Tag Archives: Interviews

A Chat With: LYRA

Irish pop-dance sensation LYRA has released her new single ‘Chess’, which is taken from her highly- anticipated upcoming album. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss the new single, what we can expect from the album and what she has planned for her upcoming tour. 

“So this song is about the mind games I was going through at the very early stages of my career in the music industry trying to make it as a female artist. I wanted to write about it but I didn’t want to write about it in the way of like pointing the finger and being like, Oh, I can’t believe you all told me to lose weight. How dare you kind of finger wagging style. I wanted to do something that told the message, through my style, which I suppose in this song a bit darker, a bit poppier. My dad taught me how to play chess when I was younger, and I was like, Well, this is a perfect way to say what I want to say, but not have to do the whole finger-wagging thing. So I sat down on my sofa and put the two concepts together and started writing about my experience. The lyrics say exactly what I want to say so there’s no hiding there, so it’s all out there like, “Would it make a difference if I was the same sex” It’s unfortunate us poor women seem to be pitted against each other? I don’t know why because I would love if we all got the lime light, it would be fantastic. And actually another one; “I dont want the lime light I just want a fare fight”, you know, I just wanted my chance, my opportunity to show them what I could do. So that’s the main inspiration behind the whole song, just me wanting to get there.”

 Whether it’s energetic dance elements, bright pop soundscapes or moving ballads, LYRA’s music is filled with dynamic and passionate instrumental arrangements that express the tone of the track.  ‘Chess’ is a fine example of this. LYRA has wrapped the darker subject matter of the lyrics in pulsing beats, tense synths and ethereal soundscapes to create a track that is mesmerising and moving while balancing darker tones throughout.

“Yeah, I knew that I wanted to have dark elements in it, but I also didn’t want it to go too dark. Because obviously with the message being dark, you don’t want the instrumentation to completely go to the dark side because you just end up with a track that you know, it’s not very uplifting and I didn’t want it to be a woe is me kind of thing. I also wanted to have the uplifting side of it. So when I was going about producing this with Dan Priddy, who is a producer on it, I was very much expressing that to him. There are certain sounds that I knew would sound good in this track, like, the bass and clicks and stuff like that. So, I’m very, confident in myself to be able to express that when I am in the studio, in order to make my songs sound very much like me. I have had a massive input in it. When I’m writing songs and when I’m sitting at home on my iPad, when I was coming up with the lyrics and the melody, I can almost hear how the song should sound. So it’s very easy for me then to just portray that to a producer and be like, Okay, this is how this song needs to sound because that’s how it will get the story across the best.”

“ I’m not going to sugar coat it. It is telling a darker message. It is telling a message of, being a woman and, being kind of battled up against other women, which is something that I am not for. I am all for women supporting women and, you know, going through being told to lose weight to fit in this box that they wanted to put me in or you know, things like that and it was a struggle, so that’s why I did want to bring the production down the darker side of things because it is a dark side of the industry.”

The melody within ‘Chess’ is luscious and oozes emotion. It’s a powerful pop song that boasts a catchy refrain and striking melodic flow.

“With this song when I sat down at home, I knew what I wanted to write about and I had written down some words. Then I just started singing the words and the melody just came. I actually didn’t have the chorus for a while, which actually is the easiest part of the song because it just says “chess you want to play chess”. I don’t know how I didn’t come up with that at the start. But it was more about telling the story for me in this one than finding a melody and then hoping that the words fit. For me, this one was all about the lyrics. So I started with that. Then I just threw down a few chords on my iPad, and it just came about. They just all seemed to match together. It didn’t take me that long to write which is great when you have one of those. Not all of them are like that, but this one, I think I was so passionate about what I wanted to say that I was like, right? Here are the lyrics, lets find the melody for it and that was it. “

‘Chess’ is an exciting glimpse into what we can expect from LYRA’s upcoming album.

“Oh, that album. It’s gonna be so bloody juicy. It’s a nice little introduction to the album for sure. This is the start, it’s kind of like okay, we have a little flavor here. The flavour is gonna get more and more and more intense until your mind is blown.”

“I’m really excited for it. I actually had to stop myself from listening to them, like don’t listen to it now you’re gonna ruin it. You’re going to ruin it for yourself and I keep picking out things. I’m like, oh, that bass could have been higher. Oh, that beat or whatever and I’m like stop listening to it now. But I’m very excited for everyone else to listen to it. It’s definitely gonna tell a journey and it’s going to tell people a lot about me and my life. So people are going to get to know me and I can’t wait to tell them what every song means and why I wrote it and where I was in my life when that happened to me etc. All of them are personal journeys to me. It’s what I’ve been through the past couple years so I’m looking forward to sharing it with you in a musical way because it makes it not so scary when its a musical way”

UK producers Mark Crew and Dan Priddy who have also worked with Bastille, Rag ‘n’Bone Man and Freya Ridings, worked on the record with LYRA. We discussed what they brought to the songs and how they influenced her sound.

“Yeah, you know, in fairness credit to the boys. I started Chess at home on my ipad and it literally was just a melody, lyrics and chords. When I brought it into Dan he was like, this idea is amazing, lets go with it. I know the production I want and I’m very good at vocalising it but it was you know, trying to go through the libraries and catalogues of sounds and stuff like that. It’s fantastic to have him on board saying, okay, I get what you mean there, I think this sound is what you’re looking for. So to have that from them is really good. Sometimes I suppose, me being so close to the music, I need somebody on the other side to have a fresh set of eyes and ears. I really appreciate [them], they’ve worked on songs with Rag ‘n’Bone Man, Bastille the new Shania Twain stuff. I know they know what they’re doing. So it’s really nice to also ask their advice and pick their brains with things like, oh, how would you think this would sound bigger or wider or what reverb do you reckon we should use on my voice? I love things like that. That’s why I love collaborating and finding new people and it originally started with me and Dan creating Chess. Then when I went to reproduce it for the album, Mark Crew came in, so it was really nice to have another fresh take.  It’s nice knowing that they’re so well up in their game, and I feel very confident with the choices that we make together as a team, which I love.”

To celebrate the release of ‘Chess’,  LYRA will be heading out on a twenty-two-date Irish Tour this Spring including two dates at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin. This is huge for the singer-songwriter and a wonderful opportunity for her fans to see her charismatic stage performance and mesmerising presence.

“Oh my god. I’ve actually started to do spin classes because my mom was like, you’re doing 22 shows and I suppose I didn’t really sit down and let that sink to my mind. I was like, oh my god, I’m doing 22 shows. I’m going to be found dead in the bush somewhere if I don’t get my cardio up because getting on stage in thigh high boots, heels, and belting out the songs is a lot. So I was like, right, I need to get myself in shape. So I actually started these spin classes. I hope they don’t mind me there in the back and any track that I know I’m like trying to sing along quietly to try and get my lungs working while I’m sweating myself on the thing. So it’s going to be a great tour. I think [the] tour is actually one of my favorite times because you get to sing your songs. You get to see the audience you get this initial reaction and communication with them and its such a life experience. I’m always bawling, crying when I come offstage. Everyone’s like, oh my god, you give her a minute. She’s bawling. But I’m never sad. I’m so overwhelmed with happiness just seeing people have your back. It’s a very lonely industry that we’re in. So to get on stage and see all these people who have come to support you, and love you is just mind bloody blowing, like the best ever. So it’s my favourite time. I’m going to really live up these 22 days.

LYRA is a passionate and compelling songwriter who pours all she has into her art. ‘Chess’ is a fine example of first-rate musicianship and is a delight to listen to. With this track as a tantalizing appetiser, it’s sure the album is going to be a triumph for her. LYRA is gaining momentum and has a lot more exciting things to come.

“When we’re selecting the album, we had so many tracks to choose from. So this is chapter one of LYRA. Then I’m just going to keep going and spend this whole year doing my album, it’s all about my album and it’s all about getting out there singing it for people, getting people to know it. Getting people to know me as an artist. This is what this year is about. It’s about everything LYRA and I’m so excited I finally get to do this. I’ve been waiting for so long. I feel like this is the time now. It’s so exciting. I just feel I’m living the dream.”

“Obviously, all this was supposed to happen the year that we were stuck inside and covid got us all locked down. I thought that maybe that was me done. I thought I’m never going to build up momentum again. Two years of lockdown. I’m not very great at social media. People are gonna forget about me and I couldn’t get into the studio and do my album. The bans got lifted. I had to go back out on the road just to get people re-familiar with me. So the album took another backseat. Now I’m finally happy to say that this year, we’ve spent so many months working on it and it’s actually coming out. It’s weird. It’s actually so surreal. Every time I post anything about it. I say to my sister, I feel sick. I can’t believe this is actually happening. Even yesterday when I posted the album cover for the first time I was like I feel sick. Eight months ago I was in a photo shoot and now with one click of a button everyone has seen it. It’s just weird, but it’s great. I’m really just going to enjoy it and live it up because you never know when it can be taken away from me again so I’m just going to go hell for leather girl.”

LYRA’s grandmother has been at the forefront of her mind and career since she started releasing music. Her first single ‘Emerald’ was about her grandmother and even today as we discuss her stunning album cover she feels her grandmother is watching over her and blessing her music endeavours.

“Thank you. I think it was like one of the first shots that we actually took and we all, well I didn’t because I couldn’t bloody see it. I was bloody blinded by that light that was in my face. But everyone in the crew just went, that is it. I was like surely not. We’ve literally just started, that can’t be it and they were like, that’s it. I looked at it and I was like yeah, that’s the one. I’m all about my nan being with me for this whole experience because I wrote Emerald about her which was my first song which started my career. So I feel like she’s been there and that happening, I was like yeah, for me, she’s making it happen.”

LYRA is a diverse and captivating artist who isn’t defined by a genre. ‘Chess’ showcases an emotional and powerful ballad aspect to her sound and teases an exciting glimpse into what is sure to be a brilliant album.

Stream ‘Chess’ below


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Glu; Michael Shuman’s New Project

Queens of The Stone Age Bass Player and Mini Mansions Frontman Michael Shuman has released his new EP ‘MY DEMONS’ under the moniker GLU. I caught up with Shuman to discuss his new project, the EP and his plans for world domination.

‘MY DEMONS’ is an intriguing glimpse into Shuman as an artist. The EP is different and more hip-hop-esque than people might expect from him while still maintaining an alternative edge. I wondered if he was worried or wondered what fans would make of this broadening of his sound.

“Yeah, I definitely wondered if it would work for the fans I already have. But I also think that most of my fans are pretty open-minded and could see the influence from all the bands and projects I’ve done before this. At the same time, I did this wanting to attract new fans that have no idea about my past, and just like this music for what it is.”

We discussed if there was a particular event that made him decide to become GLU or choose to do this solo project. And if he found it difficult to pick the songs for the EP? 

“After decades of being in bands, where you are tied to other people’s wants and schedules, I finally thought it would be good to have something where I could do it when I wanted to. On my time. The pandemic accidentally gave me that chance.”

“I did have more songs to choose from, but these were the first ones I created for GLU, and probably because of that they all tie together and live within the same thematic world.”

Shuman showcases a plethora of musical delights within this EP. From jazzy keys to slick lo-fi- hip-hop alongside pop-hued melodies. I asked if he was just pottering about with different sounds or if it was a deliberate imagination of genres and sounds.

“I don’t think you can ever take yourself out of what you do. All the influences, experiences, and tid bits you’ve picked up along the way. So they are definitely all there. But yes, I wanted to make sure it felt somewhat like something you hadn’t heard before. There’s no reason this song shouldn’t have slide guitar solos, harmonies, hip hop beats, and rapping.”

We see Shuman rap on this EP in the title track ‘My Demons’.

“I always wondered if it was in me. But of course there’s always the fear of judgment. I think because I was locked down and nobody was watching, I was privileged with the time to experiment with it and the delivery that felt authentic to me.”

Shuman collaborated with Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel on ‘My Demons’. We discussed how that collaboration come about and if that piece was written with her in mind.

“We have just been friends for a while and I wanted someone to counter the masculine undertones throughout the song. And also having someone that is a bonafide badass pop singer. She delivered the fuck out of it.”

“Not at first, no. But she was the first thought I had when wanting someone to collaborate with.”

Shuman recently released a coinciding video with a sultry, latex-laden Barthel symbolizing the demons that dominate GLU’s thoughts as he satirically raps through a leather ball gag.

“Honestly I just always saw some kind of vision of being tied up for this song. I think because of the sexual, yet traumatic undertones, it felt like the right concept to match the lyrics.”

“Yes, it was uncomfortable and I’m pretty sure I got some kind of mouth injury from it that has lingered to this day. No pain, no gain. “

Another great track on the EP is ‘Cold Sweat’. The song is a chilled tune that displays the swagger and musical wizardry people might know Shuman for from previous projects such as Mini Mansions. 

“I started with that simple groove and chord progression. Thought it maybe could just be an instrumental track. Kinda like Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain”, where it’s just one long guitar solo. But then that chorus melody popped in my head and it start to develop into what it is now. Yet, I wanted to keep it very simple. Verse chorus, verse chorus, out. Less about the lyrics and melody and more about the groove.”

Within this EP Shuman provides some meaningful lyrical content. ‘Night Shif’, discusses the impending doom we feel, generated by the current state of our world while ‘My Demons’ explores how childhood traumas continue to seep into adult life. Both are relatable themes that are well presented through sharp phrases; “ I’m so fucking chill, but I’m quite erratic, emphatic and somewhat problematic”. 

“I did take a lot of time crafting these, as lyrics are not my favorite part of writing songs. That being said, a lot of those lyrics come together pretty quickly when you decide on a theme and you roll with it. Also, using lines that are happening in real time. Sometimes I wish I was recording all my conversations with friends. I think there would a lot of gold in there.”

“MOONWALKIN’ is probably my favourite track on the EP. It oozes effortless swagger. Shuman told me which of the songs on the EP he is most proud of.

“Moonwalkin’ is an inside joke I have with my friend, which I won’t get into. But it started with that chorus melody I wrote on piano. It was the start of a different kind of song I was writing, but then realized it slotted in perfectly with the verse groove and melody I had. This track was a bit of that. A patchwork with elements that all worked perfectly together.”

“I think My Demons I’m most proud of, only because it was the first GLU song I wrote. It inspired what is GLU and got me out of my comfort zone.”

Finally, I asked Shuman what he has planned for the rest of the year and if he has plans for a GLU world domination.

“World domination? Yes. Expectations? No. Just chip away everyday and enjoy whatever comes of it.”

Filled with lush textures, eloquent lyricism and expressive soundscapes ‘MY DEMONS’ is a fascinating keyhole glimpse into the many facets of Shuman as an artist. The EP is an immersive experience from start to finish that beckons repeat plays and is simply a must-listen.

Stream ‘MY DEMONS’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Isaac Butler

Irish Pop/Rock artist Isaac Butler has released his highly anticipated new single ‘Good Enough’. Last week I caught up with Bulter to discuss how he crafted the song, his plans for the coming months and his upcoming headline show in Whelan’s main room on Friday, 31 March.

“I actually wrote it on a piano with a good pal of mine. He plays with me live as well, Jake Richardson. We wrote it together on the piano. Then I wanted to have that big live feel to it so for me electric guitars are just the way forward. I’ve kind of fallen back in love with them and I think everyone’s gonna see that. It’s very obvious in the upcoming tracks and stuff, I’m kind of going for that big live sound vibe. Obviously, the electric guitar lends itself to that, but yeah, exciting stuff, really.”

Within the track, Butler takes a tender stance and highlights it with vibrant indie pop instrumentation. The result is a glorious sing-along anthem that is a joy to listen to. 

“Yeah, it’s funny that the song started out quite sad. It’s a sad song if you really break it down. It’s funny when I wrote it, it came from quite a vulnerable place. But we came back to that when we were producing the five or six songs and obviously “Good Enough” was one of them, but we came back to it at a time where I was very much over what had happened and where that song came from. So it turned from this tender, vulnerable side to this kind of more brash, angry thing. Production-wise and even performance-wise that song, it’s angry, you know, there’s a bit of grit there. So yeah, it was an interesting exercise really going from that tender spot to one of I suppose, anger really, is the word.”

Butler has a knack for releasing wonderfully crafted videos to accompany his songs. I asked if he has one planned for ‘Good Enough’.

“Yeah, actually funny enough we’ve done a live band performance, which I’m going to probably release on Monday, I think. Then I’m actually headed off, so, the opening verse line is “that weekend in Paris”. So myself and Peter are heading off to Paris tomorrow morning, we got some cheap flights so we thought why not? Let’s actually lean into this a little bit and get some authentic vibes in there. But yeah, so we’re off to Paris to film. It’s gonna be a simple, enough video, but yeah, looking forward to that and I’m excited to share.”

Lyrically the song is powerfully emotive, relatable and honest. I wondered if Butler was unsure whether he was going to release this song or if its earnest lyrical content was difficult to put out into the world.

“No. It is definitely my most honest and probably my most personal song I’ve released to date but I knew once it was written that I one hundred percent wanted it to be out. I performed it live a lot and I love performing it live because it is so honest. I connect to it quite strongly and then obviously, in that live setting people understand and connect to it when I’m singing because I am so passionate about it. It’s a true story so it’s easy for me to really get into it and I think people appreciate that. So yeah, it was a no-brainer for me to be honest. I love it.”

Like all of his previous songs, this single has a wonderfully catchy chorus that evokes images of live crowds singing back the lyrics. Butler is set to headline Whelan’s main room with a full band on Friday, 31 March and I wondered what his hopes were for the show.

” Well first of all, thanks so much. That’s a really nice compliment. I hope and pray that they do. But yeah, Whelan’s is coming up soon. This show is definitely going to be for me a complete level up. Not that I don’t always put a huge amount of effort into the shows but this one in particular we’ve really been behind the scenes working hard on getting everything right from the production to different instrumentation and even lighting and stuff like that. So I  think people will be excited to see that we’ve really levelled up here. So yeah, I’m really excited to just get out there again. Whelan’s is such an important venue to me. I’ve seen so many people that I love there and I’ve been there probably nearly 100 times. So to actually get on that main stage and headline it is pretty amazing to me. I’m very, very happy.”

Butler recently performed at the Ruby Sessions and we discussed how he found the experience.

“Yeah, I did the Rubies a couple of weeks ago. I love the Rubies to be honest and everyone there is so passionate about playing music, hearing music, listening to it so you really get that attention from everyone which is great. I think as an up-and-comer you get used to not being heard quite a lot in different shows and different gigs. So that’s one that really is close to my heart and I love the guys in there as well. They’re great.”

Butler is no stranger to the stage or the airwaves amassing over 2.5 million Spotify streams and selling out shows in The Grand Social, The Soundhouse and Whelan’s while also playing festivals across the country including Electric Picnic. Two of his previous singles have also been chosen as the ‘Select Irish’ Single of the Month across the Wireless Group and Butler told me how important that support is to him.

” Yeah, it’s amazing, it’s really amazing. To be perfectly honest, I was quite nervous to put myself out there and announce the Whelan’s headline, I was kind of like maybe I should test the waters a little bit more. So yeah, I do feel honored people are listening to me. I’m really hoping to get a whole host of new kind of listeners over the next couple of weeks and months. I think the summer is gonna be really, really important for me to get out there and I’m just looking forward to playing live again and meeting people as well. That’s such an important aspect to me. I love chatting to people after shows and hearing about different stories they have and all that kind of stuff. It is probably my favorite part. “

The first time I interviewed Butler, he was gearing up for a big summer of festivals and then COVID put a halt to his plans. We discussed the impact of COVID and how he overcame the shock of all those plans being pushed down the line.

” It was honestly, lots of people had awful times but yeah, it was heart wrenching to be honest. Everybody had to cancel shows. I had a clear plan and then for that to be taken away was difficult. But I suppose the other side of that is I got to write a lot of songs. I got to meet a lot of different writers, different musicians even and that really has developed me quite a lot. I think I’m much more mature now in my sound, and in the way I’m writing even the way I’m performing. I think I’m in a much better place to hopefully get in front of some more people and get more people listening and connecting. I think the songs are at a place where people will start hopefully connecting to them like I do.”

Isaac Butler is an ambitious and talented artist. His catchy indie pop songs showcase his depth, honesty and maturity. ‘Good Enough’ is a fantastic example of his earworm magic and diverse musical range. I’m looking forward to hearing the tunes Butler releases next.

Stream ‘Good Enough’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Jack Cullen

Eastbound Dublin makes its highly anticipated return in 2023. The festival will host a range of diverse performances spread across various venues in the city in late February 2023. In its fourth year, Eastbound Dublin still is about capturing the spirit of new and breaking artists and capturing the imagination of a devoted, music-hungry city like Dublin, and bringing it all together to create meaningful beginnings.

I caught up with indie pop artist Jack Cullen who is performing on February 26th in The Grand Social along with Really Good Time, Ruti and YINYANG. We discussed his latest album  ‘Dark Days and Nightmares’, how he creates his glorious sound and what he has planned for his performance at Eastbound Dublin. 

“Yeah. I can’t wait. It’s my first time playing in The Grand Social. It’s been a long time since I’ve played in Dublin. It’s one of my favourite cities in the world and I absolutely can’t wait.”

Cullen’s recent collaboration with rappers Snow and Rxseboy, ‘Spilled My Coffee’ ( a remix of Cullen’s ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ ) became one of the “most viral lo-fi rap tracks” of the year.  It was added to over 30 channels on YouTube and used by 20 million creators on TikTok. It’s an irresistible remix that showcases another facet to his sound while elevating the soothing earworm of the original.

“Yeah, it’s really cool. It’s funny how that all came about. I wrote a song called ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ down in Cornwall and we sent it to some guys over in America and they came back with ‘Spilled My Coffee’. Yeah, it was really nice to begin releasing music, that way, kind of the wrong way around, as it were, you know,  we released the remix first and it was cool to collaborate with people in America. It was nice to kickstart stuff and hopefully, it made sense when I released ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ my track alongside my album, because it was obvious then it was the remix of my own song.”

Cullen creates lush indie pop tunes that are just glorious on the ears. Each song oozes subtle instrumentation, delicate indie pop embellishments and soothing tones that are simply a delight to the ears. Cullen has a talent for expressing a range of emotions and feelings within his tracks. We discussed how he achieves this.

“I think I just tried to be as honest as possible. I like to be honest with what I want to say. Sonically working with The Roots over in America, and having Questlove on drums it really helped open my ears and eyes to that kind of sound and I think it definitely helps sculpt the sound of the album. “

“ I’m a positive person. I like to try and look at the brighter side of things and try and be as positive in any situation as possible. So in light of darker times where I was when I was writing the album, I definitely tried to look at it from as much light as possible and like you say, try and be as big a ray of sunshine as possible. That being said, I think it’s naive to think that’s all that life is and it’s important to say the harder things sometimes, I think they’re very important. But I guess I’ve tried to then bring that into a happier light.”

Cullen released an album last year called ‘Dark Days and Nightmares’ and it’s an absolutely beautiful listen. The songs flow effortlessly into one another while maintaining their own unique identity. I wondered if there was a concept behind the album.

“It was from years of writing. It’s about three years of writing. It really took a long time to release any music. I think moving forward the concept behind my releases will make more sense.”

The song Hurricane is the perfect example of Cullen’s ability to wrap earnest tender lyrics in sweet soothing musicianship. Cullen explained how he crafted the track.

“Hurricane is a really good example actually of a dark place that I was in, you know the lyrics “wish we could just fly away to another place, but I’m stuck in a hurricane”. I think, my mind was in a complete pickle, and I felt like I was just in this hurricane in my mind and I couldn’t get away and it is a perfect example of the blend of darkness and sadness [in] the song. But the way we created it was actually like this celebration almost of that. I think in those times, I look to the people that I love and that love me, friends and family and they get you through those times. That’s really what that was about. It was a celebration of those people and the love left”

Cullen has a smooth and easy-flowing tone to his voice however, he told me singing wasn’t something he really thought about before he started.

“No, I don’t think so. I was, in another life playing rugby in Ireland. That’s where my Irish roots comes from and that’s all I wanted to do. I never thought that I would be a singer. I never necessarily did it much in school or it came quite late to me when I had lots of surgeries playing rugby and I was then beginning to write a lot of music and therefore singing a lot. So I think it came quite late that I realized I can sing”

We discussed what fans can look forward to from Cullen’s show at Eastbound.

“ What I always like to do, especially at these shows is strip back the songs. It’s nice to play them in their rawness. I think the emotion comes out a lot more and it allows me to even reflect on the lyrics a lot more because there’s not as much noise and production around the songs. I think it’s going to be a nice way to really connect with people who come and I really can’t wait to do that.”

Jack Cullen is an outstanding singer-songwriter. The melodies within his songs elegantly interplay with soft indie pop soundscapes and mellow guitar embellishments to create musical gems of delight. Cullen’s performance at Eastbound is not to be missed.

Tickets for Eastbound Dublin are available for purchase at www.singularartists.ie

Stream ‘Dark Days and Nightmares’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Gabrielle Aplin

Gabrielle Aplin is set to release her new album ‘Phosphorescent’ on January 6th via Never Fade Records. Recently previewed by the new single ‘Call Me’, her fourth studio album to date marks a fresh back-to-basics approach as she continues a career which has already seen her amass over a billion streams. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss creating the album, her upcoming tour and what inspired the title.

“I wrote most of the songs on my own in lockdown, but I really didn’t want it to be a lockdown album. But there was this kind of isolated natural feeling, I guess around the time I was writing everything. I watched The Blue Planet episode with the salt brines. I may have told you this before when we spoke last, but they went down into the Mariana Trench and I just could not believe how deep and dark it was and they were talking about how they previously didn’t think that there was life down there. Then they found all these phosphorescent creatures and there was life down there and not just phosphorescent creatures, but I was drawn to the ones that glowed and it really reminded me at the time what was going on and that there’s human resilience and so much light in the darkness. It made me think about how I wanted the songs to sound as well because they were so isolated and reflective in the composition. So when I went to record them I wanted it to be very human, for there to be very physical space which felt like a coming together to counteract the loneliness of the writing and how reflective it was. Then as well I felt very connected with nature during the time as well. I made it [ the album] on my friend’s farm, but I’d also at the time moved to Somerset. So I wanted there to be a natural element to everything. The recording studio has renewable energy, and I thought that was really cool. I thought, so if the songs are made from that, what if the artwork and the photos are made from kind of a renewable source as well? So we printed like cyanotypes in the sun, and everything was connected to a natural source in some way. It just felt amazing because I could really engulf myself in a project that had themes and its own kind of morals and these pillars for us to kind of go through that everything had these threads.”

There is a very chilled vibe about the album but Aplin expertly and carefully allows the music behind each song to blossom gently at its own pace, making for a truly magical listening experience. The opening track ‘Skylight’ is a beautiful example of this as the ethereal music highlights Aplin’s soulful vocals and compelling range. I wondered if she found it difficult to decide what track would begin the journey into ‘Phosphorescent’.

“Yeah, in some ways. I kind of get them all on a playlist and muddle them around, but actually what I really thought and loved about ‘Skylight’ being the opening was that I wanted it to feel like the morning and I want it to feel like waking up on a sunny hazy morning and then ‘Don’t Say’, the last track, I wanted it to feel like the night-time, you know, and like a celebration. So the start and the end were easy. It was the in-between bits and the journey that they go on that I probably found the most difficult.”

Aplin writes very catchy, relatable songs and this album seems to have these elements at its heart. Songs such as ‘I Wish I Didn’t Press Send’ are extremely relatable and it is gloriously presented with light instrumentation and a soulful tone. 

“I wrote it with my friend Nick. It was, middle of the third kind of big lockdown that we all had and it was the winter one so it was so bleak and I was thinking about all the times that I had or hadn’t done something, taken an opportunity. It was just a kind of very reflective time and I had this idea about all the things I wish I didn’t say and wish I could take back but obviously in the age of a pandemic it was, you know, everything was virtual. It was like, we were texting. That was literally what I was doing, I didn’t do any zoom quizzes. It was just about kind of missing opportunities and regretting that and then we made it into the story about drunk texting.”

Previously Aplin said the album is not a lockdown album, but it is the product of the solitude and strangeness that she experienced throughout that time. We discussed if she thought her sound would have evolved into the musical treasure that is ‘Phosphorescent’, had she not experienced that time during lockdown or experienced that solitude.

“I don’t think it would have. I think as well it was unlike my other albums. I wasn’t told oh you’re due an album lets go make one, and I was like, okay. I was just writing for fun again, which was really.. it was like, I was so bored. I’d made every banana bread I could possibly make. I’d cleaned every part of the house. I’d been making sure I’m keeping well and everyone around me are well. Made sure I fed and walk the dogs at that point. I was like, What do I do now? What did we do? We just kind of have to wait and at that point, I was like, I suppose I’ll write some songs. It was writing just because it was something I do not because I had to or because I had a job to do and it meant that the songs were just so natural and so real.”

I also wondered if this organic songwriting is something she would like to hold on to for future releases.

” Absolutely. I think what’s amazing is, for me now anyway, my previous album was written all over the place. I wrote with different producers in different countries and we just pieced the songs together and made them a thing. But with this album, I wrote them all in the exact same two square meters. I wrote them just on a piano or on a guitar. So I was able to just play my songs. I could perform my whole album before I even recorded it because it was singer-songwriter in the truest sense. Maybe with my previous album even though I wrote the lyrics and I wrote the songs I was working with producers. So I’d write a song and then have to go and teach myself how to go and play it on my own and that was you know, a fun thing to do. But it didn’t feel natural to me in a way that this feels really natural that I write songs and I’ve already got it regardless of the recording, it is me and an instrument. I feel like it reminded me that that’s a really strong thread in who I am as an artist.”

‘Phosphorescent’ is an album to be listened to as a whole piece of work. Each song has its own identity and is a journey, yet flows beautifully into the next with ease. It’s a lush and ethereal album filled with cinematic vibes, passion and wonderful highs and emotionally tender moments. 

Aplin explained to me how important it was for her to create an album where each song tells a part of a story that the listener can immerse themselves in.

“I agree I think like obviously depends on the artist but for me personally, I hope we never loose albums because I love to get lost in a project. I spent a year and a half on this album, from starting it to finishing it and then even working on the artwork up until very recently. I like to engulf myself in the project. I do feel there’s a lot of pressure with artists maybe having to put a song out every month, just do more and more for less and less. I just hope I don’t ever have to do that because I don’t think I’d be very good at it because I will go through patches where I write loads and loads and loads and loads and then I won’t write anything for a really long time and I’ll just collect ideas for the next batch, you know. I really love albums and I’m really glad that you picked up on it as like a piece where everything flows because I really wanted to make it do that and wanted it to be listened to as a whole. As much as I really loved the individual songs it was important to me that the whole thing was a piece and a journey from start to finish”

Aplin has some shows early next year to promote the album. With many selling out fast we discussed her excitement to tour. 

“I felt like Beyonce when they text me .They were like Kingston sold out already and it literally had gone on sale about 10 seconds ago and I was like that must be a glitch. I was like surely, did they put up on sale beforehand? Like it actually happened. Then we did another one it sold out and then another one. It’s great. That was amazing and I’m excited to play the songs. You know, songs and people who want to listen to them they’re my two favourite things.”

Gabrielle Aplin is a master of her craft. Her powerful vocal delivery and ability to create thrilling, emotive arrangements is a joy to experience and ‘Phosphorescent’ is a fine example of this. The album is a wholesome and refined body of work that showcases Aplin’s immeasurable songwriting talent and is a must-listen.

‘Phosphorescent’ is set for release on January 6th. Until then stream her recent single ‘Call Me’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Def Nettle

Photo Credit Rosie Wall

Post-funk and alt-punk band Def Nettle have released their new single ‘Architecture’. I caught up with frontman Glen Brady to chat about the band’s sound, their support slot for Scattered Ashes and how he crafted the new track.

‘Architecture’ is a fantastic tune that showcases diverse musical treats within its soundscape. From intricate rhythms to beautiful guitar refrains and wonderfully rich textures the track is a joy to listen to.

“I started a lot of the music myself before bringing in other musicians. That’s usually how it’s been so far with this project. Over the last few years I’ve been working as a producer, engineer and writer for a long time and so on this one I actually had some bass sounds, a basic rhythm and I had written the main guitar it’s, I guess you’d call it the lead line that comes in over some beats, and [ I ] wrote the lyrics and the vocals based off of that. Then a guitarist named Joe Donegan, who I worked with came in, and he added a lot of the riffs that go throughout the track, then the higher, more melodic parts, another artist named ABoyInCords, he does some solo stuff, Graeme [Slattery] he came in at the last minute and added a few of those lighter touches but most of the guitar was played by Joe Donegan, even though I had done the main line myself at first”

” So, yeah, the track was one of the slower ones to come together in a way because sometimes they really come together quickly in a day or two. That one the vocal line, and the rhythm section came together first, and that main guitar lead, and the rest of it came together over a series of months. Jay Oglesby, a friend of mine added the live drums and then a guy who’s in our live band now, Ely Siegel added the baseline right at the end, because we’d been using a synth bass for most of the time. I just started working with Ely. In fact, that was the first thing we did together and that came together just before I finished the track so it was a nice way to end it and to start my working relationship with him.“

“The vocals are very similar to the first day I wrote them. However, the song had been a little more electronic in the beginning and when Joe came in, he’s a brilliant guitarist, and he really had his own vision for the sound. Sometimes I’m reluctant to trust other musicians and I had been working with Joe on a live basis for a while. I really trusted him actually, which is unlike me, but I really trusted him with it and you know what, I was really glad I did.”

“We almost struggled to get it right for a while. I live in Wexford. He lives in Dublin. So he had to come down a few times and thankfully he did…and I decided to just trust him because he’s so good and trust the process. So I definitely, allowed his place in the track but the track itself and the general vibe is very much led by the vocal and that first lead guitar line, which was in the more electronic version. So although it’s definitely more rocky than I would have done it in the beginning I’m super glad that he came in.”

” Also Graeme, he does ABoyInCords he really added some beautiful guitar touches right at the end that gave it a really nice retro feel along with that rock and roll feeling. I think his guitar really worked with the dark retro feel of the vocal and gave the track an almost light feeling on top of that.”

The melody in ‘Architecture’ is irresistible. This is something Brady has a knack for and the frantic pace of the vocal melody in his previous release ‘The Pills’ gives a teaser to the style of the vocal in ‘Architecture’. 

“I’ve been making music for a long time under lots of different names and with lots of different people but ‘The Pills’ was maybe the first or second track where I was like, Oh, this could be an act. You know, this might turn into a band. I might want to front a band with this sound and they’re definitely related. The sound of the band is very much influenced by the songs of my teenage years and punk, post-punk and kind of gothy and the early indie alternative stuff. So they’re definitely all related.”

” I think ‘The Pills’ was more influenced by a lot of skate rock and a little bit of hip hop in a sense like you said, the frantic flow. So there was a little bit more hip-hop influence on the vocal, and like I said, it was one of the first songs with this act. So as I’ve gone deeper into this act, I’ve got maybe a little more confidence in the vocal and I’ve been able to explore a bit more of where I’m going with it. I did a number of cover songs, in the beginning, to explore the vocal sound. I covered a Tom Waits song, PJ Harvey song, a Billy Bragg song, and by doing that I found where I wanted to go with the vocal. So ‘The Pills’ was in a very early version of that. So it’s definitely an evolution from there but still influenced by that important period in my life.”

Def Nettle is Brady’s first project as lead vocalist. I wondered if he was nervous about taking on the vocalist role.

“I definitely wasn’t confident and I’m still not. But, I have to say that the first thing I ever did musically in my late teens or early 20s was a very similar band to this before I ever became a DJ and a producer and had a career. Before I did that, one of the first things I ever did was something that touched on something I’m doing now, and then I never really did it again. I did some vocals about maybe 10/15 years ago, on a few songs, but I’ve always been in the background. So somewhere in my mind, I definitely always knew that I was gonna come back to it. I just didn’t know when and there was all sorts of other stuff going on. I was working with people who are more established, as vocalists and I learned a lot from them along the way. I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted to express.”

” So when I made ‘The Pills’, I liked the idea of maybe one day doing it, but I didn’t see myself doing it live and now it’s happening and it’s part of my life. So I’ve almost had to just bury the nerves or the lack of confidence and, I think a lot of that is related a little bit to I gave up alcohol a few years ago, and I think doing this act I have to be sober, you know, and that’s why I’m not as nervous because the stories are real. There’s honesty there. I’m not trying to cover anything up. I’m not trying to get pissed and, perform and use that to cover my fear. If I did that people would see through it in a live element and it would look fake and I think because I’m sober, what I’m doing is me and so I don’t have anything to fear because I’ve come through that if that makes sense.”

” I definitely feel I owe it to myself, to the people that are hiring me to do gigs and to the material to do it in my right mind and through doing that, that’s how I fight the nerves and that’s what makes me more confident and less nervous about it. I’m not doubting myself because it’s actually me. It’s not a version of me that’s covering it by being drunk or something, you know.”

The lyrics within  ‘Architecture’ are stark and honest with vivid imagery. Brady sings ”When It rains in Dublin. You can hug the buildings. Go where you want. Like when we were children” over ominous bass lines and eerie soundscapes. 

“That one definitely came in a burst. I think I wrote the whole thing in an hour or so here at my studio. All the songs are usually about one person when they start and then I add a load of other people that might have something in common with them and I make it seem like it’s all about one person and maybe ‘Architecture’ is a little different because it’s very personal. I’m definitely thinking about a certain period in my life, a post-adolescent kind of period, where I’m unsure of myself. You know, there’s definitely a feeling of being lost or heartbroken, that early 20s not being quite so sure of where your life is at, being broke especially, it’s based in Dublin in the 90s. It’s very grey and autumnal and there’s definitely that image of myself in my late teens in the city, looking for friends or somewhere to go and being lost in the rain that kind of idea and the lyrics talked about the main theme of architecture you know, using the buildings in the city and the structures to shield myself from the weather and from that forlorn feeling.”

The single is accompanied by an atmospheric video that portrays Dublin in bleak rainy weather and dull filters. Brady explained to me how he created the video. 

“I started by going on YouTube and looking for the actual streets where I had these experiences as a young version of myself and I found myself looking at tour guide videos of Dublin. Then I found tour guide videos of Dublin in the rain and I thought, Oh, that’s really interesting. I contacted the people, the tour guides, who made those videos, and I said, Hey, I’m in a band, can I use some of your footage? And I made the video myself. I tried to then effect the video. There’s a lot of emotional turmoil and difficult past and difficult history and some levels of insanity and very, very dark and abusive relationships that I had had before that or grew up in. I wanted to show them and I think the black and white in the reverse was a really nice way of showing the insanity of that time. Then I set up the camera myself at home I did the entire thing myself.”

Brady has worked at the top of his field in every aspect of music production, performance, and DJing for almost three decades, making music with the likes of R.E.M., Dominique Keegan (The Glass, Plant Records ), the California State Symphony and has toured as a member of DARK with Andy Rourke ( The Smiths) and, the late Dolores O’Riordan as well as having mixed their album, Science Agrees. We discussed how all these experiences shaped the sound of Def Nettle.

“Well, you know, people who have been successful that I’ve worked with, some of them have been very awe-inspiring in terms of their performances that I might have witnessed, so I don’t really feel on the level of some of the artists that I’ve worked with. I feel like technically I’ve learned a lot by being very dedicated to learning music. I learned music late. I didn’t learn music as a child. I came to music in my late teens and early 20s. So I always felt like I had to make up ground. So I’ve been very studious in my life and in terms of learning music I’ve been pretty obsessive. I think musically that came from a more personal place.”

I asked Brady from his experience within the music industry what advice he would give to an aspiring musician.

“Never stop at all. We all have to pay our dues and some people get what they need right away or within a couple of years and some people, it takes 30 years, so it really doesn’t matter. The process is what’s important and being able to express yourself. I think if I had to give some advice to myself, back then it would be practice instruments and don’t drink so much.

It took me this long to come to the point where I’m happy with what I’m doing and perhaps that’s why I’m able to do it now because of all of those experiences. I surely write a lot about the people and places and trials and tribulations that occurred during all that so there’s definitely a lot to write about because of mistakes I’ve made and lifestyles I’ve led in the past.”

Def Nettle had a show supporting Scattered Ashes at The Workman’s Club on 18th November. Brady told me about the band’s upcoming plans and how fans can catch them again live. 

“This is our third single and the Scattered Ashes show is our first show with the full band. We did a Fanning at Whelans. It’s going to be on Virgin Media one in a couple of weeks. We did another thing for  RTÉ 2XM Sessions from Oblivion, that’s going to be on in January or February. So you know, we’re really just getting out there. So I don’t have any plans as of now. I’d like to, but I don’t think we’ve developed our business that well, not enough people know us yet, I feel. I’m hoping that this one is going to help with that and I’m sure doing the Fanning Live at Whelan’s should help. 

We’re also doing a show in Fibbers [Fibber Magees] in February, supporting one of our favourite punk bands, The Nilz, that we’re really looking forward to. So yeah, I’m really hoping there’s gonna be a lot more shows, especially in 2023. We’re ready to do that. Definitely.”

Def Nettle creates a tight and utterly compelling sound with earnest lyrical content at the core of each song. Showcasing refined production, thought-provoking lyrics and first-rate musicianship, Def Nettle are making their mark as a band to keep an eye on.

Stream ‘Architecture’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Dashoda

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.”

Stream ‘Looking For You’ below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Mick D’Arcy of Corner Boy

Photo Credit : Padraig Grant

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. 

Stream the album below 


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Fiachra Treacy of Columbia Mills

Photo Credit: Ray Keogh Media

Columbia Mills are set to release their new album ‘Heart Of A Nation’ on the 14th of October . I spoke to Fiachra Treacy, frontman of Columbia Mills about making the album during the pandemic, the benefits of producing the album themselves and the moving inspiration behind some of the fantastic tracks. 

‘Heart of A Nation’ is absolutely glorious. Columbia Mills pack so much emotion and passion into one album. The songs deal with the impact society has on our lives and gives an overview of our bleak socio-political landscape; immigration, addiction, and the eradication of self-confidence against a backdrop of lush instrumentation and crisp production.

“I think like everybody else over the pandemic, I personally had a lot of time to think about what was going on, specifically in the world. I think that’s what sparked a lot of the revolutions and the protests that came to the fore during the pandemic around the world. Because everybody’s life was put on hold, we got a lot more time to reflect on what was happening and I think that’s where it came from. I always write from a subconscious point of view. So we had all the music done, we wanted to make it a dancey album, as you pointed out, because we wanted people to have something to dance to after sitting around for so long, but in terms of the lyrics, I sit with the music and I just see what came out and that’s what came out. That was obviously what was troubling me when I was writing the songs and I think once I figure out what the song is about, then I can really run with it and start using less of the subconscious to finish the song but usually, the things that are bothering me will come to the fore.”

“For this album, because we couldn’t rehearse and we couldn’t get together in a room we decided we’d write the music first. Usually we do it the other way around and we put all the music together first, and the lads gave me the liberty to move bits of the song around. So if I wanted to put a chorus here, just put a bridge there I could do that with the vocals. But it was quite challenging. I’ve never really done it like that before, maybe the odd song on the other albums we’ve done it like that. But to do the whole album like this, it was quite challenging. I ended up writing the lyrics maybe four or five times for each song and changing them and putting them back together again, but it was great fun. It was a great challenge and I think it’s made for a really good album.”

The band cleverly layer and craft the songs to create a consuming listening experience. We discussed how the excess time the pandemic provided gave the band an opportunity to create an album so rich and evocative.

“Yeah, yeah we had a lot of time and I think that really helped us. The fact that we could live with each part and myself, Uisneagh [Treacy] and Ste [Ward] would send each other parts like we’d write a synth part pattern or a guitar part or a drum loop and we’d be sending them to each other all the time. There’s an awful lot of stuff that we didn’t use. The parts that we left in, we feel they really worked and we spent a lot of time thinking about them and we were able to mull over it. Then we put the vocals on and then we took a few more bits out, stuff that was clashing with the vocal. So yeah, it was a great, great way of working. We’ll probably do it again.”

‘Nevada’ is such a gem and one of my favourites on the album. The track travels at an intense pace with looped drums creating a pulsing rush of adrenaline as the song ventures between dreamy euphoric tones and intense almost sinister undertones. 

“We had the baseline and the drum loop and then there was a synth line that kind of an arpeggiated synth line which actually starts the whole song. Then while I was writing the lyrics, I came up with the chorus part to go to a major chord so the song opens up and you can feel a bit of hope rather than being so dark the whole time because it starts in a minor chord. So when it goes to the major cord it gives people a bit more hope. You don’t want to be too miserable and the lyrics came from when I was in Mexico with my wife who is from Guadalajara in Mexico. That’s an area where a lot of people come through. There’s a train that goes through the centre of Mexico and it carries people from Honduras and from more southern America up through and they’re trying to get to the United States and they stop in Guadalajara and they stop and they’ll ask for money or they look for food and stuff like that. So we’d meet a lot of these people and we met a man who was travelling from Honduras and he wanted to get to Nevada that was what he kept saying. I’m going to Nevada. I don’t speak Spanish but he was talking to my wife but I kept hearing him saying Nevada. She told me that he had a son, a daughter and a wife that were left in Honduras and he was going to work in Nevada to make some money and hopefully that they could join him or he’d go back with money. So that’s what the song is about. It’s me fantasising that they do eventually get together again and that he gets to see his son again. So it’s quite emotional. That’s where this inspiration came from.”

Columbia Mills are melody wizards. There is a soothing quality to the melodies on this album that comforts the listeners from the harsh reality of the lyrics. 

“Yeah, for me, the melodies have to come naturally, the vocal melodies especially and I suppose the guitars do as well. They have to come very naturally or else I find if I spend too much time working on a vocal melody or a guitar line, that they just sound, they’re not as soothing. I don’t know if there’s any techniques or anything that we use, but it’s just more of a natural occurrence. The music or the melody will come into my head a lot of the time I’d wake up and a melody would be in my head or I’d be doing something completely different. I’d be working on something else and a melody will come into my head and I think by doing that, as you said they come a bit more naturally and I think people can connect to them a bit more because they’re more human, I suppose.”

‘Momentum’ is another special moment on the album. There is so much musical goodness encased in this song. The song unfolds from pulsing bass lines, chiming keys and intricate guitar melodies into a euphoric groove-infested dance tune. 

“Yeah, it came from the intro. I remember Steven sent me the intro with the drum loop and that song was totally different. I remember we had all sorts of crazy vocals on it. The structure was totally different. It was like a dance track because we do work on a lot of dancey stuff. We never release it. We just make dance tracks just for the craic. We’d finished the album and we revisited that song. It was never going to be on the album and I changed it around a little bit and created a verse and a chorus. Then we put a few guitar parts on and then I just concentrated on the vocals and when we had it finished, we’d already got the album mixed by Rob [Kirwan]. He had already finished mixing the album. So we got our engineer, producer friend Mick Heffernan and he mixed it and we really loved it. So we dropped one of the other songs and moved that one in and we’re glad we did because a lot of people say it’s their favourite. “

Sonically it’s an acid trip yet there are sweet moments on guitar between all the dizzying synths and intricate rhythms. I wondered if the band ever got carried away with all the glorious immersive layers when they were creating the song. 

“We can overdo it sometimes. So we need to be very careful. There are about four synth parts in that song. Then the baseline, the guitars and the vocals and then I often tend to put a lot of effects on the vocals. I think towards the end. I’m just spouting absolute garbage and we layered it all up on top of each other. I don’t think you can make out what I’m saying. I don’t even know if I know what I’m saying. I’d love to hear them isolated again. But yeah, we can get a little bit lost but we always have to pare it back and remember that people need to listen to this stuff.”

As the album progresses, the band strip away some of the disco elements and the sound becomes more delicate. ‘Imposter Syndrome’ displays this more delicate sound perfectly. Fiachra’s echoed vocals stand out above the hypnotic key refrain and guitars creating a compelling melancholic tune for listeners to enjoy.

“With ‘Imposter Syndrome’, Ste had sent me the synth line, and I really loved it and I was determined to make a song out of it. Once he’d sent me that I started playing the acoustic guitar over it, there’s an acoustic guitar on that song. Once I had the acoustic guitar and the chords figured out, I left all the electronics to one side and just sat on my own with the acoustic guitar trying to figure out a song that I could play without any of the electronics. ‘Imposter Syndrome’ I suppose that’s what it’s about you kind of feel you’re not good enough for somebody else and if you’re not good enough to be in a certain situation. I suppose we all feel like that sometimes, well I feel like that most of the time. So I built a song about that. I can’t really remember writing the lyrics. I can remember just being happy with what had been put down. The structure of the song is quite strange as well because there’s kind of a bridge at the end. So there’s not really a chorus to the song. It just kind of plods along but I love people like Roy Orbison, he used to write songs with no choruses. He’d write songs that just went along, but it would feel like there was a chorus there because each part really mattered. So that’s kind of where I got the inspiration from.”

Lyrically the band don’t shy away from real topics and they pack some punch with their hard-hitting lyrics. Our discussion ventured down the intricacies and natural flow of lyrics and Fiachra told me his lyrics flow in a stream of consciousness sometimes. I wondered if these stream-of-consciousness writing sessions need much editing in order to create the eloquent lyrical content we hear within the album.

“Yeah, I definitely do. Yeah, you’re right. I’d go off on a mad one and I’d write everything down. I’d read everything that has come out from the stream of consciousness, but then I need to figure out where the song came from, and what I’m trying to say and then I’d have to hone back some of the stuff, but sometimes I’m left with some nice stuff that I keep and I’m quite surprised. It’s like I didn’t write it, it just came from somewhere else. So yeah, sometimes, really nice stuff that I just want to keep but yeah, I definitely need to hone it in a bit and put a bit more structure on it and make it a bit more palatable, I suppose, is the word you know, so people can understand what I’m trying to say.”

‘Heart Of A Nation’ is an album brimming with solid tunes. There are many musical gems to enjoy from the emotive guitar-driven ‘House Voice’  to the moody grunge-filled ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’. But Fiachra told me which of the songs on the album he is most proud of. 

“Yeah, I really love this song called ‘Here With You’ and another song called ‘Fake Life’. I’d say they’re my two favourites. Just in terms of when I listened to them, they knock me down a little bit because I love the structure of ‘Here With You’. I love where it goes, and how it builds. But in terms of lyrics and what the song is about, ‘Fake Life’ is really nice. I really liked it because I didn’t see that song coming. Ste had sent me this string section and we had that for a long time and I had been trying to write a song over it for ages and we couldn’t. So I got the string section and I put it into my computer and I put a beat over it with a groove box. Then once I had the beat it was like it unlock the key to the vocal melody. Then I had the vocal melody in my head and then the lyrics all came down within like, half an hour. It came really quickly. It was a surprise to me. So I really like listening to that one.”

Columbia Mills have a tour coming up in the UK and Ireland in October. We discussed what fans can expect from this run of live shows. 

“ I think we’re gonna be a little bit more dancey this time. We’ve done a couple of shows, we’ve done festivals and obviously with festivals you have to hone it in because there’s a lot of people there that never heard of us. So we were trying to grab them as well. So we kept everything upbeat. When we’re doing our own shows, obviously, we can bring in some of the more melancholy songs which I loved the most but yeah, we’ll be doing a lot more dancey stuff. We have a new drummer, Jamie Duff, he plays the drums standing up and he’s a little bit more full on in terms of making the songs dancey but we’ve left a lot of electronic beats in as well. So it’s kind of changed our sound. We’re going to play a lot of the new album and then a select few off the other two albums and we’ll see where we go with that. Yeah, it’ll be a mixture of everything.”

With ‘Heart Of A Nation’ being the band’s third album there are a lot of songs in their arsenal to play at shows and I wondered if the band found it difficult to pick songs to play live as they would all have their own favourites as well as trying to please the fans with their favourites.

“We have arguments over it a lot which is good. It’s getting better. It’s very healthy to have three albums and to have an argument over what songs we’re going to play. There’s some songs that are a given like ‘City’, ‘Close To You’, ‘Battles’, I think we always play but the rest of the songs are open to play and we also feel when we’re rehearsing you go okay, that one’s really feeling good , and we’re getting a nice buzz off it and if we’re reacting to it, we hope that other people will react to it as well and if songs aren’t working, we just throw them to the side, we’ve plenty more to pick from.”

On their third album, Columbia Mills find new and refreshing ways to express their ever-evolving sound through dancefloor bops and thrilling lyrics that express sorrow, hope and self-knowledge. The band have raised the bar with these intricately layered tunes as they take an array of shimmering synths, punctuated beats and indie rock elements to create impeccable moments of sonic musicianship that mark Columbia Mills in a league of their own. 

‘Heart Of A Nation’ is set for release tomorrow October 14th. Until then stream ‘Momentum’ below


Author: Danu

A Chat With: Damian McGinty

Damian McGinty has released his new single ‘Like Moments Do’ alongside announcing his upcoming album “Moments” which is out on the 25th November. I spoke to the singer-songwriter about what inspired the song, how this new album is a new creative facet to his songwriting and a new cycle to his sound and the prospect of an Irish show.

“This is the start of a new cycle for me and a cycle I’m really excited about. It’s been such a fun creative experience writing this album and the theme and the feelings behind it are very important to me. I stand strongly behind what the album represents and what the new single represents. I’m genuinely proud of it. Yes, this is what my music looks like right now. It’s common knowledge that as an artist, the hardest thing to do is, find your sound and hone in on that. ‘Moments Do’ is just a perfect representation of where I am as an artist and I just think it’s an uplifting song that I’m excited for people to hear and enjoy in their own time.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t even something that I was searching for. It’s a period of time that I went through where last autumn myself and my wife moved from California to Nashville. We bought our first home, moved across the country and what I didn’t expect, was just shortly after the very harsh covid period, in the industry and it had fully reopened I was just so slammed with work, and with the personal life and moving across the country and setting up a home. So it was the first time ever in my life that I was waking up every day and just felt like I was suffocating. It just felt like I couldn’t catch a breath. Like I was on a hamster wheel and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t get off. No matter what I did. It just wasn’t working and my brain was going 1 million miles an hour every day and it felt very overwhelming for a fairly long period of time. Then I just started having some conversations about how to fix it like how to slow things down a little, how to be more present and that’s just where ‘Moments Do’ was born. It’s about appreciating small moments. It’s about appreciating moments that don’t get the notoriety or the recognition. You know life isn’t always about bright lights and limousines in the magazines and the billboards and as the song says, it can be something as simple as having a coffee in the morning or having a conversation with your family or just the really simple stuff that doesn’t get recognition. It was about being present and appreciating those moments. That’s just where the single was born. That’s where the whole album grew from.”

‘Like Moments Do’ is a bright upbeat song filled with warm guitar and light piano twinkles between a powerful uplifting soundscape. There is something soothing about the song that creates a wholesome atmosphere throughout.

“Yeah, you’re spot on. I think we started out the session and I was very clear that I wanted something upbeat. But I wanted, it not just upbeat. I wanted it to be hopeful. I think hopeful is the keyword. So you know whenever you go into a writing session, you sometimes throw things on a page or you’ve been messing around with a few chords on the guitar and the piano, whatever it might look like, but just hoping that you can find something and for this particular song, I really knew what I wanted. I’ve been writing all week at this point in Nashville and it was the last session of the week and I just want to write something hopeful. I want to write something that feels like it’s gonna inspire people. I want people to feel simultaneously like they’re getting a hug but also like they’re being told that your life is as normal as my life and that’s great. You don’t need big lights. You don’t need your name on billboards, on magazines. You don’t need all that to live a fantastic life, social media truly is a highlight reel and that’s all we see and therefore that’s a problem of our generation. You compare yourself to what you see on your phone. But yet the moments of the song talks about the in between moments that I think actually have the most beauty. When you are present in those moments, you learn to appreciate them a little more. So it’s definitely like a tip of the hat to all of that.”

The single comes alongside the announcement of McGinty’s upcoming album “Moments” which is out on the 25th November and the singer explained to me the concept behind this album.

“This is the first single and it is the concept of the album. So the whole album dives into these moments that I’m talking about, these moments of the in-between. Different moments in our lives where we feel happiness, where we feel sadness, where we feel contentment, where we’ve been challenged. It’s an album that goes on a journey of all of that and what I like to call you know the journey of the in-between because it really is about normal life and because I just felt there wasn’t a lot of representation for that and I think that a lot of people will hopefully relate. So the album really goes on a journey of all of that and ‘Moments Do’ is the lead single. It’s the perfect song I think to represent the first track and to give the flavour of the album. Then the album takes you on a journey through the in-between.”

In 2021 McGinty released a pandemic project, where he released a new single every month. This album takes a different approach. We discussed how differently he approached this album.

“Initially whenever you’re starting out a project or a record and you’ve got a blank canvas sometimes the only way to start filling that canvas is to just naturally start writing and start creating and see what comes out. That was the really fun thing about this project. I did start writing and start essentially, like painting on the canvas for the lack of another analogy, I started painting on the canvas, and the album and the idea started presenting itself very early on. So I was able to hone in on what boxes I wanted ticked on the album because the album is all about being present and recognizing little moments that never get the recognition because life so fast-paced. Because the album is about that I was reminded on a daily basis to be present. I was reminded on a daily basis to slow down. So it happened to be the record cycle that I’ve enjoyed the most just because I was so present and just because it didn’t feel overwhelming. The entire process has not felt overwhelming. It’s felt well timed, well-paced, so much so that the last song on the album is a song I was able to write whenever the other 10 tracks were already finished. I was like, I want to write a song that really wraps up this theme and I was able to do that which is not like any other writing experience I’ve ever had. So that felt really nice as well.”

To celebrate the release of his new album, Damian McGinty will be hitting the road this autumn for his ‘Live in the Moment’ tour across the US, with dates in eastern Canada as well. With a lot of artists approaching touring differently since the pandemic, I wondered if McGinty was going to take touring at a slower pace and if a show in Ireland would be a possibility. 

“Yeah, I’m really excited to get on the road. I’m really excited to perform this music. Obviously, I’ve never performed it live yet. It’s gonna be great. Live music looks a lot different now. It just feels different in a very weird way and I think almost in a healthy way live music for the artist doesn’t feel like it’s 100% necessary anymore. I’m trying to explain that because I’ve seen a lot of artists being like I don’t want to tour right now. It’s not good for my health. It’s not good. So I think we’re entering a really healthy period for music, where people are not letting it define them. Which is really important because touring, sometimes can feel like the be-all and end all and how many shows you do in a year, defines how successful your year is. Whereas now, people are just learning a little more to look after themselves and the music and the performance will then benefit from that. So it’s almost like a partnership. It’s like if you take care of your health, and if you’re in a good place, then the performances don’t feel like a chore. They just feel like something that you enjoy, and that you happen to do and you’re lucky enough to do. So that’s where I’m at. I’ve been just trying to be present, be steady look after myself and then I just feel very fortunate that I get going and do six weeks of live shows in the autumn. That just feels really exciting to me to get to see people on a face to face basis. So I’m really excited.”

“It’s something that I’m very interested in [ a show in Ireland]. I’m heavily considering so I’ve had a couple of conversations about it. At the moment, it’s most certainly a watch this space thing so yeah, that’s definitely something I’m gonna keep my eye on.”

Filled with wonderfully expressive instrumentation, sweeping melodies and warm lyrical content ‘Like Moments Do’ is a compelling glimpse into the joyous musicianship of Damian McGinty. This song is a fantastic appetizer for his upcoming album. 

Stream ‘Like Moments Do’ below 


Author: Danu