Dylan Flynn & The Dead Poets have released their new single ‘Life’.Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets make music for twenty-somethings living in a country that completely ignores them. The indie up-and-comers have amassed over 170,000 streams on Spotify, secured support slots with fellow Irish acts NewDad and Milk as well as embarking on their first Irish tour playing a number of sold-out headline shows. A recent clip of their last single ‘Running Away’ hit almost half a million views on TikTok.
‘Life’ displays Dylan Flynn & The Dead Poets’ mesmerising creative musicianship in all its glory. The band create a distinctive blend of Americana with modern pop/rock nuances to create a sound that is natural, relaxed and a joy to listen to. Filled with emotive melodies, bubbling beats and chiming guitars the track’s bright instrumentation excites the imagination while at the same time cushioning the listener from the sombre lyrics. Boasting lush harmonies and the right amount of guitar gusto to give it that powerful edge; ‘Life’ is a charming ditty from start to finish.
Following the release of Dublin-based songwriter and musician, Neil Dexter‘s critically acclaimed debut album (self-release), ‘I’ll Be Ready’, Dexter shares a Royal Yellow remix of the album’s title track. A long time in the works, this collaboration between Royal Yellow – the moniker for Limerick-based musician and producer Mark O’Brien – and Neil Dexter comes after years of friendship formed from being contemporaries in the Dublin music scene with their respective former bands. During the process of the writing and recording of Dexter’s debut LP, he had previously collaborated and contributed with O’Brien on his solo work. It seemed like only a matter of time before the pair would work together on something from Neil Dexter’s output.
Royal Yellow’s remix of ‘I’ll Be Ready’ is a wonderfully immersive piece of music. Showcasing lush electronics that spread cool tones over bubbling beats and echoed vocals the track has a hypnotic and soothing quality to start and becomes a little darker as the song progresses. With a soft key refrain, fluttering synths and edgy sound bites the remix is as thrilling and compelling as the original.
Speaking of the origins to the remix, Dexter explains: “I remember when I heard Royal Yellow’s debut single, ‘Hazeldene’, that I really liked it and it actually gave me a lot of confidence to go out on my own. We had come up around the same time and Mark was from a similar background as me in terms of playing in bands from a young age. I think it had always been in my mind to have Mark remix one of my songs. We’ve collaborated before for Royal Yellow live shows and writing together. With our previous experiences working together and our friendship, I knew what Mark could do with his production style and I became really excited by what the outcome could be. It was a no brainer, really!”
Royal Yellow describes his approach to the remix: “I’ve found that my natural tendency is to try to make things bigger, so I wanted to use this as an exercise in taking things away. There are gorgeous textures moving through the original. I wanted to bring those forward more than anything. I wanted to elevate the contrast between the two distinct movements of the track. It starts ambient and kind of blissed-out; then drops you somewhere dark and uncertain. I love when songs lull you into that false sense of security.”
‘Ash’ is the latest track from Canadian band Savonarola. The title refers to a chapter in Robert Bly’s novel ‘Iron John’ called ‘Road to Ashes Decent and Grief’. Savonarola wanted to pay homage to his philosophy that you must examine your own wounds to discover your gifts. It’s a sentiment that is brought to life by the track and produced/ engineered by Felix Fung at Little Red Sound Studios. ‘Ash’ is also accompanied by a hazy, chaotic and impactful video shot by Chris Catalano in Pandora’s Box Studios. This video, packed with flashing lights, eccentric camera angles, and trippy editing, brings another dimension to the striking emotions in ‘Ash’. The band once again reference another momentous piece of art with scenes of odd crowd behavior; these people move in circles comparable to Gustave Doré’s painting “Prisoners Round”, later reinvented by Vincent Van Gogh.
Saturated in dark indie rock,‘Ash’ is a refined and compelling new single from Savonarola. The track travels on a pulsing bassline, hypnotic guitar refrains, punchy drums and haunting melodies that create an immersive soundscape that is a joy to listen to. With raspy vocals and striking lyrics, “Watch and bare, the night’s despair, Faint of hope, come up for air, Treasons light, is my delight, The span of time, Don’t Shed No Light.” ‘Ash’ is an expressive and moving new single to indulge in.
Irish indie band modernlove. have released their new single ‘Until My Heart Stops Beating’ along with announcing their UK and US Spring 2023 tours. When modernlove. were formed in 2016, they reacted to the lack of opportunities for live music in their hometown of Drogheda by effectively creating their own scene. By organising packed DIY pub gigs and encouraging other local bands to step out, they provided a creative outlet for themselves as well as a vibrant community for young music obsessives in their area. That ethos of making something from nothing still serves them well to the current day. And now their music is being embraced on a much bigger platform – including support from Jack Saunders at Radio 1 for their recent single ‘Take Me Far Away’.
Saturated in earworm melodies modernlove. present an impressive alternative pop track that is simply a joy to listen to. ‘Until My Heart Stops Beating’ is a fine addition to the young band’s musical repertoire. The tune is an exquisite example of their enviable musical prowess. Sonically the song is a musical gem as with all of the band’s tracks to date. Expressive guitar elements immersed in a soundscape of shimmering synths, dynamic rhythms and edgy riffs create an 80’s post-punk-hued soundscape that reveals much to the listener with each subsequent listen. The soundscape is quite poetic and cinematic at times and is complemented by earnest lyrics that hit hard through a smooth nonchalant vocal delivery. These combined musical aspects are a delight to the senses and easily beckon repeat plays from the listener. Once again modernlove. knock it out of the park with ‘Until My Heart Stops Beating’.
About the track modernlove. commented, “until my heart stops beating’ is a song about losing feelings. It chronicles the moments of tension leading up to a breakup. The lyrical narrative of the song explores arrhythmia and cardiac arrest as metaphors for the end of a relationship and invokes that sudden wrenching feeling when something goes terribly wrong. The song is stark, realistic and unromantic. It’s clear that the relationship is beyond hope and beyond saving. The lyricism and sonic composition of the tune are extremely minimalist, almost as if there’s nothing left to say. “
Following their acclaimed debut single, ‘Them’, Irish post-punk/electronic 3-piece Chalk have released their new single, ‘Velodrome’.Recorded with producer Chris W Ryan (Just Mustard, Enola Gay, NewDad), Velodrome is the second track from their upcoming EP. Their debut single, ‘Them,’ won Steve Lamacq’s 6 Music Roundtable Record of the Week in April this year. Already selected as part of the First Fifty for The Great Escape Festival 2023, Chalk has become one to watch within the Irl/UK music scene.
Gushing with angst and the thrilling musicianship of Chalk, ‘Velodrome’ is a mammoth-sounding blast to the ears. The tune spirals in an intoxicating soundscape of shrilling guitars pummeling drums and acid-baked fury. The expressive soundscape mangled within the anthemic blasts and frenzied techno elements makes for a wholly consuming listening experience. Shredding guitars gnash over mighty drum strikes and groove-infested basslines while Ross Cullen’s primal gritty vocals howl throughout as the band take hypnotic lyrics and wrap them in a manic whirlwind of instrumentation to create a relentless onslaught that is harrowingly frantic yet euphoric at the same time. ‘Velodrome’ is an impressive song that roars with the incomparable talent of Chalk.
STRICKLAND makes his debut with his first album ‘Superficial Chaos’. The album will help a good cause, as the artist plans to donate 20% of any royalties to Macmillan Cancer Support and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
‘Superficial Chaos’ is a diverse album that oozes indie and classic rock tones with some retro flirtations and pop melodies glimmering throughout. The songs are filled with easy-on-the-ears melodies with driving guitars and steady beats that create a nostalgic 90’s vibe within tracks ‘Time of Your Life’ and ‘Brothers Sisters’ while the bluesy ‘The Rolling Stone’ and ’70s filtered ‘Tonight’ add a dash of sass and edge into the albums aesthetic. Throughout ‘Superficial Chaos’ STRICKLAND displays his knack for melody and witty lyrics. The artist’s tunes are an enjoyable listen from start to finish.
Irish electronic producer Gavin MacDermott, better known as Dashoda, returns with his new single, ‘Looking For You’. The track was written and produced by Dashoda with London-based Ross Fortune (A.K.A. Benny Smiles), who has worked with Jonas Blue, Clean Bandit, Hotline Miami Soundtrack, on additional production. I caught up with MacDermott to chat about his upcoming stripped-back video, his exciting plans for new releases and how this infectious retro-hued bop was created.
“Originally the track started as something a little bit more Lo-Fi than the final version which I worked on with a mate called Ross Fortune he makes music actually as Benny Smiles and a lot of his music is quite synth wave. I was a fan of his years ago when I started making music. So it was really nice to get to work with him years later on this. So I’d say in terms of inspiration, I bought this keyboard a while ago off a friend called a Korg SV- 1, and it has like a Lo Fi sound, its quite analog. I was just playing some chords and they went over to a guy called Richey McCourt’s house, who is a writer. He invited me over. We just started working on and I think I was listening to a bit of Caribou at the time, kind of the older stuff and I was coming out with a little bit of that in mind. But then when I was working with Ross, on the co production, he said I’m going to try a shot in the dark here. I’m gonna try something a bit different, feel free to tell me no, don’t talk to me again if you don’t like it. But what he came back with was what you heard like the much more upbeat almost French indie thing. I just really liked it because it brought it in another direction and taught me to be more open-minded about other avenues and yeah, that’s where it came from. Yeah I gotta give a lot of credit to Ross as well for guiding the sound there.”
MacDermott is releasing a live video for ‘Looking For You’ in the coming weeks. It’s a slower and stripped-back version of the song that allows the melody and lyrics to shine throughout.
“Actually, funny you mentioned that.The keyboard part that’s played in the video by Alma Kelliher who’s a great player. That is the original part from my original demo, and I’d asked her, I thought it would be nice to show that because the song kind of worked on its own just as a keys part. There’s very little of that sound actually in the recorded track version. So yeah, it would have sounded like that and a much more obvious drum machine and the bass part I think was the same. Then there’s a bit more chorusy kind of 80s electric guitar. I actually think I might at some point bring out that version maybe further down the road if I ever get to the point where I can do you know rarities and B-sides that will be nice to show and certainly when I get to do the song live I’d like to do that version. So yeah, the one on the live video, at least the structure and the timbre of the sound is similar to the original demo”
This song comes after a 3-year hiatus and MacDermott explained how the break gave him a new perspective on how he writes and crafts his songs.
“Yeah, I definitely think differently about music and art in general now [it] has taken on a very different meaning for me, I see it as all sort of connected. I’m a musician and this is what I do and what I know but I watch a lot of film and I love film and I would love to get into it a bit more and the guy who shot that video actually is Ror Conaty, the live video and it was really great working with him because it awakened me to how everything is connected in the art world. When you talk about the stripped-back version of the song it actually required me to meditate a bit on what am I doing and why am I doing this and what’s the meaning of it and often you don’t really know the meaning or significance of things until you put a distance between you and them, you know, in terms of time. So, yeah, I’ve leaned more into the cathartic aspect of creating art. You’re trying to understand something about yourself and the world that you’re in and art is sort of a psychoanalytic Freudian thing. When you put something out in the world, you don’t know what’s going to happen with it and you have no control over that in many ways. So if you just focus on what is within your control, then it’s the pursuit of the art. I think it’s made me a lot happier about making music and art as well because I realized I could go on and do this forever, you know, until I’m dead”.
I wondered if this more artistic view on releasing music eased the nerves that come with releasing music.
“No, I’m still really nervous. I was trying a lot of self-talk and trying to frame it that way and it’s just fine, but whatever way you frame it, it’s still a huge investment of time and there are a small number of people who are close to me and care about what I do, even if I’m not necessarily feeling it so there are actually people that want to hear this because they’ve been invested in the journey I’ve been on as well. That helps me relax a bit about it and try not to be too worried. But yeah, absolutely. You worry have you done enough to give it the platform it deserves. Have you presented it in the best way possible. [I] definitely think about things like that and probably preoccupy about them. But I think most people I know that are into this sort of thing they worry as well. Actually my friend Ror who shot the video, he had an exhibition in Cork in August and up to the last minute he was thinking have I done all this correctly and right and of course it was very well received and I was very proud of him. So hopefully I get the same, who knows.”
‘Looking For You’ is a chic number that struts on a slinky bassline and swanky guitars presenting the tight and refined sound of Dashoda in all it’s glory. With a sweet melody teamed with smooth vocals and chiming keys, the track is sure to have you dancing and singing along in no time. This lush sound isn’t set to stop any time soon, MacDermott told me that he has some exciting plans for next year to delight fans with.
“I have a couple of releases in the pipeline and I worked a bit with Ror on some video accompaniment so even though I was quiet for three years I was chipping away at a lot of different stuff and eventually a pattern of songs started to emerge. So yeah, there’s gonna be a few more releases in the new year and into spring and I’m really excited about that because I’ve been sitting on this for a while and it can take so long for things to actually come together and then the actual release process is another thing. So yeah, I’m hoping that because we approached it thematically, myself and Ror and Mark O’Brien was involved in that. He performs as Royal Yellow, and some other people close to me. They helped me put together the visual stuff with the music, and come up with a central idea which I’d never done before. You know, try to think that deeply about what I’m doing. So hopefully thematically people will see something like that emerge. So there will be a few more of these. I suppose that’s the best way I could put it.”
Corner Boy have released their highly anticipated self-titled debut album. I spoke to Mick D’Arcy about the album, the band’s upcoming shows and how the tracks on this album span 10 years of the band’s creativity.
“We’ve been together as a band for 10 years. So I think the best thing about this process was that a lot of the songs we were able to revisit. We would have written some of the songs as far back as maybe 2013 and 2014. So there is a lot of newer material on the album but this was a great opportunity to revisit songs and take the songs as they were presented from us from a younger age, and with all of the years of experience, of being on the road, playing live shows and, other recent releases take all of that knowledge and breathe new life into these older songs as well. So it’s been an incredibly interesting and exciting process for us.”
“A lot of them would have been early demos that we would have released and kind of bootleg CDs that we would have taken on various tours with us but a lot of the songs haven’t been released formally. Many people who come to our shows and friends would say to us regarding a couple of the songs “Why haven’t you released that? you know, as a studio album version. That’s my favourite song. You should really release that”. So I guess with the album, we did take that into account with a few of those songs and we’re delighted to properly present it to the world now”
The band have found the perfect blend of folk, rock, traditional, bluegrass and alternative within this album to create a unique and rich sound that showcases each member’s individual musical prowess.
“I guess the sound of the band has evolved over the years. We’ve dabbled in heavier, more loud, harsher sounds, the quieter singer-songwriter side, bluegrass, traditional Irish music, so I guess this album in essence is the exploration of all of that and it’s us arriving at this point where we are comfortable and have clearly defined our sound. So that’s the concept, our journey through the years to arrive at this signature sound that we’ve been trying to establish for such a long time and we really feel we’ve gotten this with this collection of 10 songs, they really represent the band, what we were and what we’ve become along the way.”
Throughout the album, the songs are bright, hopeful and a joy to listeners’ ears. ‘Morning Morning’ is a glorious example. It’s uplifting with each instrument adding a bright twinkle throughout while lush vocal harmonies and banjo elements add a hearty sing-along aspect. This wholesome soundscape cushions the listeners from the melancholic lyrical content.
“That song I guess we were going through a period of writing sombre down tempo songs. The song itself, it’s a really energetic and positive-sounding song. But lyrically it’s really about a person who’s struggling to get out of bed in the morning. They’re struggling to see a lot of positivity in the world. So we decided to take this concept, a sad theme and write it with the backing of really hopeful and entertaining music. So we’re constantly challenging ourselves and giving ourselves these little projects, there’s another song in the album called ‘The Sea’ and that was another example of us just giving ourselves something ambitious to look for. We wanted to create the loudest most impactful song that we’ve ever written and we felt we achieved that with that as well. Sometimes a lot of the songs and particularly with ‘Morning Morning’, it really starts from this simple idea of taking a subject matter or context and then playing with it and hopefully finding some positive results in the writing process.”
‘The Sea’ follows the darker lyrical theme of ‘Morning Morning’ however with this song the band allow the music to reflect the sombre songwriting. With a thumping beat, thudding guitars and jangly banjo the band manage to create a sense of turmoil through expressive instrumentation. D’Arcy sings “I know That pain, Seen it before, it’s taking my heart, taking it whole” over evocative instrumentation that highlights the band’s ability for creating cinematic soundscapes.
“I guess, ‘Morning Morning’ is interesting because that song is more of an affirmation for somebody who may be in a position of struggling in certain aspects of their life. I guess that’s one way of approaching the songs. With regards to ‘The Sea’, that was more trying to incorporate the notion of painting in a landscape and characters and feelings into the song that reflects those landscapes. So unfortunately, there’s a very high rate of suicide in Wexford town and at the time when we were writing the song it almost felt like every weekend that we woke up, we found out a friend of ours or somebody that we know, had passed away, we wanted to write a response to that. At the time we wanted to explore the notion of there are ups and downs, life is choppy waters at times and we wanted to write something that was a response to what was going on around us. So, again a different way of looking at a challenge and writing songs but something that we felt we were able to reflect that energy, that particularly stormy time in Wexford town where we’re all from, it wasn’t great, but we felt like we needed to respond and we needed to create something as a response to that. “
The album ends with ‘I Dream Of Boston Town’ a tender ballad delicately presented through soft instrumentation and Celtic tones. It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking way to end the whirlwind journey of this album.
“That’s a song that we had on the back burner for a long time. We weren’t even sure that we were going to include it because it’s seven or eight minutes long, but then we just said we really do need to include it. When we play it live, we typically have the room singing back to us that chorus chant at the end. We felt that was a song that felt like a short story but it needed to tell the story of the heartbreak, the connection or disconnection between two people, the breaking down of something, the original building of something and then watching it subsequently break down. So it is a long song, but it’s different from any kind of single that you might release to radio. This song was really a short story and we felt that it just offered something very different from your standard three to four minutes single. So yeah, we just thought it showed a different dynamic to the band, or a different ability within us to write a different kind of song.“
‘River Born’ is perhaps my favourite song on the album. The vivid storytelling mixed with warm instrumentation creates this almost anthemic and comforting sound that is irresistible. With a sweet string refrain woven between driving rhythms and bright guitars, it’s a glorious tune full of emotion. D’Arcy explained to me which songs on the album he is most proud of.
“That’s a really good question. I think the most recent song we finished before doing pre-production for the album was a song called ‘Blackstairs Winter Snow’, which is the first track on the album. So I guess there’s probably an element of recency bias there but that was a moment where we felt as a band we really arrived at a collective sound that for us felt so distinctive, it felt so unique and different. So it felt that we had gotten to this point where all of that learning over the years, trying to understand how we would use guitar sounds effectively within our songwriting, how we would use our exploration of synthetic music as well. It felt like we found a real safe comfort zone to be able to amalgamate all of those things and yeah, for me, it would probably be a song like ‘Blackstairs Winter Snow’. We have six members of the band, each one would probably tell you that they have a favourite different song and hopefully that’s a testament to the strength of the collection of the 10 songs on the album that they all have different dynamics, different stories, different viewpoints. So hopefully, when people are listening to it, it’s a case that each individual person might see something that’s reflective of them, they might have their own individual favourite in that way.”
Fans can catch Corner Boy live on Friday 2nd December in Whelans and Saturday 10th December in National Opera House, Wexford. These songs are going to be epic live. D’Arcy explained to me what fans can expect from the shows.
“Yeah, that’s the plan. We’ve spent the last six weeks building our live show, rehearsing every week for it. So just trying to make it better and better and refine it as much as we can. So we’re really really excited. Our hometown album launch show in the National Opera House is sold out and we have limited tickets left for Whelan’s now on December 2, so we’re really really itching to get up on stage. We played the Ruby Sessions in Dublin and that went incredibly well. So that’s gotten us match fit as well. So itching to get going. We’re building and can’t wait to play the shows. Hopefully, we’ll be getting out on the road to tour them as well next year. So really, really exciting times for us after a long time waiting”
Showcasing poetic lyrics and dynamic instrumentation Corner Boy’s self-titled album is a fine display of the band’s poignant musicianship. Each track leaves you craving to hear more. The album is a truly special and immersive listening experience.
Xcean has released his new single, ‘Final Lullaby’.Xcean brings his own stylish blend of emo, pop-punk, metal-core and post-hardcore music to the forefront, this sound can be heard on tracks like ‘Late October’, which has amassed over 3 thousand streams on Spotify. The origins of this artist actually began in a wrestling ring, where he worked as a professional ‘death-match’ wrestler named ‘Alex Ocean’. An obviously impactful era of his life, aspects of this scene have even transferred into his music career, with fellow wrestler ‘Top Dollar’ featuring as Fran¢ on his most recent track, titled ‘Daddy Issues’.
Melding alternative rock with metal elements while tender emotion pours from every note ‘Final Lullaby’ is a compelling new tune from Xcean. Icy keys chill between steady beats, dark soundscapes and driving guitars as Xcean creates a dynamic wall of sound while painful lyrics provide substance and deep meaning; “You do not know the tears I’ve cried, I can accept that it’s my time and now it’s time to say goodbye, this is my final lullaby”. Filled with emotive vocals and harrowing growl backing vocals ‘Final Lullaby’ balances dark sinister tones with raw emotion and refined musicianship to create a satisfying listening experience.
Cuban/Irish singer-songwriter Qbanaa has released her debut single ‘Truth and Desire’. Based in Dublin, Qbanaa grew up travelling back and forth from Cuba where music and salsa dancing were integral parts of her childhood. A dancer for 10 years, she also sang in school choirs and with her grandmother in Spanish Mass, where she grew up in North Frederick Street Flats, D1.
“‘Qbanaa is Cubana with a Q, it’s supposed to integrate the way Irish people would pronounceCubana, so it sort of brings my two homes together in a lighthearted way.’’ – Qbanaa.
‘Truth and Desire’ is a neo-soul tune wrapped in soft hues of jazz to create a luxurious listening experience and sublime introduction to Qbanaa’s sound. With mellow guitar encasing a velvety melody, elastic bass and vaporous soundscapes Qbanaa crafts a soothing and sultry tune that is simply irresistible. As supple jazz elements wisp the song in a chic smoky embrace, subtle punctuated beats induce an R&B radiance while the soothing soft vocals venture between English and Spanish lyrics. Balmy and richly textured ‘Truth and Desire’ is a mesmerising new tune to indulge in.
About the song, Qbanna said: “The song was inspired by 1989 and 2008 movie ‘The Little Mermaid’ – I’m sure people will think ‘oh that’s a bit weird’. But if you look into it, there’s some insane soul and beautiful ethereal sounds in there that I took inspiration from. The movie is all about the unconditional nature of pure love, and the universal power of music, which really resonated with me growing up and carries the theme of Truth and Desire, it was the first thing I thought of when I opened the track.”
Stream ‘Truth and Desire’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
