Owen Denvir‘simaginative and brilliant EP trilogy/album idea is coming to a close with the final EP “Bones” released today, that will then create the ‘Sticks, Stones & Bones’ album. The first EP, ‘Sticks’ was released in 2019, ‘Stones’ in 2020 and now ‘Bones’.With over 200,000 streams on Spotify, combined video views of over 2 million, music shared by Coldplay and supporting the legend Dodie.Belfast born, Owen Denvir at only 30 has asserted himself as one of the finest singer songwriters around.
‘Sticks, Stones & Bones’ is a wonderfully crafted record filled to the brim with beautiful melodies, immersive musicianship and the passionate songwriting of Denvir. The artist confirms his status as a pure, emotive and heart-felt storyteller. He floods tracks ‘Ghost’ and ‘The Lighthouse’ with eloquent and vivid narrations of loss and loneliness. The latter is perhaps Denvir’s most moving tale of all. This heart-breaking story is riddled with emotional vulnerability expressed beautifully through terse and cruelly honest lyrics “And he awoke to find that he was on his ownAnd he was nothing without anyone. His little head he sank into his little hands, And he said “Why oh tell me why am I alone”.
Denvir is a diverse musician who has a knack for creating catchy tunes. From the cinematic pop production of ‘This Could Be Love’ to the sweet guitar plucked ‘Stones From Paris’ and anthemic ‘Loud & Clear’, Denvir pours every fibre of his being into the songs to create a tight and passionate collection of tunes that exude his musical wizardry. Highlights from the full collection of work are ‘Stay’ and ‘I Want You So Bad’. Both these tracks are simply outstanding and lushly arranged. In these songs we see Denvir’s majestic and tightly weaved instrumentation in all its glory. Intricate melodies and delicate sonic flourishments interplay and entwine as he masterfully builds each song lovingly to express emotion and stir empathy within the listener.
Denvir’s soulful vocals tie each song together. His smooth but supple vocal delivery invites listeners into his world as he ventures between warm croons, sweet falsettos and velvety tones while his lyrics carry the listener through the vast spectrum of human emotion and complex themes of love, loss and excitement. ‘Sticks, Stones & Bones’ is a magnificent collection of tracks and a fantastic display of poetic musicianship from Owen Denvir.
About the album, Owen says...”The album and EP trilogy idea is based on Sigmund Freud’s theory that personality is a sum of 3 parts: the Id (acting on raw impulse), the Ego (being terrified of consequences) and the Superego (the balance between the two).The first EP (“Sticks”) deals with loss and delusion and the impulsive decisions we make while in the spell of ‘love’. The second (“Stones”) being a more confident but brash take on love, and finally the last EP (“Bones”) is when you have the balance between the two, which mostly leads to more healthy relationships.”
Limerick-based five-piece, Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets are back with their new single, ‘days’. Once again, this track comes self-recorded and produced by the band themselves. The track is released under the Limerick-based collective, BitDepth, of which Flynn is a founding member. Flynn and The Dead Poets have had a busy start to 2021, putting out a single and a collaboration EP with Culla. The band have amassed nearly 10k streams in just 4 months and have more singles to come this summer.
Dripping in passionate melodies and powerful instrumentation, ‘days’ is a blistering, lushly arranged new single from Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets. From the icy synth intro to the soaring chorus, the band layer and craft the song superbly. The song builds emotion right from the get-go while chiming guitars forge an ethereal and lonely soundscape for the verses. However, in true Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets manner, the song unfolds swiftly into an anthemic powerhouse filled with lively guitars, punchy drums and rampant bass lines that exude a mighty alternative rock persona. Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets have a captivating ability to capture emotion through their deft lyrics and sweet melodies, and ‘days’ is a perfect example of this. The lyrics of the song detail the state of the housing crisis in Ireland at the moment, and the band package this raw and powerful theme in expressive, dynamic and catchy musicianship to create a potent and enjoyable song to listen to.
About the track Flynn said – “This song is one I have had for a while now, and I feel it holds a strong message. I have never really written about social issues in my music before, but this track just ended up coming out of me. We are all really proud of this one and feel it’s one of our best productions to date. It’s been over a year since our last gig, so we can’t wait to get out and play this new music for people.”
Dublin-based The Crayon Set have released their second single ‘Don’t Step Back Too Far’ taken from their forthcoming album ‘Downer Disco’ which is set for release in September 2021, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.The first line-up of The Crayon Set released their eponymous debut album in 2013 – it was recorded with Nick Brine (Teenage Fanclub, Super Furry Animals). It’s follow-up ‘Lost Languages’ was recorded with Gavin Glass (Lisa Hannigan, Villagers) and released in 2017 and featured Kate Dineen on guest vocals who later became a permanent member of the band.
Driving on a pulsing bassline and rippling electronics, ‘Don’t Step Back Too Far’ is a shimmering disco ball of alternative pop. The song fleshes out The Crayon Set’s lush sound with layers of palpitating synths, propulsive rhythms and a dash of Americana glimmering through on guitars. As the song progresses, it slips into psychedelic hues, creating a laid-back, carefree vibe that ebbs and flows throughout. The Crayon Set have become known for their hook-laden sound, and ‘Don’t Step Back Too Far’ follows this trend wonderfully. Press play and enjoy.
Speaking about their new single, Robert explains “I was pleased when this song came along – I think it helped signal a new direction for the band. It had more of a groove to it – and it had a melancholic atmosphere that drew you in. Lyrically it is about feeling down and losing a sense of yourself and your role in the world. It probably inspired the ‘Downer Disco’ album theme – a bit depressing, but you could dance to it…”.
Candy’s Guilt are set to release their new single ‘Ruby Blue’ on May 7th. Candy’s Guilt is a four piece band from North Dublin. The band was founded by Sean Walsh (guitar) and John Kennedy (vocals) when they met in secondary school. The band also consists of Mark Mitchell (drums) and Pearce Fitzpatrick O’donovan (bass).
‘Ruby Blue’ is a bittersweet tune that displays the gentle and emotive side to Candy’s Guilt. The band flesh out their sound by sprinkling delicate piano between warm, steady guitar strums to create a soft and tender soundscape for listeners to indulge in.Within the track a melancholic melody is gently caressed by hushed lulling vocals and supple harmonies, which is quite comforting to the ears while lyrics such as “sometimes I get the feeling that there’s nothing to believe in and when the day came calling it was all for nothing in the end” stir emotion within the listener. Candy’s Guilt focuses on the beauty of melody and touching songwriting to create a time-stopping, nostalgic piece of music that is a wonderful example of their evocative musicianship.
Soda Blonde have released their new single ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ taken from their highly anticipated debut album ‘Small Talk’ which is set for release on July 9th via Velveteen Records, the entirely self-produced album sees the group reflecting on their twenty-something experiences with refreshingly honest transparency.
Teasing with a lingering refrain on keys, ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ announces itself with an air of mystery. In true Soda Blonde manner, the track expands on this refrain to delicately reveal lush textures and melodies as the song progresses. The band creates an enticing and rich soundscape that exudes a disco-esque persona enhanced by an irresistible groove on bass, supple guitars and gentle percussive shuffles. The song flows with subtle cinematic qualities that is simply awe-inspiring and mellowed by Faye O’Rourke’s bewitching soft coos as she sings, “It’s the way you carry on and the way that you lie, It’s under harsh lights baby we say our goodbye”.
‘In The Heat Of The Night’ is a nostalgic and engaging slice of indie-pop cementing Soda Blonde as a band that sets a high standard. Their timeless sound is set to inspire future bands and artists.
About the track, ‘O’Rourke describes: “The music possessed an attitude that I wasn’t familiar with as a songwriter. It deftly evoked the neon of night and brought Scorcese’s Casino to my mind. Our goal was to create a song that had everything we wanted to hear. It allowed me to write, uninhibited by the labour of self-analysis. It’s a song about conflict-and getting a kick out of it. The thrill of the fight”
UK Songwriter Lissy Taylor has released her new single ‘Quiet Rage’. Lissy Taylor is an emerging British artist with a distinct indie-pop sound. Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Lissy moved to the USA in 2015 where she began experimenting with songwriting. Her earliest gigs and formative live musical experiences were spent playing in bars and restaurants across the States. Returning to the UK in 2017 to continue her studies at BIMM Manchester while continuing to perform with her band at music venues and festivals including Neverworld, Y Not and 110 Above and being the solo support for a UK Tour in October 2019. Following a commanding debut single ‘Mayday’ (Jan 2020), followed by the liberating single ‘Wildflowers’ (Apr) and debut EP in October 2020, ’Quiet Rage’ is the lead single from the forthcoming EP which is set for release this summer.
’Quiet Rage’ is a powerful and well crafted indie track that seethes with raw emotion and Lissy Taylor’s exhilarating musicianship. Taylor superbly balances the brooding dark verses with a mighty chorus to create a spine chilling new single as the song travels between soft glimmers on guitar and echoed spacious soundscapes, to an intoxicating sonic explosion of blazing raw riffs and pounding drums. Exuding an intense atmosphere shattered by cinematic melodies and wild energy, the song explores untapped anger and a recognition that everyone has their own hidden battles to fight. With Taylor’s warm, expressive vocals venturing from a soft, almost numb delivery to powerful angst, ‘Quiet Rage’ is a consuming and commanding new single that marks Lissy Taylor as an artist to keep an eye on.
The Stoke-on-Trent musician tells us the meaning behind ‘Quiet Rage’ : “Quiet Rage is essentially trapped anger and bottled-up feelings, not wanting to deal with emotions, you hide them instead. The lyrics ‘I will grow, I will blossom’ is the recognition of the emotional strength it takes to get through and rise.”
‘Solas’ is the brand new album to come from Folk / Pop songwriter Amie K. Exploring themes of home, homesickness and nostalgia, ‘Solas’ sees Amie K come into her own as songwriter and producer. A real homemade EP, ‘Solas’ was produced by her brother Leo and was mixed and mastered by her dad Danny. Extra backing vocals were sung by her sister Alicia on ‘Sunflowers’ and the EP’s artwork was grown by her mum Ita. Recorded during the various UK lockdowns, ‘Solas’ muses on the emotions surrounding the idea of home, and the idea of misplaced nostalgia. ‘Solas’ takes its name from the Irish word for light, whilst sounding like solace as Amie found comfort in returning home during this year. This five-track EP features all brand new songs, including ‘Pink Skies’ which was previously an exclusive Bandcamp release.
‘Solas’ is a beautiful collection of soothing, warm and emotional tunes that display Amie K’s wholesome songwriting. The songs are delicately crafted with sweet tones on guitar, melting into a bed of rich rhythms and soft percussion to create a nostalgic, dreamy hue throughout. Amie K blends soft folk tones with bright indie elements to enrich her songs with a unique glowing soundscape that is both tender and comforting all at once. From the wistful melodies within ‘Dreaming Of May’ and ‘Pink Skies’ to the mystical earthy plucked guitar and lush harmonies within ‘Sunflowers’, each song flows into the next with ease. However, it is ‘Evergreen’ that is the most compelling tune within ‘Solas’ – with just soft celestial backing lulls, immaculate harmonies and supple guitar, this time stopping piece is a moving and special gem. So beautifully arranged, this song hits you in the core with its potent vocal delivery. There is a sunkissed glow throughout the EP that is utterly charming and unique to Amie K’s organic sound and is greatly enhanced by the artists sweet vocals cooing through each track’s lush melody and vibrant instrumentation. ‘Solas’ is a glorious new EP from Amie K.
About the EP Amie said : “Home, or the idea of home, was an unshakeable force in my mind over the past year. Getting to record this at home with my brother just feels so fitting for the journey of this EP. The songs all come from different places but all meet at the place we call home”
Post-Party have released the video for their brand new single, ‘Wasting Time’. This high energy track is a fantastic follow on from their previous single, ‘Being Honest’.With a sweeping rush on guitars, rampant basslines and driving rhythms, the track is an instant shot of adrenaline saturated in the infectious musicianship of Post- Party. I caught up with Keelan O’Reilly to talk about the new single, Colin Peppard’s magical camera skills and navigating through social media.
The band are all in their final year of college and studying for their exams. Between all this remote learning, final year preparation and study, the band manages to write, record and release some seriously smashing songs – ‘Wasting Time’ is the latest single to delight our ears.
“We wrote the song, just on the brink of lockdown when it was starting and we always really really loved it, just the energy and the ideas behind the track. I think it was the idea of how throughout the lockdown, we were spending all this time just waiting and waiting on normality to come back around, it felt like a good fit for the track with the name being wasting time. Everyone was picking up different kinds of hobbies and things just to pass the time that we hadn’t done before. It felt like a good fit, but the track had already been a favourite of the band in general, just because of the energy, and the ideas.”
The band have paced the release of their tracks well. Each track has been given its own time to shine. This has resulted in ‘Wasting Time’ being featured on key playlists, including Spotify’s New Music Friday, Hot New Bands, Fresh Finds: Rock, The Indie List and A Breath of Fresh Eire alongside Apple Music’s Breaking Rock, The New Rock and New in Rock.
“It’s just really good to see the reception we’ve received. Spotify have been very kind to us by putting us in all these fantastic playlists. It’s just really cool overall to see that people are receiving the music well. There’s been a good buzz from what we’ve released so the fact that we got a few playlists with ‘Being Honest’ and now for ‘Wasting Time’ to grow and develop on has been really really cool for us to see.”
“We definitely take everything on board, and we wanted to give ‘Being Honest’ enough time to breathe, but then we wanted to develop and push things on and we have loads of tracks we wrote and recorded during the lockdown period. We realized that we want to get them out and push the momentum forward, especially with the hope that live shows and stuff come back towards the end of the year or maybe the start of next year. We’re wanting to have as much music out for people when we are able to get a live show, but at the same time it is really important to let each track do its own thing, and to give it the time it deserves”
Post-Party shot the music video for ‘Wasting Time’ themselves with each band member recording their part individually, in separate locations. The result is a visually stunning video that superbly captures the band’s energetic and unique image.
“Our bass player Colin [Peppard], he’s a magician with a camera, editing stuff and everything. He’s been so interested in film for years, and it’s only now in the past I would say two years he’s really taking a passion on learning the ins and outs of working with film. So that’s slowly become part of our identity as a band like the imagery we use for our music through video, and as a means of expression, that’s definitely down to Colin’s passion and drive for film. That’s been spread across all of us as four different individual members, we’ve all become really interested in what we can do with visuals to personify our music. I think the lockdown was a catalyst for that whole thing, because it gave us the time to really hone in on creative ideas and creative decisions. It was something that was going to come eventually but we hadn’t really developed it before we got a chance over lockdown”
“ When you’re releasing any kind of art into the world you’re consciously aware of how people are going to receive it. But I think there is something to be said about just letting your work, do the talking for you and letting each individual piece of art, do the talking. It’s important to not take too much consideration of what other people think about your art, but at the same time you’re releasing it for people to appreciate and for people to enjoy. I think you can be critical about anything and it’s important to be happy with the work you produce”
The band recently released Post-Party merchandise which sold out in just a few hours. It’s great to see people supporting bands especially now during covid, artists need merchandise and record sales perhaps more than ever and Post-Party put a lot of work into their image, visuals and designs, it’s fantastic to see people appreciating it.
“Yeah, that was really helpful. We didn’t expect that at all. We had some of the basic designs done by an artist from Russia, his name on Instagram is idlehead [Nikita Maslov]. We used the designs that he created. He designed the band’s logo. He designed the artwork for all the singles we’ve released so far as well. So we used his artworks as the main focal point of the designs, but in terms of designing the T-shirts, that was all down to again Colin. He was a big help in that factor. We all pitched in our opinions as well. We all came together and made it work and we’re really happy with the reception and people seem to like it.”
“ That was a big help for us because I think people realize the struggle of the music industry at the moment. A lot of artists are putting out new merch, and it’s getting bought up really quickly and it’s really nice to see that the fans are coming together and trying to support those artists that are struggling to make a living at the moment. Luckily for ourselves, we’re only at the very early stages of our careers and we’re all finishing college at the moment. But for someone who is heavily involved in music as their nine to five. It’s really important for the fans to support them through this awkward stage. Luckily we’re hopefully coming towards the end of this but without people supporting the industry, I don’t know how things would go in building things back up.”
The return of live shows is an exciting prospect for Post-Party as they have been releasing music during the pandemic and growing their fan base, without having to tour. The shows will be different when they do return as the band will see new faces and fans that haven’t been able to see the band perform live yet.
“Yeah 100%. That’s something we’re really excited about. We’ve obviously had a good solid fan base coming to all our shows prior to the pandemic, but it’s really exciting for us to see new faces and new people listening to the music and enjoying what we’re doing. We’ve received loads of messages of people saying, as soon as the show is announced they will be at the show so that’s just really exciting for us to know that people are waiting and are excited to see the songs we’ve released over lockdown live in person”
The music scene in Ireland is very vibrant lately – there are so many amazing acts producing great music. Before the pandemic hit there was live music almost every night in Dublin. I wondered if the rush for venues when they open will create competition between bands to book certain venues, etc.
“ It’s something we’ve been aware of. The ideology behind it is when things come back, everybody’s going to be out the door and ready to go. I’ve seen a lot of gigs, and just live events being announced, as of now, and for the next 12 months or more. I think when things really do get back to normal, there’s going to be a stage of just so many bookings, so many gigs So there is going to be a lot of competition and we’re aware of that and we’re willing to wait until it calms down before we go out with our music, We’re very happy with the pace that we’ve built our audience through the release of music and we are super excited to play live, but we’re not in any immediate rush, knowing that it’s going to take some time before things clear up”
A lot of artists have had to promote themselves more, and be more active on social media because of this pandemic. This is something O’Reilly and the band have had to become proficient at. Now that they have the hang of how social media works there is no stopping them.
“Yeah, absolutely. Social media has always been something that, personally, I’ve never been great at. It’s something that over the lockdown I realized how important it is to artists, seeing a lot of artists, expand their fan base through TikTok, Instagram and all these different platforms, and to such an extreme extent, compared to what you would have done in live performances beforehand, but the pandemic has shown, I guess, that social media is so powerful in that it can be nearly as powerful as live performances, or you know releasing music, if you use each platform in its unique position. I think in the future, for example, we started the TikTok just at the start of the pandemic to just put off our music video and we’re going to continue using that through the summer when me and the guys are all moving in together, and we’re going to try and push our TikTok a bit further. It’s quite difficult to create content when we are all separated, and it’s a lot easier for individual artists or a singular person, but as a group, we want to express our identity through our social media and it’s more difficult when we’re not all together. So it’s going to be really exciting to get the opportunity to do that over the summer and just expand on what the public see and how they perceive us as a band.”
Post-Party create air-tight guitar-led tracks that are sharp, elaborate and energetic. The band’s sound is a fine display of feel-good dynamic indie rock at its best. ‘Wasting Time’ displays the strength of their songwriting and provides a glimpse into the ever-growing talent of this young band. Looking forward to hearing what they have in store for us in the near future.
Thrillhouse return with their latest single ‘Just At The Right Time’.The song is a little love letter to anyone that comes along and helps you out in a time of need.
‘Just At The Right Time’ simmers with Thrillhouse’s intense indie sound as the band spread scorching instrumentation over a quivering rhythmic section to create one exhilarating gem. Pulsing synths ferment through the verses while deep vocals hurry through the lyrics with a sense of urgency. Driving rhythms, sparkling keys and lush melodies come to the fore as the chorus builds into the 80’s infused sound we have come to love from the band with bright guitar refrains glimmering through the muggy synth-heavy soundscape. Thrillhouse use precise layering and a cinematic crescendo to create an epic quality within their songs and ‘Just At The Right Time’ follows this trend perfectly allowing the listener to indulge in an immersive, hair raising listening experience. ‘Just At The Right Time’ is a passionate display of musicianship from Thrillhouse.
About the track singer Sam Strawberry says : “I wanted to say thanks to someone who’s done a lot for me. I’m no good with words in real life so I just wrote a song about them… I should probably send it to them at some point”
Rising London alternative group Oli Barton & The Movement return with their new single ‘Martyr’. ‘Martyr’ follows the release of last year’s ‘Get Out’ which proved to be their biggest hit yet. Having gained great support from BBC Introducing, the band played multiple festivals in the year before the pandemic where they stormed through many high-profile performances garnering significant attention. 2021 promises to be a huge year for Oli Barton & The Movement as they complete their debut mixtape ‘pipe dreams’ alongside producer Jules Gulon (Sam Smith, Liam Payne, Sam Fender)
‘Martyr’ is a cinematic, emotive tune that displays Oli Barton & The Movement’s passionate indie rock. Infusing powerful synths with biting indie sensibilities, the track is a mighty power ballad. The song is beautifully crafted and radiates a smooth bittersweet melody while Oli’s dynamic vocals exude emotion throughout. ‘Martyr’ builds to a dramatic crescendo as crashing guitars and pummeling drums collide into spacious synths allowing the band to display their fantastic musical prowess and vigorous indie rock sound in all its glory. Once again, Oli Barton & The Movement knock it out of the park with ‘Martyr’.
Speaking about the new single Oli says “This last year has really proved something to us. You have to look beyond the negativity, beyond the politics, beyond the media and you will find that people are ultimately always there for each other. We’ve seen these amazing people laying their lives on the line for others and being completely selfless. Lyrically, I wanted to pay tribute to these unsung heroes because they prove that we are always stronger together. The production on this track too is my favourite yet, utilising multiple synth layers and huge drums to bring that pure 80s vibe. . .”
Stream ‘Martyr’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
