Irish singer-songwriter (currently in Qatar), Faraway Martin has released his new single, ‘I Got Fire’. The track featured in a Hyundai Commercial for their FIFA World Cup Ad which gathered a lot of attention for the Irishman abroad. Following this, he headlined the opening night of the FIFA Fan Festival to 40k people where artists such as Calvin Harris, Sean Paul, Paul van Dyk and Irish throwback Boyzlife performed during the World Cup.Faraway Martin has played some massive shows abroad including Qatar’s Formula 1 Grand Prix and The Qatar MotoGP. Last year he performed at Sea Sessions, Claremorris Folk Festival and various local festivals in Ireland. He has also played Electric Picnic and opened for Toploader, Aslan, Mick Flannery, Mundy, The Blizzards and Hermitage Green.
‘I Got Fire’ is a dynamic tune that boasts the powerful and catchy sound of Faraway Martin. The track travels at pulse-racing speed and showcases infectious dance elements and driving keys as the artist presents a passionate tune full of rich instrumentation. The song builds in intensity as Faraway Martin’s smooth vocals ooze emotion and kinetic energy. Filled with expressive soundscapes and soft bass embellishments ‘I Got Fire’ is one mighty tune from Faraway Martin.
Following the release of Dublin-based songwriter and musician, Neil Dexter‘s critically acclaimed debut album (self-release), ‘I’ll Be Ready’, Dexter shares a Royal Yellow remix of the album’s title track. A long time in the works, this collaboration between Royal Yellow – the moniker for Limerick-based musician and producer Mark O’Brien – and Neil Dexter comes after years of friendship formed from being contemporaries in the Dublin music scene with their respective former bands. During the process of the writing and recording of Dexter’s debut LP, he had previously collaborated and contributed with O’Brien on his solo work. It seemed like only a matter of time before the pair would work together on something from Neil Dexter’s output.
Royal Yellow’s remix of ‘I’ll Be Ready’ is a wonderfully immersive piece of music. Showcasing lush electronics that spread cool tones over bubbling beats and echoed vocals the track has a hypnotic and soothing quality to start and becomes a little darker as the song progresses. With a soft key refrain, fluttering synths and edgy sound bites the remix is as thrilling and compelling as the original.
Speaking of the origins to the remix, Dexter explains: “I remember when I heard Royal Yellow’s debut single, ‘Hazeldene’, that I really liked it and it actually gave me a lot of confidence to go out on my own. We had come up around the same time and Mark was from a similar background as me in terms of playing in bands from a young age. I think it had always been in my mind to have Mark remix one of my songs. We’ve collaborated before for Royal Yellow live shows and writing together. With our previous experiences working together and our friendship, I knew what Mark could do with his production style and I became really excited by what the outcome could be. It was a no brainer, really!”
Royal Yellow describes his approach to the remix: “I’ve found that my natural tendency is to try to make things bigger, so I wanted to use this as an exercise in taking things away. There are gorgeous textures moving through the original. I wanted to bring those forward more than anything. I wanted to elevate the contrast between the two distinct movements of the track. It starts ambient and kind of blissed-out; then drops you somewhere dark and uncertain. I love when songs lull you into that false sense of security.”
Irish electronic producer Gavin MacDermott, better known as Dashoda, returns with his new single, ‘Looking For You’. The track was written and produced by Dashoda with London-based Ross Fortune (A.K.A. Benny Smiles), who has worked with Jonas Blue, Clean Bandit, Hotline Miami Soundtrack, on additional production. I caught up with MacDermott to chat about his upcoming stripped-back video, his exciting plans for new releases and how this infectious retro-hued bop was created.
“Originally the track started as something a little bit more Lo-Fi than the final version which I worked on with a mate called Ross Fortune he makes music actually as Benny Smiles and a lot of his music is quite synth wave. I was a fan of his years ago when I started making music. So it was really nice to get to work with him years later on this. So I’d say in terms of inspiration, I bought this keyboard a while ago off a friend called a Korg SV- 1, and it has like a Lo Fi sound, its quite analog. I was just playing some chords and they went over to a guy called Richey McCourt’s house, who is a writer. He invited me over. We just started working on and I think I was listening to a bit of Caribou at the time, kind of the older stuff and I was coming out with a little bit of that in mind. But then when I was working with Ross, on the co production, he said I’m going to try a shot in the dark here. I’m gonna try something a bit different, feel free to tell me no, don’t talk to me again if you don’t like it. But what he came back with was what you heard like the much more upbeat almost French indie thing. I just really liked it because it brought it in another direction and taught me to be more open-minded about other avenues and yeah, that’s where it came from. Yeah I gotta give a lot of credit to Ross as well for guiding the sound there.”
MacDermott is releasing a live video for ‘Looking For You’ in the coming weeks. It’s a slower and stripped-back version of the song that allows the melody and lyrics to shine throughout.
“Actually, funny you mentioned that.The keyboard part that’s played in the video by Alma Kelliher who’s a great player. That is the original part from my original demo, and I’d asked her, I thought it would be nice to show that because the song kind of worked on its own just as a keys part. There’s very little of that sound actually in the recorded track version. So yeah, it would have sounded like that and a much more obvious drum machine and the bass part I think was the same. Then there’s a bit more chorusy kind of 80s electric guitar. I actually think I might at some point bring out that version maybe further down the road if I ever get to the point where I can do you know rarities and B-sides that will be nice to show and certainly when I get to do the song live I’d like to do that version. So yeah, the one on the live video, at least the structure and the timbre of the sound is similar to the original demo”
This song comes after a 3-year hiatus and MacDermott explained how the break gave him a new perspective on how he writes and crafts his songs.
“Yeah, I definitely think differently about music and art in general now [it] has taken on a very different meaning for me, I see it as all sort of connected. I’m a musician and this is what I do and what I know but I watch a lot of film and I love film and I would love to get into it a bit more and the guy who shot that video actually is Ror Conaty, the live video and it was really great working with him because it awakened me to how everything is connected in the art world. When you talk about the stripped-back version of the song it actually required me to meditate a bit on what am I doing and why am I doing this and what’s the meaning of it and often you don’t really know the meaning or significance of things until you put a distance between you and them, you know, in terms of time. So, yeah, I’ve leaned more into the cathartic aspect of creating art. You’re trying to understand something about yourself and the world that you’re in and art is sort of a psychoanalytic Freudian thing. When you put something out in the world, you don’t know what’s going to happen with it and you have no control over that in many ways. So if you just focus on what is within your control, then it’s the pursuit of the art. I think it’s made me a lot happier about making music and art as well because I realized I could go on and do this forever, you know, until I’m dead”.
I wondered if this more artistic view on releasing music eased the nerves that come with releasing music.
“No, I’m still really nervous. I was trying a lot of self-talk and trying to frame it that way and it’s just fine, but whatever way you frame it, it’s still a huge investment of time and there are a small number of people who are close to me and care about what I do, even if I’m not necessarily feeling it so there are actually people that want to hear this because they’ve been invested in the journey I’ve been on as well. That helps me relax a bit about it and try not to be too worried. But yeah, absolutely. You worry have you done enough to give it the platform it deserves. Have you presented it in the best way possible. [I] definitely think about things like that and probably preoccupy about them. But I think most people I know that are into this sort of thing they worry as well. Actually my friend Ror who shot the video, he had an exhibition in Cork in August and up to the last minute he was thinking have I done all this correctly and right and of course it was very well received and I was very proud of him. So hopefully I get the same, who knows.”
‘Looking For You’ is a chic number that struts on a slinky bassline and swanky guitars presenting the tight and refined sound of Dashoda in all it’s glory. With a sweet melody teamed with smooth vocals and chiming keys, the track is sure to have you dancing and singing along in no time. This lush sound isn’t set to stop any time soon, MacDermott told me that he has some exciting plans for next year to delight fans with.
“I have a couple of releases in the pipeline and I worked a bit with Ror on some video accompaniment so even though I was quiet for three years I was chipping away at a lot of different stuff and eventually a pattern of songs started to emerge. So yeah, there’s gonna be a few more releases in the new year and into spring and I’m really excited about that because I’ve been sitting on this for a while and it can take so long for things to actually come together and then the actual release process is another thing. So yeah, I’m hoping that because we approached it thematically, myself and Ror and Mark O’Brien was involved in that. He performs as Royal Yellow, and some other people close to me. They helped me put together the visual stuff with the music, and come up with a central idea which I’d never done before. You know, try to think that deeply about what I’m doing. So hopefully thematically people will see something like that emerge. So there will be a few more of these. I suppose that’s the best way I could put it.”
Irish electronic artist Daithí is set to release his highly-anticipated third solo record, ‘I’m Here Now’, via Strange Brew Records this Friday the 9th of September. I spoke to Daithí about how he created this mesmerising collection of tracks, the fantastic collaborations on the album, the inspiration behind his songs including the spontaneous and grounding moment that inspired ‘Keep It For The Next One’.
‘I’m Here Now’ is an immersive listening experience, each track flows beautifully into the next with ease.
“Yeah, it was an interesting one. I came at it a very different way to what I would usually do. My last two albums, I would write a whole pile of songs, maybe almost 30 or 40 songs and then I would just pick the best out of them and then try and improve on them. Whereas this album was written differently. I had two or three songs that I really liked, that I thought were really important to me at the time of writing them. Then I spent the rest of the time connecting those dots writing songs that I thought would run from one to the other in a really nice way. So it was a really interesting way to do it and I think the main reason I was able to do it that way was because I had plenty of time and I was out in the country. This was the first record where I was in my hometown as opposed to traveling around and working in different places. I did it all in the one spot in this place called The Beekeepers in Ballyvaughan, which I kind of run as an artists retreat and yeah, I just spent these big long weekends with a couple of different mates working on different pieces and getting to play different parts over it and stuff. Yeah, I agree with you it has this very kind of connecting, run altogether. You can listen to it as one big long project and there’s a lot of big open spaces with no vocals and stuff like that as well. So yeah, it was really fun to make that was the main thing, you know.”
As the album progresses the beats become heavier, more intoxicating and frenetic. However, Daithí expresses moments of euphoria through his music amongst the agitated expressive soundscapes. Tracks like ‘Polypoly’ and ‘Like The Water’ show this element perfectly and create a compelling listen from start to finish.
“Yeah, I think a lot of the songs are built around these chord structures and melodies. After the pandemic and the lockdown I think a lot of people felt there was a big kind of a question mark over everything that you were doing, and you were feeling like, Am I really here? Is this actually what I’m doing? Then I think a lot of people had these moments as well after those two years where it’s like you made these big, large kind of life decisions and I think one of mine was planning to be more at home in my hometown and stuff and on one side, I really liked that because it was out in the country and I got a really great newfound love for where I’m from. Then at the same time, I think, all kinds of young people once they move away, kind of going back to the place that you’re from.. there’s a bit of trepidation to it. So I find myself leaning into those types of melodies and those types of feelings throughout the whole thing and once I started realizing I was doing that I started leaning into it a lot more. ‘I’m Here Now’, for instance, has a whole pile of natural recordings from around that area and then I used the Concertina in certain parts as well because that’s what my grandfather played. Then there’s all these different sections where it’s like question marks of things that I found interesting in the time and the place and just trying to explore that feeling and emotion of this weird question mark that’s over a lot of people’s lives at the moment, you know”
There are interesting and unique sound bites placed throughout the album. like a creak of a heavy, rattling farm gate on the title track ‘I’m Here Now’, Daithí explained to me how he finds these little audio treasures and where he decides to place them in the songs.
“Yeah, most of my music is written in a specific way. Basically what I generally try and do, [ is ] collect up a huge sample library of sampled recordings. I’m always going around with my phone or a recorder and when something strikes me, I’ll record it but I’ll just put it into this vault of samples that I have that I’ve been building up for like 10 years. Then you can take stuff out and play around with it, and it can kick off an idea. But another really helpful thing is it’s all dated, and it’s all where it is and stuff so let’s say I’m thinking about a certain time in my life or a certain person and I think back to when I was with them last. Then I can go into my vaults of samples and find a recording that was done around that time. Then there’s all these connections from the different elements that make a really interesting collage, and then after that, a lot of it has to do with melody. I’ll come up with one melody, and then I’ll bring on some friends to write stuff and they can take their own experiences of what I’m trying to talk about, and plant their own experiences of that on the song as well. So you get this lovely collection of different experiences and inspirations throughout the whole record and it tends to be the best way to make something unique, it tends to get you away from trying to sound… well like other people, you know.”
In the album, Daithí has a wonderful array of supporting artists – Ailbhe Reddy and Sinéad White (‘Sunset’), David Tapley of Tandem Felix (‘Polypoly’), Uly (‘Like The Water’), and Neil Dexter (‘Keep It For The Next One’). These collaborations elevate each song and create a unique refreshing aspect within the track.
“So for this record, it was a bit different again, so I had this place Beekeepers in Ballyvaughan and basically I would pick a weekend and then I would pick maybe one or two people, like two very good artists that I knew, who knew each other and we just kind of whisked them off to this place in Ballyvaughan and get them to spend a weekend just literally playing around with stuff and kind of toying with different things and showing them the different tracks and seeing what immediately resonates with them. It was a really good way to work I think because if you have two different really good artists people tend to try and egg each other on in different ways and as long as they’re comfortable with each other it becomes this really nice positive experience and I had a really good weekend with them, Ailbhe Reddy and Sinéad White, who have played together and done loads of different things. Ailbhe’s an amazing guitar player, and Sinéad is an amazing piano player as well as being really good vocalists, so they could jump on different things at different times. You know, like Ailbhe might be writing a vocal lyric and then Sinéad will be toying around on the piano and then suddenly you just start trying to record everything at once and you start getting this big rush of ideas. It was a really good way of working because it was just bringing really nice people together, having a really nice time and a private location. Yeah, it really got the best out of those artists you know, which is great.”
‘Familial’ is a mesmerising track and stand-out moment on the album with soothing melodies and lush electronics that build and become more intense and psychedelic, it’s a track that lingers in the listener’s head for days.
“Yes, so ‘Familial’. Yeah, I built that drum beat on a drum machine and I had been kicking around with it for ages. Then I’d gotten another synth that I was playing with, and I was adding in those extra ideas. That’s those little bloopy key ideas. Then I had gone back to Clare for a good while and I was exploring all the stuff that my granddad had worked on. My granddad passed away a couple of years ago and just when he passed, I was trying to learn more about him. He was an amazing concertina player and I knew so much about him from a personal level, but I was getting all these different people coming up to me from the traditional Irish music world telling me different stories about him and I started going back down through all the people that he worked with throughout the years and I found this very amazing, like very, very old Sean-nós sample kind of based around those times, and for some reason, it just really stuck with me. Then I thought about how you would fit Sean-nós into electronic music and I put a massive auto tune on the Sean-nós so that it stuck in with the melodies that I had. So it was this weird moment where I was just like, is this like heresy is it like something that really works, which excited me a lot because I was like, oh my god, I’m putting auto-tune on Sean-nós it’s like the weirdest thing ever. Then that’s how I got that vocal melody that’s there. It has this lovely Irish lilt to it, but also it has a hip hop feel to it as well. So that was the birth of that track for sure.“
One of my favourite tracks on the album is ‘Keep It For The Next One’. It’s a beautiful tune that pivots around fuzzed beats, lush textures and ethereal soundscapes. The song provides a lighter take on Daithí’s dense expressive sound.
“That one came together really quickly. It was kind of amazing. It came together in the space of two days. So Neil Dexter is the vocalist on that. I had heard a couple of his songs before but I hadn’t really met him properly. He came up to The Beekeepers with David Tapley who’s a very good friend of mine. He’s in Tandem Felix and David was in my last record. They both came together and they were bringing some instruments up that they thought I wouldn’t have. David Tapley brought like a pedal steel you know, like a real country western pedal steel. We ran that through a whole pile of different electronic effects and that’s how that starts off. You can hear these kind of pad sounds behind it. That’s all pedal steel. It’s kind of an amazing story on the record, actually because Neil had arrived and it was only about two or three hours at The Beekeepers and his wife was pregnant at the time. She’s a nurse and she actually got a bit faint and had to sit down at work. So she called him and there was this amazing moment where we were all here in this lovely idyllic location and there was something really serious going on and once he hung up the phone, he was like Yeah, I think she’s okay, everything’s fine. My mother’s gone over to her. That’s all fine. Then we had this long conversation about how when we were in our early 20s, we didn’t really have that kind of responsibility so we could do whatever we wanted and now that we’re slightly older, you know, we’re up into our 30s now, life has changed so much and he literally just went over to the microphone and just started singing into it. That’s where we got the lyrics from. So it was one of those really great, amazing moments where everything just kind of clicks in this big inspirational way, and he was on fire at the time. Yeah, I love that track as well. It’s definitely one of my favourites. Can’t wait to play it live. It’s gonna be really fun.”
Daithí doesn’t do anything by halves. His music is immersive and rich and the videos to accompany his music follows this trend. Filled with cinematic visuals ‘Familial’, (courtesy of award-winning New Zealand filmmaker Ayla Amano) is a short film in itself that presents the well-worn fractures of a family through the strains of a father-son relationship and ‘Sunset’ is another touching film directed by Michael-David McKernan and features the American actress Annie Ryan (who was in the seminal 80s film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). It’s a beautiful, touching film that follows a woman in middle age coping with loss and grief in the most poised and hopeful way.
“Yeah, a lot of my good friends will be video directors. One of my best friends is Brendan Canty, who’s a very well-known music director and he does a lot of shorts and adverts and stuff like that. So the culture of doing really good high-quality videos has always been there. Then my partner of two or three years is Norman Howard, who’s a very well-known film producer. So I’m very lucky to be surrounded by an awful lot of people who were involved in the film world and stuff like that. So getting directors on to do that stuff was super important to me, and I think when you make a video there’s so much work involved and so much kind of toing and froing and so high risk to make sure that it’s like really good and it kind of solidifies a track a little bit more. ‘Familial’ is a really interesting one. So Brendan, my friend is married to Ayla Amano who is this amazing New Zealand director and they were in lockdown in New Zealand and that’s where that video was filmed. It was all filmed in New Zealand while they were over there, and then ‘Sunset’ was all filmed in The Burren. We threw a film camera into the sea with a waterproof box and got this amazing feeling of what the West of Ireland is like when it’s at its absolute best you know when the sunsets going down in Fanore Beach. So yeah, it’s always been a big thing for me and I think it really elevates the songs”
Daithí has a solid fan base. He told me how excited he is to be able to go out and tour this album and share it with his fans.
“Yeah, It’s brilliant, the tour is the biggest tour I’ve ever done before. I’ve never really been on a proper tour of England or anything. So that’s one of the really exciting things about it. We played Body & Soul this year, and it was just this massive show and I still had everybody that I had from before the pandemic coming to the shows and stuff and it felt really, really special. So getting out on the road and really performing them is one of my favourite things to do, you know, so it’s going to be great. Yeah, yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. “
“ I think most artists realize there’s a good bit of responsibility involved in making sure that people have a good time at a show you know, as you get older, you’re consciously aware that it’s a really big thing for somebody to go out of their way and actually go to a show, so I feel I have a really big responsibility to make sure that it is the absolute best that it possibly can be to make it worth people’s time. I feel that if you do that and you consistently do that, and they know that they’re going to a good show, they’ll stick by you and a really good audience is really loyal as well and that’s so important for an artist to keep going you know, so I see it as a big responsibility to always make the shows as best as I possibly can and to always just keep making them better and better and better.”
Daithí has made a name for himself as a pioneer of electronic music and I asked him what advice he would give to an aspiring musician.
“Yeah, that’s a good one, it’s hard to make the career, that’s the hard part. I think my biggest advice would be to get really good at playing live to be honest because, as far as I could see, like I’ve been extremely lucky that I’ve gotten to be able to be a musician for about 10 years full-time. But the only way I’ve ever been able to do that is by touring and doing loads and loads of gigs as much as I can. So as early as possible if you can get out and build a scene around yourself with people, other people playing and try and play as much as you can, the experience of doing that will stand to you so much over time. Once you start going then, you just have to really like playing gigs and going around and travelling. The other obvious one as well is just surround yourself with really good people. One of the best things about being a musician is that there’s a brilliant, beautiful scene and it’s a really good way to meet new people and it’s such a sociable experience. So yeah, surrounding yourself with really good people and really amazing musicians is a blessing and super important as well for sure.”
‘I’m Here Now’ is a joy to listen to. Daithí has an impressive ability to create tunes that excite the imagination and thrill the senses. The album is a musical marvel and cements Daithí’s reputation as a trailblazer for electronic music.
‘I’m Here Now’ is set for release this Friday. Until then check out the video for ‘Sunset (feat. Ailbhe Reddy)’ below
Columbia Mills have released their new single ‘Momentum’. Columbia Mills are regulars at festivals such as Indiependence, Longitude, and Electric Picnic and have supported world-class acts like Ride, Public Service Broadcasting, and Palace. On top of this, they have also toured Ireland & the UK with a string of headline shows at venues such as Whelans, King Tuts, and Sebright Arms. On the band’s previous tracks ‘Heart Of A Nation’, ‘Addiction’ and ‘Nevada’ they have garnered huge support from the UK and Irish radio such as BBC Radio 6, Radio X, Amazing Radio, Radio Nova, 8 Radio, Indie Rocks, RTÉ 2FM, Today FM and RTÉ 2XM.
Dripping in hypnotic electronics and infectious grooves ‘Momentum’ is a euphoric number from Columbia Mills. In true Columbia Mills manner, the song is richly textured and contains numerous musical treats that are revealed with each subsequent listen. Eerie, dark undertones brood throughout the track contradicting the upbeat dance soundscapes that effortlessly draw the listener further into the song’s expressive immersive sound. As ‘Momentum’ builds the band release lush sounds and textures into the soundscape that is simply goosebump-inducing; pulsing bass lines, chiming keys and intricate guitar melodies are just the tip of the iceberg of the musical delights that await the listener as the band’s deft musical prowess leaves much to be admired. Columbia Mills have knocked it out of the park once again with ‘Momentum’ the track is irresistible and leaves the listener craving to hear more.
Speaking about the track, ‘Momentum’, Fiachra Treacy said: “Momentum is all about keeping the mind occupied and avoiding the traps that an idle mind can set for us. Sometimes it just takes one person to come along and lift us from that deluge, but there are dangers in having your happiness dependent on one person. The music is upbeat to represent that momentary feeling you are hoping will last forever, gaining momentum as we go.”
Ria Rua has released her new EP ‘chaos/control’ on the German indie label MPM. Ria Rua is a modern Irish female hyper pop singer, songwriter and producer.
‘chaos/control’ is a fantastic display of Ria Rua’s irresistible electronic pop. Showcasing slick production, attitude-saturated lyrics and intoxicating soundscapes the EP is a knockout that is a joy to listen to again and again. ‘Boss’ and ‘Breathe’ ooze attitude through dense soundscapes with the electronic beats venturing at times into EDM territory. However, it’s ‘I Don’t Care’ that is the holy grail of the EP.
The lyrics create a dark tone over a building cinematic backdrop, as Ria whispers ” I can feel your hands around my neck. Squeezing tightly. I hate it”. Sultry and at times sinister the song is an evocative number that is simply goosebump-inducing and a fine example of Ria Rua’s mesmerising musicianship.
Ria’s sound is truly thrilling. Within her music the tight brisk rhythms are executed with such skilful precision it is awe-inspiring. Ria Rua is a force to be reckoned with and ‘chaos/control’ is an exciting keyhole glimpse into this artist’s talents.
Following the release of their title track ‘Heart Of A Nation’ and ‘Addiction’, Columbia Mills return with their new single ‘Nevada’. On the band’s previous tracks ‘Heart Of A Nation’ and ‘Addiction’ they have garnered huge support from the UK and Irish radio such as BBC Radio 6, Radio X, Amazing Radio, Radio Nova, 8 Radio, Indie Rocks, RTÉ 2FM, Today FM and RTÉ 2XM. Columbia Mills are regulars at festivals such as Indiependence, Longitude, and Electric Picnic and have supported world-class acts like Ride, Public Service Broadcasting, and Palace. On top of this, they have also toured Ireland & the UK with a string of headline shows at venues such as Whelans, King Tuts, and Sebright Arms.
‘Nevada’ is a masterful display of musicianship from Columbia Mills. The song packs one heck of a punch both thematically and sonically; a shimmering synth-speckled soundscape exudes dark undertones and melancholy while chiming guitars and rich rhythms dance atop hypnotic bass grooves and sincere, hard-hitting lyrics “staring at the sea with your life packed into a bag….. you try to find a friend but there’s nobody left”. Columbia Mills are a musical marvel. Their skillfully created soundscapes are a joy to listen to and capture the listener’s imagination in such a way that each subsequent listen feels like a fresh and new experience. With each release, Columbia Mills tantalize listener’s ears with lush sonic embellishments, dark textures and expressive instrumentation and ‘Nevada’ is a mesmerising example of this. I’m looking forward to what their future releases have in store.
Speaking about the track, ‘Nevada’, Fiachra Treacy said: “While I was in Guadalajara in Mexico I met a man who was traveling on his own from Guatemala. He was traveling on the top of a massive train across the country and had to deal with unthinkable danger. He had left his wife and son behind in order to build a better life for them, not knowing if or when he would see them again. He was trying to get to Nevada where he had a cousin who could help him get work. The song is about him and the countless people making that journey every day.”
RIA RUA has released her new single ‘Breathe’. RIA RUA is a modern Irish female hyperpop singer, songwriter and producer. RIA writes about power, love, obsession and control and she will be playing gigs in Ireland, Germany and Switzerland in 2022-23.
‘Breathe’ is a dark electronic powerhouse that rushes with the irresistible and wholly immersive sound of RIA RUA. Filled with swagger and attitude the track’s pounding beats pulse through thick asphyxiating soundscapes to create a luring and bewitching listening experience. The chorus exudes anthemic power enhanced by a catchy melody and EDM embellishments while the verses maintain a haunting and eerie quality. ‘Breathe’ delves deep into RIA’s production wizardry – the result is a sonically rich and intriguing tune ready to enthral the listener.
Daithí has recently released the video for his new single ‘Sunset’, featuring long-time collaborator Ailbhe Reddy. The single is already receiving widespread radio play across Ireland, having been added to the RTÉ Radio 1 Recommends list and airplay across 2fm, Today FM and more. The video for ‘Sunset’, directed by Michael-David McKernan features the American actress Annie Ryan (who was in seminal 80s film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).
‘Sunset’ is a bittersweet anthem filled with mesmerising musicianship. The track pivots around a hypnotic beat while hazy synths build and intensify throughout. Daithí meticulously layers the soundscape to create pockets of soft tropical beats and sunkissed tones that delicately enhance the sweet vocals of Ailbhe Reddy. Reddy’s vocals are almost nonchalant at times as she pierces the song’s sonic textures with a warmth that is both heartbreaking and soothing all at once. Her vocals effortlessly convey emotion while the dreamy melody and dance-infused backdrop create a weary atmosphere before the bubbly chorus kicks in. Exuding soft, refined production ‘Sunset’ is a laid back irresistible tune that boasts the exquisite talent of Daithí and Ailbhe Reddy.
The video for the song is a beautiful, touching film that follows a woman in middle age coping with loss and grief in the most hopeful way, taking full advantage of the Irish landscape to tell the story visually. The video was shot on film at The Beekeepers artist retreat in Daithí’s native Co. Clare. Daithí owns The Beekeepers and runs it with his partner, the filmmaker Norma Howard, who is the producer of this video.
Director Michael-David McKernan says: “For Sunset I wanted to offer a different perspective on the end of a relationship; to showcase the solace that can be found in solitude and the healing power of nature.The song feels both intimate and epic so it was a terrific challenge to get to create an accompanying film. From the beginning, we wanted to create a visual poem and impressionist piece, rather than following a linear narrative. We’re totally focussed on the character’s inner psychology throughout, but the opening ‘ring scene’ helps to anchor the piece. All of the detail shots then paint an emotional landscape and remind us of growth. The ocean scene was definitely a technical challenge given we were shooting on 16mm film. But Director of Photography, JP Quill, built a custom underwater housing for the shoot and we [are] really proud of the results. I think you really feel like you’re in the water with the character (but hopefully not to the point of sea sickness). The film is about hope, surrendering to nature, and cleansing oneself of the past.”
Daithí says: “‘Sunset’ was written during a writer’s weekend at the Beekeepers Artist House in Co. Clare. Ailbhe, Sinead White and I had a beautiful weekend, back working together after a few years of being apart. The natural energy from that really shaped the song: The synths build into this euphoric moment of celebration, which is countered with Ailbhe’s bittersweet lyrics. When she started singing ‘These things are never easy’, it just broke my heart. The song really became about everything we’d missed, and how happy we were to be able to do it again. It’s the opening of my new album, which is all about your place in time, and what makes you who you are.”
Daithí is set to play a number of festivals this summer: Vestrock (The Netherlands), Sea Sessions and Body & Soul, to name a few. He is also touring Ireland as one half of HousePlants, his project with Bell X1’s Paul Noonan, throughout May and June.
RIA RUA has released her new single ‘Boss’. The song is the first single off RIA’s debut EP, ‘chaos/control’ which is being released and promoted by the German indie label MPM. RIA RUA is a modern Irish female electro-grunge singer, songwriter and producer. After spending years as a professional drummer, she decided to take a chance on her own material. Her first three releases received national radio play in Ireland and the UK, and won her the 2021 International Artist of the Year from Nova Radio in the UK. Her last two releases were playlisted on Irish, UK US and German national radio.
It is difficult not to be enthralled by RIA RUA’s music.‘Boss’ is a fine example of this. The artist’s masterful production skills are on full display within the song and highlights just how talented RIA RUA is as a musician. RIA RUA’s mesmerising vocals ooze attitude atop a wonderful concoction of electronic pulses, grunge undertones and alternative embellishments creating an evocative soundscape that is a joy to listen to again and again. RIA RUA’s talent is boundless. The artist creates wholly consuming tunes filled with gloriously emotive soundscapes that showcase a deep understanding of music production even a seasoned musician would be enviable of. ‘Boss’ is an absolute gem.
Stream ‘Boss’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
