Owen Denvir has announced his imaginative and brilliant EP trilogy/album idea is coming to a close with the final EP ‘Bones’ set for release on May 7th. That will then create the ‘Sticks, Stones & Bones’ album. To coincide with the announcement he has released his new single ‘My World’. With over 200,000 streams on Spotify, combined video views of over 2 million, music shared by Coldplay and supporting the legend Dodie……Belfast born, Owen Denvir at only 30 has asserted himself as one of the finest singer songwriters around.
Delicately encased in soft soundscapes and wonderful songwriting, ‘My World’ is a touching and sweet new single from Owen Denvir. The track flows upon a blanket of lush percussion, balmy rhythms and soothing harmonies while Denvir’s velvety vocals surge with soulful tones. He coos the emotive lyrics over a soft hazy melody that is drizzled in melancholy, while the beautiful lulls by Hannah McPhillimy elegantly chime in the backdrop. Denvir has outdone himself with this passionate ditty. The earnest lyrics and refined production makes ‘My World’ an utterly compelling track.
About his new single ‘My World’ Owen says : “My World holds a lot less hope to it than the overall sound of it suggests. It’s a culmination of sayings and traits either my friends or I have shared in the panic before realising you’ve been dumped. You can raise your partner to an unrealistic pedestal through misplaced infatuation, while they might not feel the same way about you. In the worst case, it leads to a reliance that this person is the only thing in the world that matters, or that you’ll amount to nothing without them. There’s always a way out from this mindset, however long it takes. It’s not always easy to see what the best course of action is. Reaching out for help can feel impossible, like an admission of weakness, or acceptance of a loss that you don’t want to face. Every person is defined by themselves just as much as the people around them, and it’s situations like this you’ll realise how much your friends and family care about you. Spending time with them is as important as spending time alone, coming to terms with it all.”
Celebrating and reflecting on Britain and France’s cultural ties, ‘Le Vaudreuil’ is the latest single released by local Cambridgeshire singer-songwriter Barney. This is the fully-fledged version of a melody composed initially to mark the 20th anniversary of a local, Anglo-French Twin Town collaboration. On the musical side of things, Barney’s ‘other half’ is Barrie, who would usually take on the role of the lead vocalist as well as being responsible for instrumentation, production and recording. However, on this occasion Barney, having in his words ‘marginally the better French accent’ took the microphone himself.
Featuring elegant strings, soft beats and warm guitars, ‘Le Vaudreuil’ flows upon a supple bed of earthy light instrumentation while Barney’s smooth vocals caress the dreamy melody. The folk- esque melody teamed with reverb laced vocals gives the track an otherworldly ambience. Teaming swoon-worthy tones with heartfelt melodies, ‘Le Vaudreuil’ is a beautiful and compelling tune from Barney.
nicha has released her new single, ‘saltwater song’. nicha (also known as Lucy Robinson) is a 23-year-old Northern Irish native, born and raised in Holywood, Co. Down. In July 2020, nicha took the scene by storm with her debut single ‘Devices’ – a song about our society being addicted to our phones. She has already been critically acclaimed by some big names, drawing attention from BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen McCauley, RTE 2 FM’s Dan Hegarty, RTE 2XM, and more.
Cascading with delicate electronics, supple melodies and soothing vocals, nicha presents her deft songwriting and musical talent within ‘saltwater song’. nicha’s ability to layer and enrich her songs with unique sounds never ceases to impress. Within ‘saltwater song’, she unfolds lush melodies and ethereal soundscapes into a bedding of earthy elements and Asian influence to create a soothing and compelling tune. With eerie harmonies contrasting the pacifying warmth of her soulful vocals, the track ventures from a mellow lounge tune to a psychedelic mind melter with ease. This rich and diverse sound is why nicha has become a mesmerising artist to admire. There are no boundaries, no confines or genre rule she won’t bend to create a beautifully lush and captivating tune to indulge in. nicha is a talent to treasure.
About the song, nicha says…“saltwater song is liberating and empowering. It tells the story of someone who is struggling to overcome personal issues such as a bad relationship, addiction or an unhealthy habit. Weighted by these issues, they are unable to become their best self or reach their full potential. The lyrics of saltwater song express the passing of time and the fear of being swept up in distraction and forgetting where you are meant to be going. The music reflects this as well through a wash of melodies and dreamy instrumentals.”
Irish singer-songwriter Rory & The Island has released the video for his brand new single ‘Miss This’. ‘Miss This’ explores the basic little joys we all miss during this crazy COVID situation and has become a firm favourite during Rory & The Island’s successful weekly Facebook Live broadcasts. I caught up with Rory to discuss the new single, his live broadcasts and the exciting prospect of live shows later in the year.
As Rory was “having a bit of a meltdown trying to get Weetabix out of a table” which was delightfully “mixed in with Crayola and milk” we talked about ‘Miss This’ and its slightly different shift in tone compared with his previous release ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’. With its subdued instrumentation, the song creates a warm ambient atmosphere. Obviously, the lockdowns due to covid sparked the inspiration for the song, but I wondered was it Rory’s personal experience that made him write. ‘Miss This’ or was it seeing other people struggling.
“Probably a bit of both, we just got old clips of me playing live gigs and merged it in with myself and the kids around the sitting room. It’s just the contrast of lockdown as opposed to being able to go out and play in front of a live audience and even just put in some footage of when I used to go and watch a Donegal game and just the contrast of that. That was the thought running through my head but it’s so weird, when I put the video together, I have to be honest and it might be because of my age, but it looks like it’s a midlife crisis. It’s almost like a pining for your youth. I try not to make it too sentimental either. There’s a positivity, as you say – it’s melodious and rich. I went for that because I didn’t want to do another sob story of the pandemic. It’s the kind of song that maybe in eight years, I would hope, that you could listen to it and it’s still this song about reflecting on good times, it could be about a missing friend or missing some days that you had when you were younger with your family, but I’d like to think that it’s positive, you know it’s not got bitterness to it. “
It’s easy to accept and get used to the “new normal”, but when I heard ‘Miss This’ for the first time, it hit me hard. Everything we are missing just came flooding back, and it does every time I hear the song. It’s the perfect little reminder of all we have lost without being sad. Instead, it’s wonderfully nostalgic. Rory seems to have captured a sense of history in the track, yet it has a timeless feel.
“Even just buying a glass of wine during the day and sitting down at a cafe or two friends just getting a couple of cans and sitting on the beach on holiday. That can’t be done anymore and it’s hard to get your head around that. You would never have thought that was a big freedom”
“ I wrote it in like nine or 10 minutes, and that’s the same with, ‘Wired To The Moon’ and ‘Valhalla’ [‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)] that kind of stuff connects well with people. Even with The Revs, we used to find that the stuff that we would spend three hours on would come out better than stuff we spent three weeks on. It’s really weird. So I just basically scribbled down on an A4 – sitting down for coffee in a restaurant, simply sitting down with a friend, having a conversation with a beer – you know, little basic things like going to a football match. I just wrote down about 10 things and then just started playing, the little old fashioned four chord rotation which is like a 1950s rotation really. It would be from ‘Blue Moon’, or ‘Stand By Me’ it’s just one of the classic chord formations. It’s kind of like that Bruce Springsteen thing of, can I get something really basic really quick? with a couple of chords. And sometimes, nine times out of 10 you can’t get that because after 20 minutes you do something that sounds like 20 other songs and it’s going nowhere and it’s not even interesting to me. But with this one, that was one of those where I was like wow! you know, the hair stands up a little bit on your arm. After five minutes, you know that you have a song almost complete which is so weird. “
This emotional and sweet sentiment that ‘Miss This’ summons within the listener makes you think of the live setting and how special this song will be live. It’s going to be a teary song with swaying and hugs when Rory finally gets to play it in a venue for the first time.
“This week I put out tickets for three gigs and the Glasgow one is almost sold out already and it’ll be 200 people upstairs at Malone’s in Glasgow, which is a lovely gig, it’s an Irish venue in Glasgow. Just the thought of being able to walk out with an acoustic guitar and kick drum and start off with that song. It’s exactly what you’re saying. It’s just going to have a totally different resonance. You could almost add an “ed” at the end you know “I missed this”. For people that have been locked up for all these months to get that little release. Though August is still ages away and who’s to say there won’t be some variant from Mars or Venus to throw another spanner in the works but yeah that’s one of those songs that I think is going to work really well live. It was really hard to record it. I said to Josh who would do the co-production with me, he’s a friend of mine from Rock School in Ballyfermot. We went there in the late 90s and to be able to meet up again years later is mad. He has a recording studio in Yorkshire, that’s where I do all my stuff, it’s such a nice studio it’d be like Abbey Road quality.So I sat down and I just said this one I want it to be acoustic guitar, tambourine, vocal, and it’s just got that broken down at a festival type song. So we put that down first and after two and a half minutes we thought there’s something dull about this and we didn’t want to make it sound overproduced so we added a little bit of kick drum which is natural anyway because I use a kick drum, and then I thought there’s still something. It was so tricky. We’d say ok let’s try a string section, you put that in and all of a sudden you go, well it’s missing drums and bass now so let’s take that out. It was getting to the point where it was 10 o’clock at night and we’re going, Holy sh*t. It was so annoying because sometimes when you’re trying to find simplicity, like if you listen to certain songs that you would think they’re really simple, you realize there’s about seven overdubs in the background that are just making it glorious and that’s what we really struggled with so we managed to slice it down to moments of piano, moments of strings, kick drum, bass guitar subtly underneath the acoustic in the background and tambourine and harmony. But for the first two minutes of the song it’s really just the guitar, vocal, that you would hear. So,it was really tricky. The other song I did, ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla), I flew through that much quicker because I knew it was going to be that kind of Neil Young, Meat Puppets type thing. I could hear the drum pattern, the bass pattern, the guitar pattern. So this one was a bit of a panic in the studio and I actually thought that we had blown it. When I got the mix back. I was like, I don’t even know if this is gonna get played on the radio. It sounds weird, you know, but yeah it’s going good so far”
Rory’s previous single, ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla),’ reached Number 1 in early November 2020, and it kept Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, and Dermot Kennedy off the top spot for the weekend. He admits this success put a little pressure on the singer-songwriter as he approached his next release.
“I know yeah, it actually gave this one a bit of pressure, it was like oh my god, the last one went to number one if this goes to number six everybody’s gonna slag me oh you’re not as popular as you were in November. All these stupid things go through your head. So I was glad that it did go to number one for a day. “
Rory’s weekly Facebook Live broadcasts have built up something of a cult following with an average of 30,000 weekly views over the past year. These fun-filled nights of great tunes, fantastic originals and mighty covers have cheered people up and given them something to look forward to each week. There is a little community here, as Rory gives shoutouts, birthday wishes and requests. Along with his cheery and fun persona, there is something extremely charming about these live streams.
“Yeah, it’s been amazing, I suppose the only thing is that there’ll be a slight songwriter artistic guilt within me because when I started off I wanted to give it a real feelgood factor so I was taking requests, so I’m playing all this stuff, and I wouldn’t normally have a lot of it in my set, you know, but the fact that it was a keeping the spirits of the people up type vibe, it almost felt like well, if they’re feeling good, I’m serving a purpose this year. After all that time now it’s really hard to pull back and go, Okay, well I’ve done loads of cover versions now I want to do 90% of my own set which is kind of a dilemma but I think I’m gonna have to do it. I’m gonna have to shake off the people that are just watching it for, you know, having like 20 cans, and singing along with the screen. That’s the one thing I’ve found a little bit tricky, just judging Facebook. As you say people tune in / tune out so much you would keep it more upbeat, more commercial than you probably would. It’s a weird line that you have to tread.”.
If anyone is looking for a short pick me up, they need to check out Rory’s 2021 Song on Facebook. It’s a catchy, cheeky ditty that will stick in your head for days.
“That actually went viral, a few of them have gone viral like the one I did for Meghan and Harry. But I think if you’re clever and you make sure there’s just no narrow-mindedmalintent behind any lyric it will connect with enough people. You trust that people might be on the same wavelength as yourself. In the past, Ricky Gervais seemed so dark and rude but at the same time, he didn’t. It was the same with Steve Coogan, there was almost this, taking the p*ss out of himself type thing. It works you know, and I don’t like cheesy writing, I don’t like sentimental writing, but at the same time, I don’t like just rude for the sake of being rude. I like to have it with a bit of thought behind it, I think that’s connected with some of the more silly stuff that I’ve done”
Thankfully these live streams won’t come to an instant halt when the live shows return. Rory plans to keep them going as long as people want to see them.
“For me. Yeah, because I’ve built up a lot of fans that would be in the vulnerable type class, you know they’re like oh my god I can’t really buy tickets to your live gigs, because I feel too nervous or because I’m severely asthmatic and I’m not ready yet, so I just said back to the people until the view figures hit like, 190, 85, then I’ll know it’s time to call it a day and then maybe even if they’re hitting that figure and that’s on a Monday night and seven o’clock and I’m playing all my own stuff, there’s no harm in that. So I think it’s always gonna be there. I think every third week maybe just keep doing Facebook Lives and stay in touch with those people that have been really kind to me for the 13 months. I’m very lucky that I’ve built up a lot of followers in Canada, America, Japan and even Dubai and some random places…like in the Bahamas.”
Rory has been writing a lot over the last year and is hoping to release some more music this year. Along with his live shows booked for later in the summer, he’s got some exciting things planned
“ I’ve been lucky. I’ve had a good spell I’ve written about nine new songs so hopefully if we can get maybe the best 7 of those recorded and then put it with the four I’ve recorded this year. I would like to get a proper digital vinyl out, maybe like 1000 prints in November/ December this year. It’d be a nice way of just gathering all the stuff that I’ve done this year and then maybe not make it pandemic related. I’ve done a lockdown special EP with just a lot of the cover songs that were going down the best, mixed with my own songs and we just did an acoustic CD. Put out like 500 Copy limited edition and that sold which is brilliant. It got me through three months really from the old fashioned CD profits, it was like, 1998 again! So I’ve got an album of stuff ready to go. I just need to get enough days where it’s legal to go to the studio.”
“I think there’s a subconscious thing where people realize that even though we’re all trying to get as much for free as possible, a lot of people,at the end of the day they know artists are only getting maybe like a 90 quid cheque every month from Spotify at the very most if your doing quite well. Whereas if you buy a CD, it should be, when all is said and done, maybe eight euro straight to the artists. So I’m looking at the good side of people and I think that’s what a lot of people are thinking, especially this year. A lot of people even bought the CD and took a photo of the CD in the kitchen saying it ‘arrived today Rory! thanks a million, I don’t have a CD player but you know.’ People are almost doing the artists a favour just because they know it’s been a tough year. I think even indie bands and all that, their Spotify at the end of the year could be 300 Euro. So people will go, you know what, I like this band, I’ve seen them live twice, I’m going to get their vinyl, because it’s something to hold in my hand, and they might actually get some money from it. There’s a much sweeter sound off vinyl and if you have a nice vinyl player in the sitting room, it just looks really cool, if you have a few friends around, put on the vinyl, sit down, the tone is nicer. I wouldn’t have thought that when I was younger but the more you go into a recording studio and hear the difference in frequencies it does become apparent that there’s not really much difference between CDs, and mp3s, on Spotify, there’s really not much of a difference but there is with vinyl”
Rory has two live gigs in Glasgow and London for August (Dublin Castle, Camden) and he is excited to get some more booked in as soon as he can
“I’m trying to get a few gigs booked in Ireland but it’s just really difficult as I’m sure it is for everybody. I was hoping maybe August, September, but it’s just very hard. One problem is, the venues have such a backlog of bands that were meant to play that they’ve got like gigs on six nights a week, on paper, starting in July, and they’ve got to work their way back from like seven months of backlog gigs. So, for me, booking a gig fresh I might actually not be able to perform in Ireland until February or March 2022 which is just crazy to get your head around that, but over here in Scotland I’ve got Glasgow almost sold out for August and then I’ve got Dublin Castle in London and Camdon and that’s almost sold out as well and the Irish Centre in Liverpool so it’s nice to see gigs coming back and it’s great to see as well that people have a thirst for buying tickets which is a relief.”
Rory crafts beautiful tunes filled with earworm melodies and heartfelt emotion. He is proving himself to be a diverse and refined musician. His music exudes such an infectious sound, it is sure to have anyone singing along in no time. I’m looking forward to the earworms he releases next.
Irish singer-songwriter Jack Joyce has released his new single ‘Tai Chi’. Joyce first embarked on his music career at sixteen when he began performing and booking gigs in local pubs and clubs. He released his debut demo EP, ‘Get Down’, in October 2018 and spent the summer of 2019 busking through Europe. Following his return, he sold out The Vintage Room in the Workman’s Club and the Whale Theatre. He followed this by opening for Cassia in Whelan’s and playing a slot at the New Year’s Festival in Dublin.
Encased in bright indie and filled with glimmers of alternative rock and sun-kissed tones, ‘Tai Chi’ is a clean, catchy and witty new single from Jack Joyce. The song flows effortlessly on a dynamic beat and rich percussive bounce, creating an upbeat and sturdy backdrop. Joyce paces the track well, adding a sharp sting on guitar to illuminate the song and add a desert tone. Joyce has become known for his witty and cheeky lyrics, and ‘Tai Chi’ follows this trend spectacularly. His tongue twister lyrics and turn of phrase make him quite the ambitious lyricist as he wraps his smooth vocals around astute lines “A potpourri of Sophists and Casanovas”. With a subtle pulsing bass gently protruding through the hazy melody, ‘Tai Chi’ displays Jack Joyce’s flair for melodious, breezy and memorable indie-rock.
Justin Berth has released the official video for the title track of his latest EP ‘Endless Summer’. A fan of 90s country music since he was a child, Justin Berth has released two EPs, with a third expected to drop later this year. Amassing impressive streaming numbers on Spotify, Justin Berth is known for his catchy hooks as well as his outstanding live performances
Saturated in sun-kissed vibes ‘Endless Summer’ is a feel-good tune brimming with energy. The track rides on a sweltering wall of sound, with buoyant drums creating an upbeat lift while jangly guitars and a bright country-pop melody exudes a scorching sunny soundscape. Berth’s warm, rasped vocals glide upon the catchy melody with ease as he sings about fun-filled days and the endless freedom promised by the summer sun. Bursting with vigour and life, ‘Endless Summer’ is an infectious, fresh single from Justin Berth.
Paddy Casey has released his new single ‘Won’t Take Much’, taken from his fifth album ‘Turn This Ship Around’, a double album due to be released this summer. Having been at the forefront of the Irish music scene since his multi platinum-selling debut album ‘Amen (So Be It)’, Paddy Casey’s career has taken him all over the globe touring with acts like The Pretenders, R.E.M, Ian Brown, Blondie and Tracy Chapman to name a few. Closer to home he has played all over Ireland, including a sold-out Dublin Castle, RDS and a record-breaking week-long run in The Olympia Theatre, alongside special guest spots with U2, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan and more.
‘Won’t Take Much’ is a vibrant guitar-driven anthem exuding the heartfelt and dynamic songwriting of Paddy Casey. With swagger laced guitar lines and thrilling bass rumbles, the track holds an edgy rock hued bravado while triumphant bass and lush strings lift the song to soaring new heights. This bright and energetic track surges with good vibes and elation as a swoosh on synths exude expansive and richly textured soundscapes. Casey layers this song superbly providing an infectious feel-good anthem that is sonically lush and utterly irresistible. His warm vocals drift over the uplifting melody while the rattling rhythm and sing-along chorus create that adrenaline rush that is sure to ignite a live audience. ‘Won’t Take Much’ is a fantastic new single sure to brighten anyone’s day.
Speaking of the single, Paddy Casey said: “‘Won’t Take Much’ is an independent production, recorded and produced in my own home studio. To capture the energy of a new song ‘coming to life’ the single was written and recorded in the same day with friends and bandmates being called on later to add strings and horns.”
Riley Holland has released her new single ‘Say it First’. Riley Holland is a songwriter and performer from Co. Down, Northern Ireland. Riley has achieved much in her early career. In 2019 she was a semi- finalist in the Belfast-Nashville Young Songwriter Of The Year, making her live debut during this festival. She was also a finalist in the All-Ireland Star Nation competition. This earned her recording time in Ireland’s famous Windmill Lane studio.
‘Say it First’ is an infectious electronic pop tune saturated in Holland’s emotive songwriting. The track surges with luscious sun kissed electronics that wisp through balmy tones and sticky beats as Holland uses her knack with bittersweet melodies to create one heartfelt breakup bop. The tender lyrics contrast the song’s effervescent radiant backdrop; the warm guitars, tropical tones and bubbling rhythms make ‘Say it First’ a refreshing piece of pop perfection. Holland’s warm vocals coo “ don’t call me and tell me it’s over and we should just be friends”, over an intricately layered electronic pop backdrop creating a danceable radio-ready gem for listeners to indulge in.
‘Say it First’ is a slick, well-crafted earworm that marks Holland as an artist to keep an eye on.
Tommy Cullen has released his new single ‘Night Moves’. Like many of us, Tommy Cullen spent 2020 locked away in his house. Perhaps more unusually, that house is essentially a small house-shaped box and sits on top of a river in the middle of a city. Here, Tommy spent a turbulent year creating songs about scary sharks, imaginary breakups, existential adventures and nice trains. The latest in a series of home-recorded singles, ‘Night Moves’ was written last year during Ireland’s first lockdown. The song has a delicate and plaintive tone, revealing a yearning for contact in a time of universal hurt. It was mixed by Marcus Jay and mastered by Ivan Jackman, while the single’s artwork features photography by Joanna O’Malley.
‘Night Moves’ is a beautifully melancholic and soothing song wrapped in the tender songwriting of Tommy Cullen. This wonderful gem floats upon soft guitar strums and wispy soundscapes, creating a calming, gentle number while Cullen injects a sense of longing through the poignant lyrics. His warm vocals croon, “Breathe deep, draw slow,The city’s putting on a show, No name, two friends, waiting for the world to end,” allowing the bittersweet melody drift through the airy and almost haunting soundscapes. Cullen’s ability to express a range of emotion through minimalist arrangements is mesmerising. He conveys the pain, and numbness of loneliness through warm and calming instrumentation along with innocent twinkles on piano and lush harmonies. ‘Night Moves’ is a remarkable and moving tune from Tommy Cullen. .
Calum Agnew has released his new single ‘Don’t Think About It’.Agnew is a 17-year-old singer-songwriter from Duleek, Co.Meath. Since writing his first song at the age of 9, he has composed hundreds of melodies with lyrics in both the Irish and English languages. Currently a 6th year student in St. Marys Diocesan School, Drogheda, Calum has been tipped by many as a ‘rising star’ on the Irish Music scene after reaching number 1 on the Irish iTunes charts with his debut single “Crazy”. Calum says that his music is Inspired by ‘Soul & Pop’ artists such as Amy Winehouse, Billie Eilish, Jorja Smith and Hozier. Amid the Global Coronavirus pandemic, Calum used this time to craft his art, learning how to record and produce his own music from his bedroom, including his new single release ‘Don’t Think About It’.
‘Don’t Think About It’ displays the bright and compelling alternative pop of Calum Agnew. With supple melodies wisping through delicate beats and warm guitars, the song has a bubbling and light backdrop. Agnew provides an emotive and intricately weaved song through an array of soft instruments that highlight his confident and impressive songwriting. The verses brood and simmer with folk-esque tones on guitar while a lush pop melody coats the song in sweetness and buoyancy. Agnew sweeps an elegant string arrangement into the song’s vibrant backdrop adding a dash of grandeur and drama while the lush backing vocals and bouncy percussion build to the cinematic and powerful crescendo. ‘Don’t Think About It’ is a catchy and well crafted new single that marks Calum Agnew as an artist to keep an eye on.
Stream ‘Don’t Think About It’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
