SOMEFINN have released their debut single ‘Starlet’s Dream’. SOMEFINN are an alternative rock band whose story begins where that of another band ends. Paul Finn was lead vocalist and songwriter for Irish Choice Music Prize Nominees The Flaws, who called it quits in 2016. Finn then took up an offer from Shane Clarke, to tour as guitarist with his band Elephant, with whom he played shows all over Ireland to rave reviews. During this two-year period, Finn built a studio in his hometown of Killanny, Monaghan. There, he began writing and recording what would become SOMEFINN’s debut album, ‘…Tsk, Tsk…’. The band’s line-up was completed when an accomplished roster of multi-genre veterans came onboard. David Marron (Sanzkrit, Derek Ryan), Paul Markey (Sanzkrit), Paul Carolan (Finnian) and Darren Finn, Paul’s brother, are to be found on guitars, bass, drums and keyboards respectively.
‘Starlet’s Dream’ is a spectacular display of biting alternative rock. The track pivots around a driving bass line that weaves through an agitated soundscape of jangly guitars, haunting backing vocals and frenetic percussion creating a rich and meticulously layered tune for listeners to indulge in. Lyrically the song explores the paradox of a weakness becoming a strength and is greatly enhanced by the tracks instrumental backdrop, “strength ain’t a weakness of mind, is that a weakness of mine?”. Filled with complex textures and refined instrumentation the track is a fine display of musicianship. ‘Starlet’s Dream’ marks SOMEFINN as a band to keep an eye on
Limerick-based five-piece, Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets are back with their new single, ‘days’. Once again, this track comes self-recorded and produced by the band themselves. The track is released under the Limerick-based collective, BitDepth, of which Flynn is a founding member. Flynn and The Dead Poets have had a busy start to 2021, putting out a single and a collaboration EP with Culla. The band have amassed nearly 10k streams in just 4 months and have more singles to come this summer.
Dripping in passionate melodies and powerful instrumentation, ‘days’ is a blistering, lushly arranged new single from Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets. From the icy synth intro to the soaring chorus, the band layer and craft the song superbly. The song builds emotion right from the get-go while chiming guitars forge an ethereal and lonely soundscape for the verses. However, in true Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets manner, the song unfolds swiftly into an anthemic powerhouse filled with lively guitars, punchy drums and rampant bass lines that exude a mighty alternative rock persona. Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets have a captivating ability to capture emotion through their deft lyrics and sweet melodies, and ‘days’ is a perfect example of this. The lyrics of the song detail the state of the housing crisis in Ireland at the moment, and the band package this raw and powerful theme in expressive, dynamic and catchy musicianship to create a potent and enjoyable song to listen to.
About the track Flynn said – “This song is one I have had for a while now, and I feel it holds a strong message. I have never really written about social issues in my music before, but this track just ended up coming out of me. We are all really proud of this one and feel it’s one of our best productions to date. It’s been over a year since our last gig, so we can’t wait to get out and play this new music for people.”
Soda Blonde have released their new single ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ taken from their highly anticipated debut album ‘Small Talk’ which is set for release on July 9th via Velveteen Records, the entirely self-produced album sees the group reflecting on their twenty-something experiences with refreshingly honest transparency.
Teasing with a lingering refrain on keys, ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ announces itself with an air of mystery. In true Soda Blonde manner, the track expands on this refrain to delicately reveal lush textures and melodies as the song progresses. The band creates an enticing and rich soundscape that exudes a disco-esque persona enhanced by an irresistible groove on bass, supple guitars and gentle percussive shuffles. The song flows with subtle cinematic qualities that is simply awe-inspiring and mellowed by Faye O’Rourke’s bewitching soft coos as she sings, “It’s the way you carry on and the way that you lie, It’s under harsh lights baby we say our goodbye”.
‘In The Heat Of The Night’ is a nostalgic and engaging slice of indie-pop cementing Soda Blonde as a band that sets a high standard. Their timeless sound is set to inspire future bands and artists.
About the track, ‘O’Rourke describes: “The music possessed an attitude that I wasn’t familiar with as a songwriter. It deftly evoked the neon of night and brought Scorcese’s Casino to my mind. Our goal was to create a song that had everything we wanted to hear. It allowed me to write, uninhibited by the labour of self-analysis. It’s a song about conflict-and getting a kick out of it. The thrill of the fight”
UK Songwriter Lissy Taylor has released her new single ‘Quiet Rage’. Lissy Taylor is an emerging British artist with a distinct indie-pop sound. Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Lissy moved to the USA in 2015 where she began experimenting with songwriting. Her earliest gigs and formative live musical experiences were spent playing in bars and restaurants across the States. Returning to the UK in 2017 to continue her studies at BIMM Manchester while continuing to perform with her band at music venues and festivals including Neverworld, Y Not and 110 Above and being the solo support for a UK Tour in October 2019. Following a commanding debut single ‘Mayday’ (Jan 2020), followed by the liberating single ‘Wildflowers’ (Apr) and debut EP in October 2020, ’Quiet Rage’ is the lead single from the forthcoming EP which is set for release this summer.
’Quiet Rage’ is a powerful and well crafted indie track that seethes with raw emotion and Lissy Taylor’s exhilarating musicianship. Taylor superbly balances the brooding dark verses with a mighty chorus to create a spine chilling new single as the song travels between soft glimmers on guitar and echoed spacious soundscapes, to an intoxicating sonic explosion of blazing raw riffs and pounding drums. Exuding an intense atmosphere shattered by cinematic melodies and wild energy, the song explores untapped anger and a recognition that everyone has their own hidden battles to fight. With Taylor’s warm, expressive vocals venturing from a soft, almost numb delivery to powerful angst, ‘Quiet Rage’ is a consuming and commanding new single that marks Lissy Taylor as an artist to keep an eye on.
The Stoke-on-Trent musician tells us the meaning behind ‘Quiet Rage’ : “Quiet Rage is essentially trapped anger and bottled-up feelings, not wanting to deal with emotions, you hide them instead. The lyrics ‘I will grow, I will blossom’ is the recognition of the emotional strength it takes to get through and rise.”
Post-Party have released the video for their brand new single, ‘Wasting Time’. This high energy track is a fantastic follow on from their previous single, ‘Being Honest’.With a sweeping rush on guitars, rampant basslines and driving rhythms, the track is an instant shot of adrenaline saturated in the infectious musicianship of Post- Party. I caught up with Keelan O’Reilly to talk about the new single, Colin Peppard’s magical camera skills and navigating through social media.
The band are all in their final year of college and studying for their exams. Between all this remote learning, final year preparation and study, the band manages to write, record and release some seriously smashing songs – ‘Wasting Time’ is the latest single to delight our ears.
“We wrote the song, just on the brink of lockdown when it was starting and we always really really loved it, just the energy and the ideas behind the track. I think it was the idea of how throughout the lockdown, we were spending all this time just waiting and waiting on normality to come back around, it felt like a good fit for the track with the name being wasting time. Everyone was picking up different kinds of hobbies and things just to pass the time that we hadn’t done before. It felt like a good fit, but the track had already been a favourite of the band in general, just because of the energy, and the ideas.”
The band have paced the release of their tracks well. Each track has been given its own time to shine. This has resulted in ‘Wasting Time’ being featured on key playlists, including Spotify’s New Music Friday, Hot New Bands, Fresh Finds: Rock, The Indie List and A Breath of Fresh Eire alongside Apple Music’s Breaking Rock, The New Rock and New in Rock.
“It’s just really good to see the reception we’ve received. Spotify have been very kind to us by putting us in all these fantastic playlists. It’s just really cool overall to see that people are receiving the music well. There’s been a good buzz from what we’ve released so the fact that we got a few playlists with ‘Being Honest’ and now for ‘Wasting Time’ to grow and develop on has been really really cool for us to see.”
“We definitely take everything on board, and we wanted to give ‘Being Honest’ enough time to breathe, but then we wanted to develop and push things on and we have loads of tracks we wrote and recorded during the lockdown period. We realized that we want to get them out and push the momentum forward, especially with the hope that live shows and stuff come back towards the end of the year or maybe the start of next year. We’re wanting to have as much music out for people when we are able to get a live show, but at the same time it is really important to let each track do its own thing, and to give it the time it deserves”
Post-Party shot the music video for ‘Wasting Time’ themselves with each band member recording their part individually, in separate locations. The result is a visually stunning video that superbly captures the band’s energetic and unique image.
“Our bass player Colin [Peppard], he’s a magician with a camera, editing stuff and everything. He’s been so interested in film for years, and it’s only now in the past I would say two years he’s really taking a passion on learning the ins and outs of working with film. So that’s slowly become part of our identity as a band like the imagery we use for our music through video, and as a means of expression, that’s definitely down to Colin’s passion and drive for film. That’s been spread across all of us as four different individual members, we’ve all become really interested in what we can do with visuals to personify our music. I think the lockdown was a catalyst for that whole thing, because it gave us the time to really hone in on creative ideas and creative decisions. It was something that was going to come eventually but we hadn’t really developed it before we got a chance over lockdown”
“ When you’re releasing any kind of art into the world you’re consciously aware of how people are going to receive it. But I think there is something to be said about just letting your work, do the talking for you and letting each individual piece of art, do the talking. It’s important to not take too much consideration of what other people think about your art, but at the same time you’re releasing it for people to appreciate and for people to enjoy. I think you can be critical about anything and it’s important to be happy with the work you produce”
The band recently released Post-Party merchandise which sold out in just a few hours. It’s great to see people supporting bands especially now during covid, artists need merchandise and record sales perhaps more than ever and Post-Party put a lot of work into their image, visuals and designs, it’s fantastic to see people appreciating it.
“Yeah, that was really helpful. We didn’t expect that at all. We had some of the basic designs done by an artist from Russia, his name on Instagram is idlehead [Nikita Maslov]. We used the designs that he created. He designed the band’s logo. He designed the artwork for all the singles we’ve released so far as well. So we used his artworks as the main focal point of the designs, but in terms of designing the T-shirts, that was all down to again Colin. He was a big help in that factor. We all pitched in our opinions as well. We all came together and made it work and we’re really happy with the reception and people seem to like it.”
“ That was a big help for us because I think people realize the struggle of the music industry at the moment. A lot of artists are putting out new merch, and it’s getting bought up really quickly and it’s really nice to see that the fans are coming together and trying to support those artists that are struggling to make a living at the moment. Luckily for ourselves, we’re only at the very early stages of our careers and we’re all finishing college at the moment. But for someone who is heavily involved in music as their nine to five. It’s really important for the fans to support them through this awkward stage. Luckily we’re hopefully coming towards the end of this but without people supporting the industry, I don’t know how things would go in building things back up.”
The return of live shows is an exciting prospect for Post-Party as they have been releasing music during the pandemic and growing their fan base, without having to tour. The shows will be different when they do return as the band will see new faces and fans that haven’t been able to see the band perform live yet.
“Yeah 100%. That’s something we’re really excited about. We’ve obviously had a good solid fan base coming to all our shows prior to the pandemic, but it’s really exciting for us to see new faces and new people listening to the music and enjoying what we’re doing. We’ve received loads of messages of people saying, as soon as the show is announced they will be at the show so that’s just really exciting for us to know that people are waiting and are excited to see the songs we’ve released over lockdown live in person”
The music scene in Ireland is very vibrant lately – there are so many amazing acts producing great music. Before the pandemic hit there was live music almost every night in Dublin. I wondered if the rush for venues when they open will create competition between bands to book certain venues, etc.
“ It’s something we’ve been aware of. The ideology behind it is when things come back, everybody’s going to be out the door and ready to go. I’ve seen a lot of gigs, and just live events being announced, as of now, and for the next 12 months or more. I think when things really do get back to normal, there’s going to be a stage of just so many bookings, so many gigs So there is going to be a lot of competition and we’re aware of that and we’re willing to wait until it calms down before we go out with our music, We’re very happy with the pace that we’ve built our audience through the release of music and we are super excited to play live, but we’re not in any immediate rush, knowing that it’s going to take some time before things clear up”
A lot of artists have had to promote themselves more, and be more active on social media because of this pandemic. This is something O’Reilly and the band have had to become proficient at. Now that they have the hang of how social media works there is no stopping them.
“Yeah, absolutely. Social media has always been something that, personally, I’ve never been great at. It’s something that over the lockdown I realized how important it is to artists, seeing a lot of artists, expand their fan base through TikTok, Instagram and all these different platforms, and to such an extreme extent, compared to what you would have done in live performances beforehand, but the pandemic has shown, I guess, that social media is so powerful in that it can be nearly as powerful as live performances, or you know releasing music, if you use each platform in its unique position. I think in the future, for example, we started the TikTok just at the start of the pandemic to just put off our music video and we’re going to continue using that through the summer when me and the guys are all moving in together, and we’re going to try and push our TikTok a bit further. It’s quite difficult to create content when we are all separated, and it’s a lot easier for individual artists or a singular person, but as a group, we want to express our identity through our social media and it’s more difficult when we’re not all together. So it’s going to be really exciting to get the opportunity to do that over the summer and just expand on what the public see and how they perceive us as a band.”
Post-Party create air-tight guitar-led tracks that are sharp, elaborate and energetic. The band’s sound is a fine display of feel-good dynamic indie rock at its best. ‘Wasting Time’ displays the strength of their songwriting and provides a glimpse into the ever-growing talent of this young band. Looking forward to hearing what they have in store for us in the near future.
Thrillhouse return with their latest single ‘Just At The Right Time’.The song is a little love letter to anyone that comes along and helps you out in a time of need.
‘Just At The Right Time’ simmers with Thrillhouse’s intense indie sound as the band spread scorching instrumentation over a quivering rhythmic section to create one exhilarating gem. Pulsing synths ferment through the verses while deep vocals hurry through the lyrics with a sense of urgency. Driving rhythms, sparkling keys and lush melodies come to the fore as the chorus builds into the 80’s infused sound we have come to love from the band with bright guitar refrains glimmering through the muggy synth-heavy soundscape. Thrillhouse use precise layering and a cinematic crescendo to create an epic quality within their songs and ‘Just At The Right Time’ follows this trend perfectly allowing the listener to indulge in an immersive, hair raising listening experience. ‘Just At The Right Time’ is a passionate display of musicianship from Thrillhouse.
About the track singer Sam Strawberry says : “I wanted to say thanks to someone who’s done a lot for me. I’m no good with words in real life so I just wrote a song about them… I should probably send it to them at some point”
Rising London alternative group Oli Barton & The Movement return with their new single ‘Martyr’. ‘Martyr’ follows the release of last year’s ‘Get Out’ which proved to be their biggest hit yet. Having gained great support from BBC Introducing, the band played multiple festivals in the year before the pandemic where they stormed through many high-profile performances garnering significant attention. 2021 promises to be a huge year for Oli Barton & The Movement as they complete their debut mixtape ‘pipe dreams’ alongside producer Jules Gulon (Sam Smith, Liam Payne, Sam Fender)
‘Martyr’ is a cinematic, emotive tune that displays Oli Barton & The Movement’s passionate indie rock. Infusing powerful synths with biting indie sensibilities, the track is a mighty power ballad. The song is beautifully crafted and radiates a smooth bittersweet melody while Oli’s dynamic vocals exude emotion throughout. ‘Martyr’ builds to a dramatic crescendo as crashing guitars and pummeling drums collide into spacious synths allowing the band to display their fantastic musical prowess and vigorous indie rock sound in all its glory. Once again, Oli Barton & The Movement knock it out of the park with ‘Martyr’.
Speaking about the new single Oli says “This last year has really proved something to us. You have to look beyond the negativity, beyond the politics, beyond the media and you will find that people are ultimately always there for each other. We’ve seen these amazing people laying their lives on the line for others and being completely selfless. Lyrically, I wanted to pay tribute to these unsung heroes because they prove that we are always stronger together. The production on this track too is my favourite yet, utilising multiple synth layers and huge drums to bring that pure 80s vibe. . .”
Dublin, Ireland-based alternative rock band Late Night Pharmacy have released their new single, ‘Too Late for the Rickshaws’. It is the band’s first release since their second EP, Flamingo, released in March of 2019. Recording the single was only possible due to the generous financial support of the Department of Culture, who last year announced the creation of a Music Industry Stimulus Package (MISP), intended to help keep the Irish commercial music sector afloat during Covid-19. In November 2020, Late Night Pharmacy were awarded funding under the recording scheme of the MISP, and hired Aidan Cunningham (Wheatus, The Scratch, Nealo, Overhead the Albatross) to produce and mix three singles, of which ‘Too Late for the Rickshaws’ is the first to be released.
‘Too Late for the Rickshaws’ is a melodious indie rock song that displays Late Night Pharmacy’s ability to create a catchy tune with hard-hitting lyrical content. The band craft a well-textured and bittersweet soundscape by smearing dark verses with jagged guitars and elastic grooves. The song unfolds beautifully as if drifting off into a dreamy state for the chorus. Here the song lifts with light guitars, buoyant drums swirling synths and lush melodies, creating a bright and infectious chorus for listeners to indulge in. With psychedelic elements on guitars dissolving into the infectious soundscape while lush harmonies coo in the backdrop ‘Too Late for the Rickshaws’ is an exhilarating new single from Late Night Pharmacy.
‘Too Late for the Rickshaws’ was written during Ireland’s second lockdown when the band’s lead guitarist was taking a tram home and fell into conversation with two men in their forties who told him about their lives and their struggles with drug addiction. That conversation served as the primary inspiration for the lyrics, detailing a typical couple of days in the lives of men like this. The band also drew from the lead guitarist’s experiences visiting the Cloverhill prison in west Dublin to play Christmas carols and religious music for the inmates.
Capturing the disorienting shift to a new normal of life in the pandemic, ‘Going to the Store’ is the latest single to be released from L.A based artist Ben Lazarus. Started in 2005, this upbeat song was left unfinished until 2020, when Lazarus found himself with time in his life to make music again. Lazarus recently signed to Napier Records, a new label founded by Academy award-winning filmmaker Andrew Napier. A keyboard player since the age of 7, Ben Lazarus has picked up several instruments along the way. Becoming part of numerous garage bands in the San Francisco Bay area, eventually completing the line-up for post-punk band Stunt Monkey. After five years of recording and touring, Lazarus moved to Los Angeles and became a production sound mixer for film and television. Over the next 15 years, he wrote and recorded songs at home while working quietly behind the scenes.
‘Going to the Store’ is a bright and witty tune laced in Ben Lazarus’ catchy indie rock. The track floats upon a light zesty indie guitar refrain which bounces through the soft beat allowing the clever lyrics become the main focus. Lazarus’ warm vocals nonchalantly discuss how the mundane act of grocery shopping feels treacherous now, due to the pandemic. The track has a sun-kissed indie rock tone with smooth melodies and radiant guitars maintaining the song’s warmth and feathery lightness. With delicate and sprightly instrumentation creating a buoyant lift, ‘Going to the Store’ is an enjoyable listening experience.
‘Escape’ is the latest solo single by Cork singer/ songwriter Pete Mac. Featuring the guest vocals of iconic musician/ artist Lisa Papineau. The track was written during the Covid lockdown period with Pete experimenting with different sounds. The track’s theme is about escaping into a world within a world.
Enveloped in dark melodious alternative rock, ‘Escape’ is a thrilling and passionate new single from Pete Mac. The song exudes an epic soundscape as Pete drapes a bittersweet melody in cinematic instrumentation. Dark, thumping beats and airy twinkles on guitars brood and simmer with eerie, shadowy tones before the chorus erupts with dramatic energy and grunge melodies. The building sonics create tension and shiver-inducing goosebumps while Pete’s rasped vocals surge with emotion. Lisa’s sweet vocals haunt through the song, creating a ghostly and ethereal contrast to the explosive instrumentation as it reaches a dynamic crescendo. ‘Escape’ is a powerful and expressive song that displays Pete Mac at his most compelling to date.
