27 year old Dubliner, Nathan Mac has released his second single ‘Carolina’.‘Carolina’ is the latest link in the chain of the ‘Start of Something Blue’ project. As the second major release, the bar has been set by the success of his first single ‘Better Off Without You’. This song hit 70,000 streams on Spotify in the first two months alone and has received acclaim internationally from the likes of ‘Buzz music LA’, and ‘The Music Nerd’.
With emotive songwriting laced in pristine ethereal synths and moving melodies, ‘Carolina’ showcases the mature, earnest and poignant musicianship of Nathan Mac. With coiling sticky beats twisting between twinkling synths ‘Carolina’ oozes a dark undertone. The song has a push and pull effect as it flows through darker elements and glimmers of bright scintillation which provide innocent moments of hope. Nathan’s smooth emotive vocals coo and tenderly whisper through the bottomless flickering soundscapes adding a contrasting sweet, velvety tone the the tracks more icy elements. The heavier beats slowly venture into EDM pop without fully committing to the genre as Nathan surges his alternative pop with emotion and passion. With reverb vocals and clean production this wistful gem is a relatable earworm ready for repeat listens. An exceptionally rich and lyrically deep second single from this promising artist.
‘Carolina’ is a song of second chances. Once again this track is an outstretched hand to anyone struggling with self-worth. Through his lyrics, Nathan explores the power of being seen by a stranger (and artist) by the name of Carolina. They met online when Nathan commissioned a portrait of his little sister. “Back then I was so low that any interaction with a stranger would add to my self-worth. The people who liked my songs or just wanted to say ‘hi’ made me feel like I had value.” Using the metaphor of an artist drawing him back into existence, Nathan set about writing this song as a thank you to Carolina, not just for the wonderful portrait, but for giving him a new sense of self.
I caught up with Norwegian singer songwriter Dagny [Norvoll Sandvik] ahead of the release of part two of her debut album ‘Strangers / Lovers’ which is out on the 2nd October. We discussed how she crafts her tracks, her emotional songwriting and how writing and potting plants has kept her busy over the last few months.
Dagny has officially solidified herself in recent years as one of Norway’s most exciting artists, live performers and songwriters: yielding over 450 million streams, as well as selling out international headline tours along with critical acclaim from Nylon and Billboard to The Guardian and Harper’s Bazaar. Her debut EP ‘Ultraviolet’ received unanimous praise from critics with features such as Billboard’s 10 Pop Stars To Watch In 2017, and VEVO’s Ones To Watch 2017.
When we spoke, Dagny was in Oslo. It was a beautiful day in Oslo while I sat facing a window displaying the gloomy dull Irish weather ( I was definitely experiencing weather envy). However I express my love for the beauty of the coming season, Autumn and we discuss the colours and magic that this time of year beholds as Dagny reveals to me it was London that sparked her own love for Autumn
“You know what, I’m the same actually, I love Autumn. My favorite time of the year and I lived in London for a long time. So, for some reason it just reminds me a lot of London weirdly, I don’t know what that is but this gives me a good feeling in my stomach this time of year.”
Dagny has been honing and perfecting her songwriting for a few years and she has been nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year at 2019 Spellemannprisen Awards (Norwegian Grammys) – the third year in a row Dagny has been nominated. Among her many achievements, she also co-wrote Katy Perry’s recent single ‘Never Really Over’ – racking an impressive 300 million streams on Spotify alone but only now has she decided to release her debut album ‘Strangers / Lovers’. This is a collection of tracks she has been crafting and perfecting all this time for the album
“Yeah, absolutely. I started on this album and decided that I was going to do an album around springtime in 2019 and then we went into the studio in October and that’s kind of where we’ve been since October last year, so it’s been a long process…the fact that you have to see it as a whole, instead of just concentrating on singles and you have to work on the story and development throughout the album and the track list and how the songs are transitioning between each other, so it’s been a very different process than focusing on the singles. I think for me it was so exciting and challenging and inspiring to work on a bigger project and have a bigger body of work basically, so it is something that we’ve spent a lot of time on, yeah for sure.”
“I think the songwriting was mostly the same because I first started out by deciding what my favorite songs were. I listened through, basically my old catalogue that I’ve been writing the last few years and then I very quickly saw that there was a theme and it became very clear to me what the theme was and this whole thing about splitting the album into two. As I started working and diving into the album more and more ( obviously in periods during the last year I’ve also been writing a little bit ) I think the process was a bit different because I already knew what I had and what I felt was missing and if there was a little part of the story that I felt wasn’t really being communicated well enough then I could dig a bit deeper into that specific theme or you know, whether it’s an upbeat song or a really melancholic song, so I think the writing that I’ve been doing throughout the period has definitely been different, I’ve put my mind into trying to make something very specific.”
“Before I started making the album, it was very much like going to the studio and just see what happens and letting yourself be inspired in all kinds of directions. So in that sense I guess it’s been a little bit different but I think in general, when I write I try not get too caught up in what’s happening in music in general. I never try and go in and be like ‘oh yeah let’s try and write a single’ and stuff, it’s just whatever mood you’re in, you have to let that take the lead I guess on what you end up doing that day”.
Dagny has already released the first half of ‘Strangers / Lovers’ earlier this year and the second half is due in October. I wondered why she chose to separate the album into two halves and if it was to give all the tracks a chance to be heard and appreciated
“ Well, it was actually when I started listening through all the songs that I’ve written and I found my 15 favorites or something. I just felt like there was a very clear story but it sounds like two sides of the story. I played it to some of my band members while we were doing festival season last year and I remember them giving me the same reaction like, ‘this feels great, but it kind of feels like two sides of the story’. So you have one side which is very much like the start and happy time of a relationship and then you have the other half which is showing a breakup or post a breakup. So it just felt like a natural way of telling the story even clearer. Also it felt very natural to put out the first half, which is very upbeat and happy, before the summer and then maybe leaving the more darker side of it to the autumn. Just because for me music can be a little bit season based, but in a positive way because I just want to enhance certain feelings that I have with different seasons.”
“So it was a lot of things that made me draw that conclusion and then working on the visuals and working on the album, I wanted to make it really clear that it’s an album and not an EP, that’s something that we really put a lot of time and effort into…. there’s a lot of stuff going on all the time, a lot of information constantly to take in and I want my album to be something that you sit down with and you listen to. In a way, I guess you’re right, it gives all the songs an opportunity to be heard which I think is a nice thought. “
‘It’s Only A Heartbreak’ is the first taste of what we can expect from the second half. It’s quite the empowering electronic pop track that was in fact inspired by the classic movie Casablanca.
“With that song I think we started with music and we were very inspired by the track and the sound of the track. It was funny because you can get inspired by lots of different things and then at the end of the day when you write it, it’s like, you put your own experiences and your own thoughts into it. So actually what first sparked that song, like the idea of that song was this old movie, a classic, it’s called Casablanca, it’s from 1942 or something and it’s a love story. The main character, the male character in the film he has this quote that he says several times throughout the movie where he goes “here’s looking at you kid” and I guess the way that we kind of interpreted that was, it’s something that he says when he realizes he can’t have the love of his life or they can’t be together but he can still look at her and admire her. It doesn’t really change how he feels about her and so I was just inspired by that”
The first half of the album is laced in shimmering sunny pop tracks with sugary synths and rich electronic beats. Dagny explains she gets her inspiration from anywhere and the format of how she writes varies with each song
“Actually, a lot of the time for me, both happen at the same time. I very rarely write a song like on a piano and then put production on it, because I find that I can equally get inspired by what’s happening in the track. The sounds and the feeling that I get from the track can be part of inspiring what the song is about or how I write the melodies and stuff, so it often feels like things happen almost at the same time. Once the song is written and for me, very quickly, I get an idea of whether this feels like something special or not and then you spend a lot of time crafting it after the song is there, but I think working with a team like me and another songwriter and a producer for example then, I love that. Those things kind of happen very much around the same time, I guess. On the record I think the only song that really changed was on the first half, there was a song called ‘Tension’ and that was actually a really upbeat super, kind of pop-y vibe. It just didn’t really feel right so we completely changed it and it became the most, I guess melancholic song of the first half but other than that, I think, a lot of the foundation of the song is already there from when it was written”
One of my favourite songs on the first half of the album is ‘Paris’. I love the swoony, dreamy, delicacy of the track. Each song on the album has a special place in Dagny’s heart and depicts a special emotion for her as well, its difficult for her to pick a favourite.
“Oh, that’s a tricky question. I think for me, honestly, it has changed very much throughout the process. I think I’ve probably had a phase with all of them like there’s been, one month that I’ve been listening to this song and it’s like ‘oh this is my favorite’ and then maybe another month where I don’t listen to that song at all and I listened to one of the other songs, I’m like ‘no, this is my favorite’. I mean obviously they’re all picked because they’re special to me in some way, and there’s some songs that I’m very excited to play live, while other songs that you know, just hit me more emotionally. I often find that about stuff in a live sense and I think, ‘Come Over’ has always been special to me I guess. I don’t know why, and ‘Somebody’ too. So, I don’t know, I love them all in different ways.”
Dagny’s passionate vocals exude an effortless sweetness. It would seem she was always a strong singer and confident vocalist however singing is not where she feels at her best
“Oh no, not at all. Absolutely not, for me songwriting was probably what grabbed me first and singing was just the way of communicating what I was writing, I guess. I’ve never been like a schooled singer and I’ve had so many issues with my voice so sometimes I can be really like ahh!. It’s just so annoying because I get so hoarse but I guess throughout lots and lots of years of songwriting I’ve just found my thing and what kind of works for my voice. But yeah, I think sometimes I also pick songs because they feel right for my voice, you know”
Music and writing is an art form and an expression of ideas and emotions etc. They are born from the creative genius and experiences of the artist. I have always wondered if it is difficult for an artist to hear someone else singing their songs as they may not sing or express the song the same way the songwriter would or even understand or correctly interpret the mindset the musician was in at the time of writing the song. Dagny is not as bothered by this as I might have thought, she wants the best for her songs. Almost like children she wants them nurtured and the best brought out in them even if its not her voice to do it
“I definitely know when I can’t do justice to a song. If I write a song and I feel like i’m not nailing this song and feel it would be so much better if someone else has sang it like I’m not precious with that stuff at all. The most important thing I do always is to make sure that the song is the best that it can be, whether it’s me singing it or someone else so sometimes I make songs and I quickly realize one out of three things, one, no, this lyrically does feel right to me, or two, this song I just cannot sing as good as it needs to be sung or three, it just doesn’t really fit in or, it doesn’t really hit me in the right way or it just doesn’t feel like a Dagny song. That’s how we explain it. It’s either a Dagny song or it’s not, but I think most of the time I always go into the studio thinking that I’m writing something for myself and then sometimes it just happens to come out differently. So then obviously I want that song to find another home so it doesn’t just lie in some inbox and never get heard. So, yeah that’s like my main focus to just try and do whatever is best for the song.”
“If I then ended up giving a song away then, in a way, I want that artist to make it their own and to communicate it in the way that they feel is right, so the second I give it away it’s not really up to me to decide anymore. Yeah, so I don’t think I’m precious with that because I feel if a song, felt right and I was able to do it in the right way, then I probably would have just kept it for myself. I mean for me, I obviously mainly focus on my own project but I do love writing for other people. I feel it’s a different type of creativity, where, I can just have a flow of ideas but I’m not the one who has to filter it and I don’t have to think about, ‘oh no I wouldn’t sing that line’ or that’s not how I really felt or you know those kind of things. So, sometimes it’s almost easier to write songs if it’s not for you.”
Dagny has released stripped back versions of her tracks; she recently released a beautiful version of ‘Somebody’. This version focuses on the lush quality of her melodies while also showcasing her rich vocals and the depth in her lyrics. Sometimes with a pop song these important elements can fall deaf on listeners ears and get lost in all the musical production. These moving, stripped back versions of her tracks truly display just how talented an artist Dagny is.
“ For me the more singer songwriter approach has always been how I started out and so that’s something that I really love doing, stripping things back like that. But I think, as you say, I believe if it’s a really strong song, then you can basically do it almost in any form and it will still shine through in a way. But I think, doing the more stripped back stuff you can convey a completely different emotion. I remember when we did an acoustic rendition of ‘Somebody’ people were like ‘oh that’s actually a really beautiful song’ and I think because the production is so up and kicking ( the way that it is on the main record), then as you say maybe people don’t really take in the emotion as much or that kind of emotion or maybe they don’t listen to the lyrics and the melody as much. So in a way, when you strip it back like that it suddenly becomes almost a whole different song or a whole different emotion, which I think is really nice and something that we’ve been doing with a lot of my singles. I think we’re gonna hopefully continue doing that.“
During this crazy covid time and lockdown Dagny got to focus on her album and spend time just taking a breather from all the chaos life can bring
“ In the beginning I was in quarantine so I had to stay at home. And it was actually for me at the time much needed. I think I needed to just slow down a little bit and, you know, re-pot some plants and sow and do other things that were just non music related and really just breathe a little bit. So, for me, that first period was actually really important. But then after that, you know, obviously the summer, not being able to do festivals and stuff, which I love and I missed a lot. I just kind of dug into the album even more and I started doing a lot more writing this summer so I’ve kind of kept busy for the whole time and been working a lot so it’s been very creative and just musical in a different way than I thought.”
“I think I prefer a non-Corona year if I’m going to be honest like most others, but I really feel at the same time that there has been some really nice parts of it as well. It’s just like slowing down sometimes you know when you travel all the time and you work all the time, sometimes it’s nice to just remember that there are other things to life too. People are feeling a lot of pressure as well because everyone’s constantly keeping busy and doing so much and being social and we’re always getting all the best sides through social media and I think a lot of people are feeling a lot of pressure. So I felt those first weeks when everyone was just staying at home we were all just in the same boat and there wasn’t so much pressure on constantly doing stuff and being social and all these things. I think it’s important sometimes to just stop and breathe, but it’s hard when you feel like everyone else is moving so fast and being so productive.”
“In a way I hope we can take with us in some degree and maybe remember that it’s okay to stop a little bit sometimes. I just found that when Corona was happening, people were getting really crafty. They were like doing a lot of handwork whether it was knitting or sewing or potting plants and stuff and I just think there’s something really meditative with all of those kind of hobbies. A lot of people have continued that even after we were able to go out and meet people again.”
So what advice would Dagny have for aspiring songwriters and musicians?
“My advice would be to learn your craft, Just go out and write and write. At the end of the day the song is the most important thing; your music and the song. So constantly develop as a songwriter. Also play your instrument or play shows live and get training, that is really important or at least it has been for me. I also think not giving up is the best advice I can give because I was 25 when I released my first single, which, for a lot of people they would have probably just stopped, even before they reach 25 because they felt like, they needed to get on with plan B or whatever. But for me if I’d done that then I probably would have never been doing music like I do now, so just keep at it and persist and follow your gut and have fun with it.”
“At the end of the day we make music which is like, – I’m not a doctor or a nurse and like saving lives – but music really makes a difference to people’s life and emotionally its important for people. You can write a song to make someone feel uplifted or you can make a song to make people feel it’s allowed to just cry their heart out or whatever and that’s a really nice thing to do. For me at least, I try not lose track of that and not be too caught up in all of the other sides to music, you know, social media and business and all of that, but just remember that all I’m really trying to do is put sounds to an emotion, I guess. So, enjoy it.”
Dagny’s well-honed songwriting teamed with her mature, fun, synth-pop production creates vivid and passionate tunes. Each track is carefully crafted to present a relatable theme and energize the listener with a rush of emotions while giving something delightful to dance to at the same time. The first half of ‘Strangers / Lovers’ is an invigorating surge of deft instrumentation and wonderfully infectious songwriting, I can’t wait to hear what the second half brings.
Part two of ‘Strangers / Lovers’ is set for release on October 2nd. Until then check out the first half below
I caught up with Dublin singer songwriter Isaac Butler to talk about his new single ‘Change The Past’, how he brought the track which was originally written on piano to the cinematic single we hear today, his experience working with producer Philip Magee and what he has been up to during the last few months as well as his upcoming show in The Sound House.
Butler is one of the most pleasant artists to chat to; his cheery and positive outlook is infectious. We banter about past interviews I have had with him as well as living in a full house with our families over lockdown. Last time we spoke Butler told me he had many songs ready to go and he was deciding which track he was going to pick for his next release, ‘Change The Past’ came up trumps.
“ I kind of thought it was smart if I say so myself in terms of, I wish we could change the past in terms of all this kind of stuff (covid- 19) and prevent all that kind of thing.I just thought even sonically it’s moving towards where I eventually want to end up. It’s like that big anthemic band sound and I kind of touched on it with ‘Young Forever’ and with ‘Paranoid’. I took a bit of a detour which is fine, I mean, I love that song and I think it’s great and it’s opened a lot of doors…‘Change The Past’ I feel it’s just like the most kind of Isaac Butler song to date.“
Once again Butler is discussing a relatable theme in his new release. He is looking back on a relationship and thinking ‘what if I had done this differently’ and the nostalgic melody and cinematic soundscape reflect this beautifully. This sonically lush track has elements of synths and a full anthemic sound however it began much simpler
“I wrote the song on piano, so obviously there’s a bit of piano in there but the piano only features in the first verse. We’ve talked about this before, I try to write a song around a hook that people can sing. First and foremost, I write a song about something that’s important to me, but I just love the feeling in a room where you can teach something to somebody if they haven’t heard it before, and they can sing it back straight away. I’ve done it in every song pretty much to date like ‘Young Forever’ we had the chant, ‘Paranoid’ you have that funny kind of hook noise, and here again we have this big anthemic chant, and even the chorus it’s a two line chorus “I wish I could change the past. I thought we were gonna last” and in between that we have that big hook. So, I suppose, I wrote the song as a small acoustic song on a piano but the second I came up with a chorus I knew this was going to be a big sounding full band, kind of unifying people, singing along and I think it’s so relatable. I think it ties in nicely to that hook where people can sing along because people have all experienced in some way, shape or form wanting to change something in their past.”
The release comes hot on the heels of recent radio hit ‘Paranoid’ which has racked up 4.86M impressions to date and broke into the Top 50 of the Overall Airplay Chart – at the time the only self released single in not only the Top 50 but the only self release in the Top 100 – as well as climbing to 13 in the Top 20 of the Irish Airplay Charts.’
If that isn’t impressive enough, Paranoid was also chosen as ‘Song of the Week’ on 2FM’s Breakfast with Doireann and Eoghan and as the Select Irish ‘Track of the Month’ for June. Last time I spoke with Butler, he had just released ‘Paranoid’ and he was wondering how well the song would do and how long it would be before it would take off but it was pretty quick to get recognition. I wondered did that give him comfort with the release of ‘Change The Past’ or did he feel just as nervous.
“ For sure, yeah. It’s funny because it should really bring comfort but I mean they are so different and obviously for me it’s all about the stories I tell because they’re all personal stories and the vocal, so it’s always going to be a consistent Isaac Butler sound because of the vocal and because of those themes that I write about. Production wise we went on a completely different direction, so it was like okay, ‘Paranoid’ has open loads of doors, but do we release another song that is similar to that or do we go with a more authentic-y pop rock sound?’
I just had to go with my gut really I mean this is the music that I love and it’s the music that I want to make more of, so yeah that’s really how picked it. It was just my favorite one really of the bunch and I thought I had the ears of people after ‘Paranoid’ so I thought why not show them me”
Butler worked with producer Philip Magee (Kodaline, The Script, The Academic), for this release and he’s become quite the mentor to Butler. Philip Magee is such a diverse producer and seems to bring out the best in the artists he works with and Butler considers Magee’s input important vital to his music’s growth
“ Yeah, 100%. I had a lot of ideas myself, I was involved in the production as well.. for me it’s striking a balance of someone that can give ideas but also take what I want and how I am. Myself and Phil just click in terms of vision for songs because I’ve produced tracks with loads of different producers, and I’ve never clicked with someone in terms of vision so well. He’s just so open minded and he is always respectful, he always listens. It’s a team effort which I love. I mean I’ve experienced things where it hasn’t been a team effort and it just really takes the wind out of your sails and it takes away from it for sure when people put their own stamp on it. Phil puts his own stamp on it but he makes sure the artist comes through and I’m forever grateful for that.”
“Yeah I think the right producer is just super important.You can literally make an acoustic song sound like anything now, it’s just finding out what production is best for me as an artist but also what compliments the song as much as possible. I think we really hit a sweet spot here, there’s a lot of real elements, there’s lots of electric guitars and real drums and all that and obviously it’s very vocal heavy, which I love. I mean, all the music I listened to growing up is all like that, acts like The Killers, Sam Fenders they do a great job at bringing those real sounds back, The Academic as well, all real sounds.. doing an amazing job and just paving the way again for that authentic sound to come through again. I think, with this, we’ve gotten the perfect mix in terms of those nice electronic sounds, but also the real elements, because I’m a live act, I’m an artist that flourishes live. I think that’s just so important and yeah I’m really happy with how it came out”
Again live shows come up in our conversation or the lack thereof and although Butler was gutted when he heard he couldn’t do any shows for a while he is beginning to enjoy life outside of the live circuit.
“ It was super tough to take at the start. I had worked so hard for a good couple years, and for the first time, I had numerous festivals signed on for them and I had a Kodaline support slot in The Olympia, with my headline coming up in October, so it was a really nice moving summer and then for that to be kind of taken away was obviously really not great, but, it really is about just finding the silver linings. I’ve been traveling a lot across Ireland the last few months with my girlfriend and doing things that I wouldn’t have done had Covid not happened. As terrible as Covid is and as terrible as it has been for lots of people it really has allowed me to focus on other areas that I neglected a little bit and it’s allowed me to grow in a sense as well.”
“Everything was moving quite fast and it allowed me to stop and say ‘oh well this is what you’ve done and this is how you can make it better’. I’ve finally come to terms with it, and it’s taken obviously a long time but, yeah, it’s just trying to be as positive as I can really and I’m the eldest of five kids and there was seven of us in our house, it was challenging for sure but we had such a nice time you know. We spent so much time together.”
Butler did an impressive music video for ‘Paranoid’. Mustering his creative genius during the Covid-19 lockdown, he sprang into action and filmed the video completely in isolation. I wondered what he had in mind for the video for ‘Change The Past’
“So, yeah, well, I want to give this song, video wise, as much justice as I can. So for the moment, I posted a lyric video the day it came out. I have a really nice acoustic video that I shot a couple of weeks ago, just in my garden. So I’m using those two at the minute but I’m going to give the track time to breathe. It takes time to get picked up by numerous people so I’m hoping that happens and then I’m hoping in a couple of weeks to bring out a video but I’m thinking kind of like my previous music videos but just a bit more cinematic..it’s gonna be cool though.”
Butler has been busy with his social media content – with the lockdown and covid we have discussed before about how social media has been helpful with connecting with artists and with keeping people sane and connected, but before this, social media was sometimes considered a source of anxiety for people and Butler did feel that pressure to keep visible and to keep content out there for a while.
“I certainly did. I definitely did at the start, and I would find myself almost not posting for the sake of that. I think that’s where anxiety stems from…there’s not a huge amount going on, there’s only so much acoustic videos you can post and only so much live streaming you can do and all that. I suppose in recent weeks I’ve kind of taken, not a break, I’ve definitely taken my foot off the pedal in terms of social media. Honestly that’s just to give me a break really, and yeah you’re right I mean when there’s not much going on in terms of getting out and doing things live and stuff like that, I think that’s just where the pressure starts when you think ‘oh God I need to post I need to post’ but you really don’t. At the end of the day, I’m a musician and I like promoting and I like interacting but it’s not the main focus for me at all. You know what I mean?, I do love the interaction and I reply to messages all the time. I’ve never not replied to a message and I love doing it and I love the comments and all that kind of stuff, positive or negative, by the way. I think you’re right, you’d just be kind of clutching at straws in terms of what to post.”
Butler’s show in The Sound House is now rescheduled to the 11th of March next year. Our conversation moved on to whether or not he felt this was going to go ahead.
“It’s crazy to say but yeah..there is obviously always a little niggle in your head to say ‘oh, that it won’t be on’ but I’m preparing for it to be on the 11th of March. It’s all I’m really preparing for at the moment so I have the setlist. I’m just gonna basically make that show the best that it could possibly be. I’ve got, probably a half a new set as well which is great.”
Butler has plenty of songs ready to go and singles he is really proud of. Hopefully we get to hear them later in the year.
“Yeah, so I have a lot of songs that are literally ready to go. I’m in two minds about an EP or singles, but I think again just singles. I have so many songs so I just want them all to see the light of day. I’m thinking if I go the singles root, there’s just no way all of them will be released, you know, but then I’m just battling with should I release an EP and then do some of them get lost? It’s a good problem to have a lot of songs. I just have to decide how I’m going to approach releasing them but the focus now is on ‘Change The Past’ so I’m going to give that the best go and then I’ll decide what the next move is after that.”
Isaac Butler is constantly building and crafting his songwriting skills and tunes to create a sound that reflects his versatility and ambition as an artist. Each track he releases shows a different and intriguing side to his passionate musicianship while also giving us a catchy hook and sweet earworm melody soaked in emotion to indulge in. His songs are already set for arenas and mass sing-alongs and this artist is only getting started. It is fantastic news to hear Isaac Butler has more music ready to go. I’m looking forward to his future releases.
Graham Mitchell has released his new single ‘I Don’t Have To’. Graham Mitchell is a singer songwriter from the town of Raheny on the Northside of Dublin. Having cut his teeth live on the local pub and club circuit, he recently finished up solo shows with major Irish artists like Damien Dempsey alongside two sold out shows last year in Whelan’s and the Workman’s Club.
‘I Don’t Have To’ is a catchy ditty, laced in Mitchell’s hearty songwriting and infectious indie rock. With jaunty guitar refrains, cheeky lyrics and buoyant rhythmic section the track will have your foot tapping in no time. Mitchell’s warm vocals melt upon the vibrant melody creating that fun energetic summertime atmosphere. The sheer sing-along upbeat tempo and shredding guitar moments make this track instantly likeable and light hearted. Graham Mitchell is growing his sound and refining his lyrical content superbly. Looking forward to hearing more from this up and coming artist.
Kildare singer/songwriter NÍV has released her latest single ‘Moonlight’. The single is the newest official release from the solo singer/songwriter. It was recorded and produced in Maynooth by 93 Acres. NÍV is the alias of Irish singer songwriter Niamh Murray who hails from Kildare. She launched her solo career as NÍV earlier this year and has already gained many achievements. In March, Nív sold out her first Single Launch in The Workman’s Club for her single “Silly Voices’ she was also added to RTE Radio 1’s Recommends List and has been shortlisted for Four Star Pizza’s Star Nation Competition as a Leinster Provincial Winner.
‘Moonlight’ is a magical number as NÍV sets her vivid songwriting to delicate earthy musicianship. With elegant piano twinkling through ethereal soundscapes the track has a graceful and romantic tone. The warm strings lament through the track while Murray’s pristine vocals coo and soothe over the nostalgic dreamy melody. With lush harmonies and heart-pulsing suspense provided on cello the track blossoms into a beautiful emotive arrangement. Without any drums or rhythm section NÍV is able to keep the track within a dreamy state allowing the mystical tones create a serene atmosphere. ‘Moonlight’ is a charming track exuding traditional elements wrapped in emotive songwriting and delicate soundscapes.
Australian songwriter Angie McMahon has announced ‘Piano Salt’ (Released October 2nd on AWAL), a riveting, stripped-down companion piece to last year’s debut album ‘Salt’. After a truly breakout 2019 which saw her win the Grulke Prize at SXSW for Best Developing International Act (previously won by Courtney Barnett, CHVRCHES and Jade Bird), release her debut album ‘Salt’ and open Hozier’s massive US tour; 2020 has of course had some different plans. The Melbourne, Australia-based artist adapted with a return to the instrument that helped her fall in love with music in the first place – the piano. The new collection finds her reimagining five fan favorites from her debut album ‘Salt’, as well as stunning piano covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” and Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die.”.
Angie has also shared a live piano version of her hit ‘Slow Mover’, which has amassed over 16 million Spotify plays and was certified Gold on the Australian charts. This new version of ‘Slow Mover’ comes in conjunction with the news that Angie has received a Levi’s Music Prize, aimed to help promising artists stay afloat through the pandemic. The moving and beautifully presented rendition takes this jaunty track to a whole new level. Soothing and sombre the track takes an almost lullaby tone with McMahon’s warm vocals caressing the melody with a sweet tenderness. The graceful piano surrounds the song in an immaculate soothing soundscape as McMahon’s emotive vocals highlight her mesmerising songwriting. The piano version is a cooler and elegant rendition of the track and showcases just how versatile McMahon is as an artist.
About the ‘Piano Salt’ collection McMahon said : “ Piano is the first instrument I learnt and the one that made me first love singing,My favourite piano song when I was young was k.d lang’s cover of ‘Hallelujah.’ So this EP feels like a return to my piano-cover-loving inner kid. It’s been a really nice creative opportunity to recreate the feeling of some bigger songs off my first record, give them a new life, and cover some of my favourite songs too. It gave me something to do when we went into quarantine. The creative process also helped me shed some fear around sounding too cheesy on the piano, or too sad – I realised that doesn’t matter so much because I just love to play and sing.”
Bronagh Gallagher has released her brand new single ‘Truth or Dare’ today. Gallagher is considered one of Ireland’s leading actors and voices of soul music and is deeply respected for both the quality of her song writing and her stellar live performances. From the beginning of her acting career at age 17 as Bernie, one of the backing singers in Alan Parker’s The Commitments, Bronagh has appeared in countless films including Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, and award-winning TV dramas such as Jimmy Mc Govern’s The Street, and The Accused. She has also appeared in London’s West End, and Broadway Theatre Productions including Complicité’s Street of Crocodiles,the National Theatre’s Warhorse,and most recently Bob Dylan & Conor Mc Pherson’s award-winning musical Girl from The North Country. Alongside her acting career, Bronagh writes and produces her own music and runs her own independent label, Salty Dog Records. She has released three albums to date and past collaborators include Brian Eno, Maria Mc Kee, and Gary Lightbody.
Bronagh Gallagher presents her timeless retro sound with oodles of passion and gusto in new single ‘Truth or Dare’. Gallagher’s soulful vocals have a velvety texture as she uses the power in her voice to surge emotion and depth into her track. With warm brass elements, steamy guitars and elastic bass grooves the track oozes swag without losing sight of its smooth, funky, soul- filled core. The steady beat and meaty rhythms seduce and entice as the dreamy, supple melody melts into the listeners ears with tantalizing ease. Oozing emotion, rich instrumentation and catchy hooks teamed with a powerful crescendo, vaporous guitar pines and sass ‘Truth or Dare’ is another smooth as silk number from Bronagh Gallagher.
Gavin Doyle has released his new single ‘Redamancy’. The Dubliner’s highly anticipated single was recorded and produced by Doyle himself during lockdown. It was mixed by Philip McGee (Kodaline, Wild Youth), and mastered by Simon Francis (Kodaline, Kylie Minogue, High Flying Birds). A natural flair for music has led to Doyle being a highly regarded session musician. He has performed with Heroes in Hiding all over Europe, including a support slot with Picture This in The Olympia Theatre.Doyle established himself as a promising solo artist in early 2020 releasing ‘Before the Fall’ to critical acclaim.
‘Redamancy’ is utterly heartbreaking and melancholic as Gavin Doyle expresses tender emotion through a beautiful backdrop of twinkling keys, graceful strings and lush backing vocals. As the song progresses the tone drifts into a euphoria of hope aided by uplifting soundscapes while Doyle coos heartfelt lyrics over a sombre melody. There are elements of grace and elegance expressed through lamenting strings, warm guitar and steady drums which glimmer through the mournful melody while undertones of traditional and country hues collide with twinkling pop moments to create a full bodied, emotional sound which is as heart warming as it is painful and moving. A fantastic display of production and artistry – ‘Redamancy’ is a beautifully raw new track from Gavin Doyle.
Talking about the single Doyle said :” I almost cast this song aside as I felt it was too bleak/complaintive. It wasn’t until myself and a good friend were exchanging songs late one night that he reacted strongly to the rough demo I had made. He helped me realise that I wasn’t complaining, I was merely being honest. So, maybe me being honest about some of my darker emotions will help to normalise the subject for others.”
Isaac Butler has just released his highly anticipated new single ‘Change The Past’, produced by Philip Magee (Kodaline, The Script, The Academic), today. The release comes hot on the heels of recent radio hit ‘Paranoid’ which has racked up 4.86M impressions to date and broke into the Top 50 of the Overall Airplay Chart – at the time the only self released single in not only the Top 50 but the only self release in the Top 100 – as well as climbing to 13 in the Top 20 of the Irish Airplay Charts.’Paranoid’ was also chosen as ‘Song of the Week’ on 2FM’s Breakfast with Doireann and Eoghan and as the Select Irish ‘Track of the Month’ for June.Isaac Butler’s show at The Sound House is now rescheduled to 11 March 2021, with all original tickets valid for the new date. It is his second headline gig, having sold out his debut in Whelan’s last November and follows a jam-packed festival season in 2019, which saw Isaac Butler play a host of dates around the country including Electric Picnic and Kaleidoscope.
‘Change The Past’ builds on Isaac Butler’s cinematic pop as he continues to perfect his musicianship by spreading emotive earnest lyrics over synthesisers and lush melodies. Lamenting piano introduces the track which then blossoms into a smashing pop banger. With twinkling guitar, biting electronic soundscapes and trademark backing vocal hooks the song maintains that epic live audience sing-back the lyrics aesthetic we have come to know from Butler.
The passionate yearn of his vocal delivery distinguishes him from other aspiring songwriters as his velvety tone can croon like the best of them, however it’s in his hair raising dynamics for the mighty chorus where the power in his vocals truly shines. Butler captures timeless relatable moments within his songs whether it is candidly detailing the breakdown of a romantic relationship in ‘Paranoid’, that sense of freedom in ‘Young Forever’ or the gut twisting emotions which surface if one asks themselves the question “what if I had done this differently? ”- in ‘Change The Past’; Butler gives his unique view on these universal thoughts and emotions.
The track displays Butler’s knack for catchy dreamy melodies as it swoops and swirls sonically into an intense crescendo and an ending that will surely give you goosebumps. Isaac Butler is quite the impressive singer songwriter. His ability to create emotive music which is relatable to anyone who hears it is admirable. ‘Change The Past’ is another elevating and impressive track from Isaac Butler.
Speaking of ‘Change The Past’ Isaac Butler said: “I recorded the song in the Mill Studio’ with Phil Magee. This is the second track we’ve done and he’s become a great friend and mentor to me. He’s been so important in shaping my sound and I can’t thank him enough. He’s also just the nicest man in music. Doesn’t matter who you are/what you’ve done, Phil treats everyone the same. A legend in the Irish music scene!”
Having spent the last five years touring the world’s most iconic stages from the Sydney Opera House to Radio City New York, Dublin based musician Brian McGrane takes to the zoom platform to perform this week’s Virtual, an online event organised by Fluttertone and DootDoot Records.
McGrane’s set was brimming with heartfelt emotive tunes and light hearted banter. His warm vocals incorporate ample nuance and expression into his performance. However it’s the quirky moments between the emotive tunes that make his show so charming for example he laughs about forgetting the lyrics to his newly written ‘Just Like You’. He gives thoughtful anecdotes and introductions to his tracks as well as reads out the commentsfrom the audience, explaining “sure it’s the same as people heckling me onstage”.
From the soothing tenderness of ‘Miracle’ to the ethereal ‘Take Your Time’ McGranedemonstrates his ability to write sweet pop songs with catchy melodies which drift into the listeners ears with ease. He plays guitar and keys for this performance as the viewers sway and bop to his beautifully crafted tracks clapping and waving between them to show their support and flooding the comment section with compliments.
The audience last night was treated to songs which are freshly written. ‘Inside Out’ (co written with Roseanna Brown and Hannah Avison) is a beautiful example of the magic created within McGrane’s collaborative writing sessions. This romantic gem wonderfully builds into a cinematic delight as McGrane’s soulful vocals do a fine job of creating a welcoming, warm atmosphere. Not even his dad walking past and knocking at his window affects his performance of this track. The Coldplay -esque ‘Bubbles’ brings the show to a powerful end – a beautifully uplifting track which is just as intimate as it is anthemic. I for one enjoyed his set so much it felt as if time flew by.
A Q&A follows the performance with fans asking McGrane about his favourite piece of gear, advice for a songwriter going into a session for the first time and what one album he would bring if he was stranded on an island. McGrane answers every question honestly and in great detail.
McGrane put on a professional and entertaining show. His performance was clean, passionate and earnest and his tunes hold their own charm and grace. It’s difficult to see how anyone wouldn’t be blown away by his ambition and talent.
Brian McGrane is set to headline Whelan’s on Friday, November 6th he hopes he can do this in some shape or form so keep an eye out for more details. Until then stream his new single ‘Out Of Control’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
