Wicklow based artist Nylophone has released his new single ‘Shy One’ to mark the death of W.B. Yeats. The lyrics are taken in modified form, from a poem called ‘To an Isle in the Water’ by W.B. Yeats.
‘Shy One’ is a beautiful display of Nylophone’s emotive musicianship. Soaked in sweet, dreamy melodies the track floats elegantly upon supple finger-picked guitar provided by Jonny Dillon (who also goes by Automatic Tasty) while the intricate shaken percussion by Rian Trench (of Panic Attacks and Solar Bears) chimes in the background. The soothing vocals caress a lamenting melody with a silken tone creating a calming atmosphere within the track. Tightly weaved and oozing pristine production, Nylophone creates music that is rich in tonality and texture, providing mystical soundscapes that touch the soul and ‘Shy One’ is a magnificent example of this. An utterly captivating piece of music.
Edinburgh-based musician Craig McMorrow has announced the release of his new electro-acoustic single, ‘These Times’ on January 29th. The single, which follows McMorrow’s debut ‘Home’ was written and produced over Zoom during the lockdown.
‘These Times’ is an emotive uplifting number of electronic pop from Craig McMorrow. Through his country- esque vocals and motivational lyrics McMorrow oozes charm and emotion and shows strong musical growth from his debut ‘Home’. Soft acoustic guitar and elegant keys chime through a warm ethereal soundscape as beats bubble in the background. The use of pulsing expressive electronics creates a passionate and expansive soundscape that is both soothing and vibrant. With a catchy anthemic chorus and moving verses, ‘These Times’ is well crafted and wonderfully presented.
‘These Times’ is set for release on January 29th for more you can follow Craig McMorrow on Facebook here
Dublin based singer-songwriter Tommy Cullen has released the latest song, ‘Put Me Down’ in a series of home-recorded singles. The track continues Tommy’s collaboration with Marcus Jay and Ivan Jackman on mixing and mastering duties, respectively, and the single’s artwork features photography by Bobby Zithelo.
‘Put It Down’ is a warm, easy listening number. Cullen spreads his wholesome songwriting over intricate beats and sweet melodies to create a mellow emotive track. By blending positive vibes and bright textures with darker rhythms, ‘Put It Down’ provides remarkable contrasts and engaging soundscapes for the listener to indulge in. Using twinkling keys that create moments of innocence between the sullen shuffling drum machine grooves and supple bass, Cullen crafts a song that is immersive, engaging, and soothing all at once.
Cullen’s vocal’s coo over tight backing harmonies as the smooth pop melody flows over the bubbling backdrop with ease. With a bright chorus and soft mellotron flutes, the track maintains a sweet and uplifting tone while the poetic lyrics delve into deep reflection, “are you strong like the trees you tend, will you break or can you bend.”
‘Put It Down’ is a catchy, charming single that displays Cullens tender, rich musicianship and deft songwriting.
Wexford award-winning singer/songwriter Hallie has released her new single, ‘Waves.’ Hallie emerged in early 2019 with her debut single “Familiar Place” to critical acclaim with national airplay on multiple radio stations. The debut song made its way to the RTE Radio 1 Recommends Playlist and got multiple spins on Rising Time with Shay Byrne and Late Date with Cathal Murray.
Filled with rippling dark synths and emotive melodies, ‘Waves’ displays Hallie’s gripping and passionate songwriting in all its glory. This powerful alternative pop track oozes a viscous beat which slaps against a haunting electronic soundscape.
As the ghostly synths wisp about the backdrop, an ominous backing vocal creates a brooding and lamenting atmosphere that is utterly compelling. The song is dripping in lush, ethereal textures allowing Hallie’s earnest vocal delivery to highlight the sweet pop melody.
Through the powerful emotional lyrics, Hallie deals with grief, honestly, as her passionate vocals coo and warm the lonely expansive soundscape. The song builds to a powerful chorus which expresses the emotional turmoil one goes through when dealing with the feeling of loss. A poignant moment within the track.
Hallie’s capacity to create an intimate, heartfelt alternative pop song is impressive. The ability to take dark and complicated emotions and express them in wonderfully evocative musicianship which stirs the listener’s soul is a remarkable feat. Hallie achieves this with ease and astonishing skill. ‘Waves’ is a captivating alternative pop number that displays the immense talent and songwriting prowess of Hallie.
Joe T. Johnson is back with his incredibly spectacular new music video for his single ‘FRIENDS’.In the past, Joe T. Johnson has performed at Glastonbury Festival 2019 and achieved local success in 2020 after three singles. Joe teamed up with cult British photographer ‘Rob Bremner’ for his single artworks to create a vintage world that’s now become Joe’s signature style.
The new music video tells the story of two grandma’s enjoying a day out at Western Super-Mare Beach. Using a lo-fi retro filter, we see the grannies get up to all sorts of mischief. It’s a quirky, light-hearted, and fun video to accompany the melodic tune. ‘FRIENDS’ is taken from Joe’s up and coming debut EP ‘English Elegance’ available to buy in Rough Trade Record stores in February 2021!
JC Stewart has released his new single, ‘Break My Heart’. Over the course of the last year, JC Stewart has already achieved a growing following of 3.1 million monthly listeners at Spotify, plus extensive airplay across Radio 1, Radio 2, Capital, and Kiss. The song is accompanied by an official video directed by Charlie Sarsfield (Stormzy, Dermot Kennedy), who also directed the video for JC’s previous single, ‘I Need You To Hate Me’.
‘Break My Heart’ is a passionate burst of alternative pop as JC Stewart spreads a heartfelt melody over a dynamic instrumental backdrop. This heart-racing track drives on a pulsing beat and warm guitar laments while Stewart’s velvety vocals explode with emotion. The song builds superbly simmering through the verses before the catchy sing-along chorus kicks in. There is a confidence and swaggered undertone to ‘Break My Heart,’ which tells the story of a romance that has to be all or nothing. Stewart displays his wide musical range on this song, surging adrenaline into his passionate songwriting to create a fiery anthem that is a joy to listen to. Drenched in kinetic energy, ‘Break My Heart’ is an incredibly catchy song sure to be chiming in your head for days.
About the track, Stewart says: “‘Break My Heart’ is big, fast and fun. It’s about someone who can catch you so off guard that they can ruin a city for you and tear your life apart. But sometimes that can be addicting.”
The video features JC as one-half of a couple who share an erratic relationship. It switches between a whirlwind of ups and downs: the joy of hitting the open road and blissed-out moment home alone, juxtaposed with awkward silences and icy stares.
Ria Rua has released her new single, ‘Bad Girl.’ Ria Rua is a modern Irish female electronic art-pop singer, songwriter, and producer. After spending years as a professional drummer and touring the world with orchestras, she decided to take a chance on her own material. Her first three releases received national radio play in Ireland and the UK, and she was nominated for 2020 International Artist of the Year by a UK radio station.
Ria Rua’s first-rate musicianship soars to new heights with her latest track ‘Bad Girl.’ From the well-formed turn of phrase to rich musicianship, this bewitching track is intricately crafted. Crisp vocals swirl around infectious rhythms and dark electronic pulses, while tropical embellishments and edgy indie textures add depth and colour to a tantalizing luring soundscape. Within moments the listener is captivated and in awe of the superb display of skilful production.
Lyrically Ria pulls no punches. She exudes an empowering attitude through witty lyrics, which at times cuts deep like a knife. “Yeah, you’re nice to me now say it’s great to see ya. Where was this year’s ago when I was no senorita. I know it’s a fake, only your mistake fire in disguise, let’s go burn this f*cking snake”. Radiating swagger and sass throughout, Ria’s wonderful, pristine vocal delivery heightens the honest lyrical approach.
‘Bad Girl’ is a fantastic display of production wizardry and deft songwriting ability. I can not wait to hear more from Ria Rua. Ria is a talented artist and one to get very excited about.
About the track, Ria Rua said: “I spent three months creating this song – recording over 500 individual tracks in the process! The lyrics are about being bullied by people you once trusted when you ‘become who you are.’ So in a sense, it’s about betrayal, but more importantly, it’s about standing up to bullies and being brave enough to embrace your potential! “
Former Coldplay tribute singer Siimon is finding his own voice with his debut album ‘Cuts & Bruises’. Using the time spent in lockdown to write and record, ‘Cuts and Bruises’ evolved from demos of songs written at various song writing workshops over the years.
‘Cuts & Bruises’ is an enjoyable collection of easy listening rock as Siimon uses his passionate songwriting to create emotive anthemic tunes. His warm vocals caress the delicate sweet melodies radiating tenderness and affection in tracks such as ‘Cuts & Bruises’. This track is a surging display of affection and emotive songwriting filled with elegant keys and ethereal soundscapes. Siimon’s gripping mellow rock encompasses ‘Misread’, ‘Ordinary’ and ‘Last Stop On The Line’; biting guitars flurry across an uplifting and bittersweet wall of sound as soft beats build between icy keys and moving melodies to create a satisfying listening experience. Siimon injects wonderful sparkle into ‘Break Together’. Subtle eruptions on keys flourish through a swirling soundscape of buoyant beats allowing the emotion and sweetness of the melody make your heart skip a beat. Showcasing clean production and rich instrumentation ‘Cuts & Bruises’ is a sublime album from Siimon.
“‘Cuts and Bruises’ became the perfect title for the album as it seemed to encompass many of the unhealed scars, unseen wounds, memories, thoughts, feelings and emotions emanating from the other tracks.” explains Siimon who enlisted Paddy Byrne (Paloma Faith, Tom Grennan, Olly Murs) to produce this project.
Jack West has released his new single ‘A Little Shine’. Showcasing a lighter indie sound and warm glimmers of country the track is an upbeat and charming new single from this young yet mature songwriter. Glistening guitar radiates cosy tones through a buoyant beat injecting a dash of rock edge into the songs building backdrop and ethereal wall of sound. West’s raspy vocals exude passion as the track reaches its heavier crescendo while the effervescent instrumentation fizzes in the background. There is no denying this artists talent. West is developing his sound superbly. His ability to create sweet earworms which soothe the soul is admirable. ‘A Little Shine’ is a well crafted tune displaying tight production and mellow easy going tones sure to add a ray of sunshine to your day.
Cormac Russell has released his new single ‘Lotus Train’. Canadian born, but raised in Ireland, Cormac Russell has taken his music across the globe, including England and China. He released his acclaimed third album titled ‘Regicide’ in May last year, which won very favourable reviews in the press, as well as airplay on national radio. He will be releasing his fourth record ‘Ghost Town’ this spring. Playing all the instruments himself, he draws from a wide range of influences; from indie contemporaries like Kurt Vile and Bill Callahan to literary giants like Whitman and Rimbaud.
Easy going and laced in passionate instrumentation ‘Lotus Train’ is a sublime single from Cormac Russell. The track travels on a steady beat and warm guitar strides as a lamenting harmonica pines in the background while raspy emotive vocals and earnest lyrics inject a dash of grit into a heartfelt melody. Exuding warm country tones between an indie rock backdrop the track is a wholesome gem which displays Russell’s tight, refined and expressive musicianship. ‘Lotus Train’ is an impressive new single from Cormac Russell.
Stream ‘Lotus Train’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
