Following the success of her first single ‘Birthday’, Trophy Wife has released the second single ‘Beauty Queen’ off her upcoming EP ‘Art’. Trophy Wife (Ruby Smyth) is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Ireland.
‘Beauty Queen’ is a sweeping indie pop number that slips into a groovy jazz hued mellowness as Smyth contemplates female beauty standards over a slinky smooth backdrop. Her vocals coo and float atop beds of sparkling guitar flourishes and a soft buoyant rhythm. The track swells gracefully over a lush indie pop soundscape as the subtle intricacies drift between the smooth melody creating a rich laid back chic number. The song has a rhythmic bounce that is infectious without becoming over-powering allowing the chic classy soul pop elements to sparkle and soothe. ‘Beauty Queen’ is a charming, sophisticated, honest listening experience.
David Keenan has released a new radio edit of the epic ballad ‘Evidence Of Living’ from his globally acclaimed debut album ‘A Beginner’s Guide To Bravery’. The track itself is a deluge of Keenan’s poignant and poetic musicianship as he uses honest and striking narrative lyrics to evoke the tender and strong images of the story he tells. His soothing deep vocals warm the verses with a soft caress while his distinctive lilt intensifies the chorus.With an elegant stride on strings and graceful glides on piano the track sways its way straight to the dynamic crescendo. Keenan’s ability to create songs which exude a timeless quality and nostalgic sheen is mesmerising and within the current times of isolation, ‘Evidence Of Living’ is the perfect release.
Dublin singer songwriter Ciarán Moran has released his new single ‘Falling Down’. This easy on the ears number boasts Moran’s honest and heartfelt musicianship as he deals with raw themes of the loss of a role model and substance abuse in a graceful yet tender manner. Warm guitar, strums through a steady beat and ethereal soundscape as Moran’s vocals roll through the verse with an almost rap-like quality before sweetly cooing the charming chorus. The smooth melodies are catchy as the track drifts effortlessly through the melancholic hues. It’s a melodic track full of earnest narration and crisp production as Moran establishes himself as a compelling songwriter.
Singer songwriter Conor Marcus has released his new single ‘Hold Me Close Again’. Fourteen-year-old Conor Marcus from County Down wrote his first song when he was nine, but he wasn’t sure of his ability until he came up with ‘That Girl I Met’ when he wast twelve. A year later, he performed the song at his blind audition on ITV’s The Voice Kids UK and it helped him reach the semifinals, mentored by Danny Jones from McFly. Having previously won the Cool FM / Forestside “Young Singer/Songwriter of The Year”, Conor released his first EP “Maybe Sometime Soon” in March 2019 and has had plays on many stations including BBC, as part of BBC Introducing.
‘Hold Me Close Again’ is a warm sweet number that showcases Marcus’s competent songwriting. With cosy guitar meandering between strong strums, soft twinkles and country toned whines the track flickers with rich textures and precise layering. There is a slight Rag’n’Bone Man vibe as the thumping beat and dark undertone of the verses ferment and builds before the catchy chorus breaks the tension. Marcus’s vocals sweetly caress the tender melody adding a soft charm to this crisp number. ‘Hold Me Close Again’ is a fine addition to Marcus’s catalogue as he continues to blossom as an artist.
Oklahoma singer-songwriter Greyson Chance has released an acoustic video for ‘Dancing Next To Me’, the lead single from his upcoming album.Chance released his debut LP, “Hold On ’til the Night,” before he finished middle school, but the Oklahoma recording artist, now 22, waited until last year to release his second full-length collection, “Portraits.” His sophomore release came after he took a break from music and attended college at the University of Tulsa,
Chance strips back the catchy banger allowing this acoustic version to take the track to a new pristine and potent level. Soft and elegant piano escorts Chance’s warm velvety vocals as he coos the verses before allowing his sweet falsetto to embroider the second chorus. ‘Dancing Next To Me’ becomes more compelling and powerful with a stripped down backdrop allowing the swooning melody and ethereal rush within the lyrics to take over. This crisp and passionate rendition just takes your breath away while still maintaining the intense build and adrenaline surge of the original. With delicate guitar strums Chance displays a new wholesome and enthralling dimension to ‘Dancing Next To Me’. An enjoyable listening experience.
Watch the acoustic video to ‘Dancing Next To Me’ below
I spoke to singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Sion Hill aka Nathan Johnston on the phone. I became extremely envious on hearing he was sitting outside as it was a glorious day in Hungary ( it was 20 degrees ! ) where he was playing a show that night. Johnston has been steadily building up an international fanbase since he began his career playing in Dublin’s bars and venues. Now based in London, he has also spent time living in Berlin, where he adopted his moniker as a homage to his Irish roots. As well as making appearances at music festivals across Ireland and Germany, he has supported the likes of A-ha, Jim James, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alice Merton, Lilly Among Clouds and Pete Doherty.
We took a nostalgic look back at Johnston’s move to Germany from Mullingar once he signed to Warner Music Germany.He chuckles at the prospect of that move being quite daunting
“Not really. To be honest I moved to Dublin initially after Mullingar. I went to Trinity for 2 years and then I got offered this contract and I moved from there but I had been away quite a lot when I was younger and I went to New York twice for J-1s so I had been to a big city before. So it wasn’t like I left Mullingar and went into the unknown.But yeah I moved from Dublin to Berlin.I lived there for a year. It was a pretty manic place to be honest, I think it’s changed a little bit now it’s become more popular in the last few years. When I went it was snowing. I had my guitar in one hand and a massive suitcase with my whole life packed into it in the other hand. I was meant to meet a friend to stay with him but I couldn’t find his house for like, 3 hours so I was just trudging around in the snow with all of my possessions, everything to my name in my hand so that was pretty terrifying to be honest.But after a few days you get settled in.Its like moving anywhere it’s a bit scary at the beginning but you just gotta go into it full on and give it your best shot.”
When asked about his knowledge of German and whether or not he was familiar with the language Johnston laughs
“No unfortunately when I was in school I chose French over German at the time I prefered the French language to be honest it’s just much more beautiful it’s not as harsh and throaty.It took me a bit of time. I can speak a bit now but to be honest in Berlin everybody speaks English. The first day I went into a cafe and I ordered a coffee in German and it was an Irish fella serving so you don’t really need German there but I think they do really appreciate it when you do make an effort, because even though they love to speak English they like to practice their English and they are all so good at English so it doesn’t really matter but they like to see you try to speak German.There is a beauty to the language though.They have words that we don’t have in English to describe specific things. Like in English if you have somebody with a sweet tooth, we don’t have an actual word for that we just have a sentence whereas in German they have just one word which is Naschkatze and it’s quite a funny word for them. I use it pretty much every live show I have over there. I say “Ich bin eine Naschkatze” I don’t have very much German but I have these few expressions.I think it’s pretty interesting that they have some words that describe a whole sentence.There is beauty to the language that is way more broad than English. English comes from the Germanic language anyway so a lot of it stems from German.At the beginning it doesn’t really sound very nice but after you get into it it is pretty cool how you can describe things in a way we just can’t do in English. It’s like Irish, it’s another layer worse than that like there aren’t many words in Irish. We just have to use these idioms to express them whereas German has one word that can describe all of that. However some of them are like a sentence smushed together like they stick 7 words together …. Oh sorry I’m going into way too much detail into German but it’s pretty interesting.Like the word for airplane in German it’s not very creative it’s just “Flugzeug” which literally translates to fly- thing . The word for drums is “Schlagzeug” which is literally hit – thing. A lighter is “Feuerzeug” fire – thing.They kind of stick things together but that makes it easier to learn after a while its just the grammar that can be difficult.
After some chuckling about the relevance of the German language and its parallel to Johnston’s career we move on to the actual music and how he creates his tracks.
“I just listened to a lot of blues music when I was growing up about 14 or 15 years old. I got really into Jimi Hendricks, Otis Redding- a lot of that 60’s soul stuff I was a big Beatles fan since I was a kid but I actually started off listening to pop punk like Green Day, Blink-182 and Sum 41 that sort of stuff. I was like 12 or 13 listening to that sort of stuff and I learned the guitar because of those songs and because they were so easy to learn. Once you learn a power chord you can pretty much play every single Green Day Song. So I did that and because I knew how to do that then I went into learning seventh and Major seventh and things like that and I got into the blues. I was in school with this guy, his name is Joey Weidner and he has actually got quite a bit of followers on Instagram now for playing blues guitar. We formed a band at about 14 or 15 and I think he got me into the blues a lot more.So I just started playing that and listening to it a lot more and it just rubbed off on me. But I have always been much more interested in the American side of guitar based music rather than the UK sort of post punk thing that my dad would have been into like The Cure or The Smiths or bands like that like Led Zeppelin. Although I like that too but I think the soul side really attracted me.Especially because there is so much beauty behind the words. There is so much pain behind a lot of it as well. It’s not that I resonated with that or anything but I think they were able to convey their pain through this style of singing this style of music and I loved it and tried to bring it into my own thing.Although I took a modern approach to it as well. It’s got a lot of modern embellishments to it and different keyboard sounds and things like that.”
Johnston has a very smooth velvety voice with a warm rasp that is quite luring yet versatile allowing him to bring a modern twist to his soulful or indie pop tracks. Finding and becoming comfortable with his tone wasn’t really a problem for him, just something to get used to.
“Yeah everyone does, it’s like listening to a voice message.When you record a voice message and send it out to someone and listen to it back, everybody hates that.I hate listening back to my own voice as well but after awhile you become accustomed to it. You just have to do it. The more you practice and the more you sing and work with it and develop it yourself the more accustomed to it you become and after awhile you forget about whether you sound like an idiot or not. I went through a lot of phases as well when I started off. I really had this strong American accent which had come from all the artists I was listening to like Green Day and Blink -182 songs and all that which was the most nazely horrible American accent. So after awhile I just tried to develop it and make it into something. I tried to have a little bit of my own Irish accent in there but my accent has fairly watered down from all the travelling as well. When I went to Germany at the beginning people found it hard to understand me sometimes. So I had to tone down some of the more intense sides to the accent.Get rid of the “Shmoke” and actually pronounce my words properly.My dad is also quite well spoken and he always tried to encourage me to speak properly.You’d get the ol’ wooden spoon on the back of the hand you know. But I think with the voice the more you practice the better you get.“
Johnston released his debut album ‘Elephant’ in 2017 featuring some wonderful melodies, sun sprinkled vibes and oodles of soul. Each track flows smoothly into the ears; it’s a compact and impressive debut.
“All the tracks are sort of experiences I had growing up. Some of them I wrote when I was 16 or 17 years old. You know early first love, moving to the city was a big inspiration. I think a lot of that album has first time living in a big city as the backdrop to it. ‘Circus’ is about New York on J-1 and that overwhelming feeling of being in this gigantic place, feeling like, am I just another face in the crowd.Dublin is very small compared to other cities but it is much bigger than living in Mullingar so a lot of it came from that. People always ask do you write the lyrics first or the music first but that really just depends on the song.I don’t think anyone every single time writes the music first or writes the lyrics first. It depends on how you are feeling. It might start off with a riff and that riff brings about an emotion or reminds you of a certain time or place.Or I might have some lyrics written. I’ve had lyrics written and I’ve put it to music by chance.Generally it’s by chance you can’t really force it. With regards the flow it just came like that. At the time I was listening to a lot of The Beatles early stuff and I was listening to a lot of singer songwriters like Bahamas, John Mayer in particular I was quite obsessed with him when I was 16. A lot of his stuff is very smooth sort of soul pop tunes but he has something to say in the lyrics. It’s not just oh I miss my girlfriend which a lot of singer songwriters do and I liked that he had something to say whether its what it’s like growing up in school, or what it’s like having your first love or what it’s like just to live in a big city but putting it to something that is easy listening. I wasn’t really listening to anything really hard core or intense at the time so I suppose what I was listening to sort of influenced how the sound was going to be. It was always going to be a bit more smooth and easy listening because of that.’Beaches’ is a bit more upbeat than the others but it’s still smooth and you could listen to it before you go to bed. It’s not going to wake you up or anything.”
Earlier this year Johnston released his new single ‘Last Minute’ It’s a smooth, groove-drenched number as Johnston dips slinky 60’s -esque swagger into a fizzy pop sprinkled melody to create something truly infectious and timeless. The track is about when Johnston missed his train from London to Liverpool for a writing session with his producer, Rich Turvey (Blossoms, The Choral). Johnston and Turvey decided to build this experience into a portrayal of a budding relationship that is overshadowed or propelled by his latecomer streak.
“I’m currently working on the rest of the album with him (Rich Turvey). I met him through another producer in London called Dan Dare who mainly produces grime music.Hes a good songwriter and he has a side project called SLANG. I asked him if he could mix some songs that I had recorded myself and he recommended I work with Rich and he put me in touch.Rich said to come up and meet him and have a chat and we could do some writing and see if we work well together.So I booked a train for the next week and that morning I overslept. I missed the train and I was 3 or 4 hours late and this had kind of been a recurring theme in my life over the last 3 or 4 years I had just been really bad at time.When I got there and we sat down to chat I was like look I’m really sorry and he was fine he said let’s just write a song about that.If that’s the theme of your life at the moment that’s you in a song.So I came up with this lyric “ You know I didn’t mean it , I just always leave it to the last Minute” which was sort of an apology not to one particular person just to everyone. I’m not doing this on purpose you know like I know its a flaw and I’m trying to improve and I’m not going to blame it on my Irishness anymore. But yeah Rich is a legend. I went up to record with him like 3 weeks later and the exact same thing happened and he was like man I just knew you were going to miss the train.He’s a super chill guy to work with and he’s able to laugh it off.He’s got a lot of experience he’s just got two number one records with Blossoms in the UK over the last few years. He’s got a lot of success but he doesn’t really get a lot of recognition for it. Because the music industry in the UK is very much about the producers in London that are doing big pop acts. Even though the ones like Rich who is up in Liverpool has two number one albums and still somehow he doesn’t get the recognition but it doesn’t phase him.He is very relaxed he was like… 4 hours late.. ok.. I’ll just do something else and I’d be the same. Sure someone being late is annoying but if you just let those things bother you too much you will just get caught up.I think that’s why we work well. He’s a bit like myself but he’s better at time keeping. However I don’t like keeping people waiting for a show. They have waited already through a support act and the time in between and that’s annoying.”
Johnston has an upcoming album in the works so with the slight change in tone in ‘Last Minute’, it leaves a curious intrigue as to whether this next album with follow the more pop side of Last Minute’
“There are a couple of tracks on the new album that are a little bit more pop and upbeat.But I think the main reason it’s like that is we were trying to capture what it is to be always late and leave anything to the last minute. So we had that driving beat the whole way through.The drumbeat, it just doesn’t stop, it’s just kick and snare the whole way through. We don’t have any cymbals on the track it’s just a vibraslap instead of cymbals.We did that because cymbals can slow things down a bit.We wanted to have this driving thing like I’m always running to catch the train.Its a little bit more pop-y and I think that’s something to do with label people they can kind of push you in a certain direction.But I try to keep it as organic as possible.while still being a little bit more radio friendly. Also the last two tracks are singles and with singles you want to get radio play and you want to push them so people can listen to them so you don’t want a song like ‘Before You Go’ on the radio because its slow and a bit long. ‘Last Minute’ is only about 3 minutes long so it’s kind of quick to the point and says it all.I think a lot of the tracks on the next album are similar to the last record.and some are a little like ‘Last Minute’ so it just depends on the day. If I want it to be a little more of a soul track or a bit more pop it depends on my mood. “
Johnston has a very sleek 50 /60’s rock ‘n’ roll swagger in his appearance, slicked back hair and all while adding a modern touch. With social media artists are under more visual scrutiny than they ever were however how an artist looks and their style has always been a big part of branding
“100%, absolutely, but it’s also important to be authentic.I don’t think it works if you’re not authentic.I think people can see through it if you are trying too hard. I wear my own clothes. Occasionally for video shoots or photo shoots I might have a stylist who comes on set. Generally I wear what I like.I like dressing a certain way and I like to keep that apparent through the brand.But also if you look at The Arctic Monkeys which I’m very influenced by as well. I think my voice when I was younger was influenced by Alex Turner and the way he sings but I think if you look at their style it changes with each album.They have a different image for the band so the beginning, the first album was 16, 17 year old teenagers from northern England that have mod haircuts, Fred Perry and really messy guitars up really high and don’t care that much and then when they did AM it was all leather jackets slicked back hair this sort of 50’s style.and now the new record they have long hair, beards, this whole 70’s style.They have a very specific image with each record and I think that is really cool actually.But then again you have artists who just have a hoodie and a pair of jeans on stage and nobody bats an eye.It depends on the person but I think if its authentic people will get it.”
It’s difficult for a singer songwriter to keep things interesting in a live show. Johnston plays with a band for some of his live shows. He has played support slots with the likes of A-ha, Jim James, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alice Merton, Lilly Among Clouds and Pete Doherty. He is becoming very comfortable with the live setting
“I like to shake it up but I do play on my own and with a band. If I have the band with me I will always do a couple of songs on my own just to show a different side of me and to do something a little chill.I really like to get the audience involved and get them to sing along.People find that cheesy sometimes but if you do it in the right way it can be really lovely. I’m not a great dancer so I don’t do too much dancing about the place but my bass player is always rocking and stuff so that keeps it alive. I think it’s really important what music is playing before I go on the stage.I have a playlist with a few songs that are a sort of intro before I come on the stage and I think it also matters what plays when I come off the stage.The order of the songs is important.It always depends on the gig if its an intimate show and people are sitting down or if it’s in another country and people don’t understand what I’m saying, like right now I’m playing in Budapest in Hungary.most of the audience aren’t really going to speak English so I’ll have to keep down on the chat. Sometimes it can be a bit more daunting when you have a band behind you because of the sound on stage you can’t hear your voice as well.I tend not to use in – ear monitors.So with the monitors on stage if it’s a small venue it can be hard to hear your voice.”
Sion Hill plans to have a show in Ireland later this year but for the moment you can catch him live at the dates below. Keep an eye on his Facebook page here for more details : https://www.facebook.com/sionhillofficial/
Irish indie singer-songwriter Aodán Coyne has released his new single ‘Lay My Body Down’ as a follow up to his album ‘Gaps Between Stars’.Aodán is no stranger to the touring life having played many of the largest festivals in the world, including the New Orleans Jazz Fest,the Edmonton Folk Fest and the Milwaukee Irish Festival with the award winning Irish band ‘Socks in the Frying Pan’.Aodán’s solo career began with the launch of his debut album‘ If We Only Knew’ in 2015.With years of experience in the music industry under his belt he has since toured Europe and America gaining a following within the folk singer-songwriter scene.
‘Lay My Body Down’ is a smooth relaxed number that drifts upon Aodán’s velvety vaporous musicianship. With a rich rhythm bubbling delicately in the silky background Aodán creates an effortlessly charming track filled with soul and subtle funk elements. Soft lush backing vocals bounce behind the crooned luring vocals and melty melody as twinkling guitar entice between the sultry beat and easing soundscapes. ‘Lay My Body Down’ is quite the sleek easy on the ears ditty.
Irish singer songwriter Knoeline Keane has released her new single ‘Afraid to Sleep’. Since 2011 Knoeline has been writing her own music and putting videos on her YouTube account, which has now over 30,000 views. She has played in some of Ireland’s well-known venues such as Roisin Dubh & Monroe’s Live, Galway and has supported musicians such as Elaine Mai and Mick Flannery.In 2016 she was awarded Student of the Year in Music Performance.
‘Afraid to Sleep’ is a tender heartbreaking number as Knoeline’s emotive song writing displays a sublime ability to touch your very core. With lamenting guitar accompaniment, soft twinkling percussion and ethereal tone the track lays bare Knoeline’s honest and striking lyrics. Her vocals have the ability to soothe and pull tears from your eyes as her warm coos and rich tone immaculately caresses the melancholic melody with ease. It’s a simple yet powerfully emotional track. Each note carries a heavy heart and sombreness with a bitter sweet aftertaste. The delicate presentation in the accompaniment coupled with soft harmonies creates an airy atmosphere while Knoeline’s vocals pine with a graceful quality. With a sublime pulsing beat introduced for the hair raising crescendo ‘Afraid to Sleep’ is an impressive and moving track for sure.
Isaac Butler has just released the video for his latest single ‘Young Forever’ – produced by Philip Magee(Kodaline, The Script, The Academic). It follows previous singles ‘Moon Song’ and ‘Rescue Me’ which have racked up 1 million streams on Spotify.
The ‘Young Forever’ video perfectly captures the essence of the song and the sense of freedom it evokes. Butler and Mike Timms take to the town to enjoy the freedom of feeling young. With tattoos, arcade games and frolicking about, the video is a heart warming watch for sure.
Speaking of the video Isaac Butler said: “This video is our best yet and for sure the most fun to make. Mike Timms is a phenomenal actor who shared some awesome stories about his college days at Trinity and his years of lecturing at UCD….. some I can’t repeat!” He has given me a totally new outlook on living life with passion and growing old with grace. I used to be a bit scared of getting older but now in a way, I’m almost looking forward to it. Mike had never been in a tattoo parlour, his reaction was hilarious!! Mike is the perfect embodiment of what it means to live for now and be ‘Young Forever’”.
As well as gearing up to head back into the studio, Isaac Butler will take to the stage for his second headline show at The Sound House, Dublin on Friday 3rd April having sold out his debut headline show in Whelan’s last November. A busy summer of festival appearances also lies ahead for him, including performances at Sea Sessions and Indiependence- with many more to be announced.
We sat down to have a chat with Isaac Butler in The Library Bar at Central Hotel Dublin. We talked about how he crafts his songs and his inspirations as well as how he likes to conduct his shows. Isaac also performed two acoustic tracks for us ‘Young Forever’ and ‘Good Enough’ check them out below.
Watch the interview below
Watch ‘Young Forever’ Acoustic below
Watch ‘Good Enough’ Acoustic below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
