cohesive, because we’re an albums band, we love albums. I know albums are not necessarily the “in vogue” thing and people are on Spotify now just listening to songs, but we want to make albums, you know. So I’m pleased that it feels like it.”
Within ‘Dream Big’ the listener gets a sense that the band are growing into themselves. However, there is a residue of self-doubt through many tracks. Within the lyrics of ‘Midnight Show’ Faye expresses “I just wanted to sing / But I’m not good enough, am I?”. We discussed how the band navigated the themes within this album.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re all 30/31 now and myself and Faye just got married, not to each other though and so we’re definitely arriving at this point in our lives that we are maturing in certain senses. But there is a constant push and pull with self-doubt. We kind of look back over everything and we try to make sense of what it all all means together. We’ve spoken a little bit about what ‘Dream Big’ means and I think we’ve given a few right answers, a few right kind of explanations and a few wrong explanations. But for me, I’ve been thinking about it a bit recently.
You know, ever since we were like 14 or 15. We’ve wanted to be in a band, and we’ve wanted to make albums and we’ve wanted to tour the world and we’ve wanted to win Grammys and play on stages to thousands and thousands of people and we’ve done lots of great things together in our time in the music industry, but the music industry has just changed so, so much in the last 10 years since we’ve been playing together. There’s I think 100,000 songs being uploaded to Spotify every single day. That’s 100,000 artists, just like us who have the same dream as us. Who all think that they have what it takes and all feel they have something to say and something to offer. 100,000 artists that go to bed every single night agonising over their art and waking up every day thinking what do I have to do to make this work? What do I have to do to achieve my dream? I think that the dream needs to be redefined you know, in 2023/2024, whatever it is, what does it mean to be an artist these days, you know? And that’s what we’ve been trying to figure out. That struggle, I think is where we’re at right now in our lives. Struggle is maybe the wrong word because I feel like we’ve maybe arrived at some sort of spiritual space where the meaning is derived in the creation of it and the being together. So that’s a bit of a roundabout way of answering your question, but that’s what it means to me anyway.”
There is a lot that goes into releasing music from the actual writing to the imagery, music videos and promotions. The band take control of all aspects of their music and image and I wondered how O’Regan navigates content creation with music creation in this world which requires everyone to be on the pulse when it comes to social media.
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“Yeah, it’s really hard especially because we care so much about our songs and about our production and how we present everything. We put a lot of thought into our artwork and our music videos and all of that takes a lot of work, you know, every single aspect of it. You also have to be on TikTok and make 20 second videos and put them out every day and it’s kind of never-ending the amount of output that you have to have and that is hard, you know, because it’s not really enough anymore, to just make like a great song or 12 great songs or the best video like doesn’t matter how good it is. You have to play in this arena of being a content creator and it’s something that I wrestle with a bit because I feel like artists aren’t really content creators. They’re culture creators but they’re not valued as such really. So I feel there needs to be a bit of a revolution around. We’ll see if we can get there.”
The dreamy 1970’s -esque ‘Going Out’ brings the album to a lush lulling end. With pristine keys, mellow beats and spacious guitar between supple bass, the track is soft and seductive and wraps your mind in a warm soothing tone. I wondered what sparked the decision to end the album on this song.
“I’d love to be able to say that we wrote that song to be at the end of the album, but it’s kind of like a song suddenly comes along in the process and you go, that’s the opening of the album or a song comes on and you go, it’s called ‘Dream Big’, and that’s the name of the album, we’re gonna call the album Dream Big or the song comes along and in the case of ‘Going Out’ like this, never has ever happened before in our life making music together. We were set up in the room together and we were playing and I started playing this guitar part Dylan joined in and Donagh joined in and we were just kind of jamming and then Faye started singing and the whole song, we put the phone down to record it and everything came out just improvised, like the lyrics and everything just flowed through her. I don’t know that I believe in God but if you’re channelling something I mean, definitely there was some spirit going through us when that song came out. We played for about seven or eight minutes and then you kind of go wow, that was really magical. Should we chop that down. It’s a bit too long, seven minutes is really long. But it just felt perfect and it did feel right. I think after it was finished, we were like okay, we’re gonna end the album with that. But you know, where did that come from? I mean, I don’t know. It’s just, we’re lucky to have been present in the room when God walked in. I don’t know, I can’t, we can’t take credit for some of these things that happened and they just kind of come and then the music tells you what to do. “
Soda Blonde are touring the UK and Ireland to celebrate the album and the band are buzzing to get to play these new songs live.
“Now we have to go through the process of learning how to play them all again, but I think it’s gonna be really fun album to play live. I think we can already tell that it’s going to be a good energy in the room”
So what have Soda Blonde got planned for their next step for world domination….
“Yeah, good question. Well, we want to get out and tour the album. We haven’t been able to tour outside of Ireland yet. Obviously, we brought out our first album during Covid. So we still have that kind of restless hangover. We’re going to Europe in January for five dates around Europe and we’re hoping to get to America we’d love to play SXSW and some of the festivals over there. We will probably start thinking about making another album pretty soon, because that’s our favorite thing to do. But the album’s just breathing now and we just want people to spend a bit of time with it, and let the audience digest the music and I feel like it’s still going to develop a little bit you know, in the next while.”
‘Dream Big’ is an album to cherish. Soda Blonde take life’s challenges and relatable themes and channel them into well-crafted tunes that act as anthems to navigating life experiences. There are songs within the album filled with lush instrumentation to dance carefree to; with pop melodies and earworm tones that are so sweet to the ears you can’t help but sing along. Also, there are meaningful eloquent lyrics, intricate instrumentation, grand production and cinematic masterpieces all contained within this 11-song treasure trove. Soda Blonde are growing with each release and ‘Dream Big’ is just a keyhole glimpse into the musical masterpieces this band can produce.
Soda Blonde have announced their new album and tour dates with lead single ‘Bad Machine’, out 14th July.The new album ‘Dream Big’ is out on 8th September 2023. Tickets go on sale Monday 17th at 10am GMT for Soda Blonde’s November ‘Dream Big’ tour. Available at www.sodablonde.com. Following two successful introductory EPs (2019’s “Terrible Hands” and 2020’s “Isolation Content”), they released their debut album, “Small Talk”, in 2021. The LP was subsequently nominated for RTÉ’s Choice Music Prize for Album of the Year and received rave reviews. The band have grown tremendously in the two years since their debut, and it shows. Whereas “Small Talk” was an anxiety-fuelled coming-of-age record about navigating their twenties, “Dream Big” is a mature awakening to the world at large; one that dives deeper and hits harder than its predecessor.
‘Bad Machine’ pulses with intoxicating raw energy, and the cool suaveness Soda Blonde are becoming known for. Instantly the band hit you with a jagged sharp guitar hook and a dominant almost spoken vocal delivery before the song opens into a pop-sprinkled chorus that is embellished with scratchy guitar, dark synths and sticky beat slaps. The eerie tones are mirrored within the eloquent lyrics ‘’every part of me is a bad machine breaking everything all the time, every part of me has been wired to repeat, I’ve got a bad desire by design’’ and enhanced by shadowy hypnotic keys, whining guitar moments, and intoxicating bass. Soda Blonde weave together soft disco elements with sharp indie rock to create a single that showcases this band’s sonic wizardry in all its glory. If ‘Bad Machine’ is anything to go by then the new album looks very promising.
About the track, Adam O’Regan said: “We can be slaves to our own impulses, it’s this idea of recognizing that this is just a part of who you are and going with that; but it’s a double- edged sword. Sometimes taking a chance, being spontaneous and taking a risk – they’re not always the safest moves to make, but that propensity to dare is what makes us great. We wouldn’t exist without it.”
N.O.A.H, the breakout Irish indie rock band have released their highly anticipated new single ‘Sour Kiss’.’Sour Kiss’ is a poignant and introspective exploration of a toxic relationship, delving into themes of deception, emotional pain, and the transient nature of happiness. Formed by lifelong friends Ryan Hill, Adam Rooney, and Ronan Hynes in January 2020, N.O.A.H emerged amidst the global pandemic, symbolising a fresh beginning and the determination to make their voices heard. With their debut single, “Shine,” released in September 2020, N.O.A.H garnered significant attention from music critics and fans alike. They quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, gaining airplay on prominent Irish radio stations and even recording an exclusive acoustic rendition of “Shine” for BBC5 Live’s Laura Whitmore. Following their successful debut, N.O.A.H continued to make waves in the music scene. Their debut EP, “Echoes of the Night,” produced by Grammy-winning Ruadhri Cushnan, showcased their dynamic sound and garnered international acclaim, transcending genres and captivating listeners far and wide. The band solidified their presence in the UK music scene with regional radio play and a thrilling live performance on CBBC’s ‘Saturday Mashup.
Boasting driving indie elements, glorious melodies and expressive songwriting ‘Sour Kiss’ is a thrilling new tune from N.O.A.H. There is much to admire about this track. Tension simmers through the verses as Hill’s expressive vocals aptly convey the emotional turmoil of a toxic relationship while buoyant drums, bubbling bass and jagged guitars complement the lyrics wonderfully before the chorus erupts with the band’s enigmatic energy. An intriguing aspect of the track is the twinkling keys which inject a refreshing ethereal tone between the consuming and intoxicating wall of sound and gives the listener a sense of hope throughout the tune.
N.O.A.H are getting better and more exciting with each musical release. Their sound is simply captivating and ‘Sour Kiss’ is a fine example of this.
Stream ‘Sour Kiss’ Below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
