Candy’s Guilt have released their new single ‘blue ivory’. Candy’s Guilt is a four-piece band from North Dublin. The band was founded by Sean Walsh (guitar) and John Kennedy (vocals) when they met in secondary school. The band also consists of Oscar Geraghty on drums and percussion and Pearce Fitzpatrick O’Donovan on bass.
‘blue ivory’ is a melodically lush tune from Candy’s Guilt. The band craft the song around mellow twinkles on guitar and soft percussion while supple soundscapes exude a majestic sense of euphoria throughout. The song has a retro 50’s-esque quality within the melody as Candy’s Guilt take a minimalist approach to the song to create a dreamy and pacifying listening experience for listeners to indulge in. ‘blue ivory’ is an intriguing and enjoyable display of musicianship from Candy’s Guilt. Looking forward to hearing more from the four-piece.
Irish independent musician Doctor Bua has released his new single ‘Today Is Tomorrow’. Doctor Bua composes contemporary classical music. ‘Today Is Tomorrow’ is the fourth track of his upcoming EP release, ‘Ripples’. This single release is also accompanied by a music video filmed and directed by Tima Miroshnichenko and edited by Shane Michael Ryan.
Exuding warm sombre tones and bittersweet elements ‘Today Is Tomorrow’ is a beautiful and delicate piano-led piece laced in Doctor Bua’s expressive and emotional musicianship. The composition is inspired by the movie Groundhog Day, reflecting on the breaking of repetitive cycles which ultimately lead to either our demise or transcendence. Doctor Bua captures this theme elegantly through musical imagery aptly expressed through the artist’s charismatic and dynamic piano playing. ‘Today Is Tomorrow’ is a joy to listen to. Press play and enjoy.
London singer-songwriter Luka Powell has released her debut single ‘Hindsight’. Born in Derby but raised in Bahrain, Australia and the UAE, Luka cites her exposure to a divergent range of cultures and music for her eclectic sound. While Luka’s Australian upbringing is notable in her distinctive, aggressively joyful, indie-rock sound the Southern Hemisphere seem to do so well, her musical taste has always been rooted in London where she now resides. Learning to sing busking on the streets of Brisbane, Luka gained traction on Soundcloud amassing over 180k streams which led her to perform at festivals including Virgin Radio’s Redfest in Dubai, appearing on international radio shows and performing for the Australian Prime Minister.
‘Hindsight’ showcases the effervescent sound of Luka Powell through refined musicianship and deft production. Teaming eerie soundscapes with desert pines on guitar, the artist creates a lofty and edgy backdrop for her lush pop melodies and warm vocals to flourish in. The track is well crafted and builds superbly through haunting backing vocals, choppy guitar embellishments and intricate percussive elements that create a smoky and dark undertone throughout. Exuding an indie rock n roll persona mixed with soft country tones and sweet pop sensibilities, ‘Hindsight’ is an enticing and compelling debut that marks Luka Powell an artist to keep an eye on.
HAVVK have released their new single ‘Halfway Out’. ‘Halfway Out’ is the final single to be released from the band’s upcoming album ‘Levelling’. It follows the success of ‘Automatic’, ‘Home’ and ‘No Patience’, which have all received excellent radio play worldwide on stations such as RTÉ 2fm, Today FM, BBC Radio Ulster, NewsTalk, 98fm and Beat 102103 (Ireland), Radio X, Amazing Radio (UK) and KEXP (USA). HAVVK are trio Julie Hough (Vocals, Bass), Matt Harris (Guitar) and Sam Campbell (Drums). Julie and Matt are also the founders of VETA Music – the artist-led record label that is home to Maria Kelly, Sive, DYVR and St. Bishop, as well as HAVVK themselves. Originally based in London, and then Berlin, the label now calls Dublin home.
Filled with whirring guitars and the perfect blend between hazy shoegaze and punk rock, ‘Halfway Out’ is a fantastic teaser for HAVVK’s upcoming album. The track ebbs and flows with lush melodies and ethereal guitar embellishments as Julie Hough’s sweet lulling vocals chime throughout. She croons with awe-inspiring vocal strength while the building instrumentation creates a swarm of chaos in the backdrop. The song travels like a thrilling roller coaster with buzzing instrumental builds and soft swooping releases as the song reaches its dynamic crescendo. HAVVK have created a musically balanced masterpiece that surges with emotion and expressive intricate instrumentation, if ‘Halfway Out’ is anything to go by, ‘Levelling’ will be one spectacular album.
Halfway Out is a song about disengaging from life and from going through the motions. About the track, Julie Hough said: “We wrote the song as a response to the pressure that comparison culture can put particularly on young people and how it can be such a blocker for finding joy and purpose. It’s also so easy to curate your life as if everything is going fine. The song is about connecting with someone and telling them you can see that they’re struggling and offering support.”
HAVVK have also announced that they will play The Workman’s Club, Dublin on Wednesday 29th September. Doors are at 8pm and tickets are €10. Ticketson sale Thursday 19th August at 10am
FRUITZ are set to release their new single ‘Set The Motion’ on 20th August. ‘Set The Motion’ is the second single from the band’s upcoming debut EP ‘The Pits and The Glamour’ following the massively successful indie banger ‘Be Like This’. Recorded in Dublin’s famous Windmill Lane Recording Studios, FRUITZ teamed up with producer Cian Synott and mastering engineer Fergal Davis on this song, as well as Gareth Halliday ( Noel Gallagher) for the artwork. Dubbed as one of the most exciting bands in Ireland right now, FRUITZ launched into the music scene in late 2017, quickly making a name for themselves as an exciting live band. The Dublin trios first release was hard-hitting single ‘KNOTZ’, which was followed up by ‘U & I’ and ‘Girl Around The Corner’. FRUITZ earned themselves an international following, playing their UK debut to a sold-out headline show at Liverpool’s Zanzibar Club and playing Gullivers’ in Manchester for renowned indie label Scruff Of The Neck. FRUITZ carried big hype into 2020, releasing the anthemic ‘DayDream’ early on prior to a sell-out home town show at Whelan’s and a support slot with Louis Berry.
‘Set The Motion’ showcases a smooth, more ethereal facet to FRUITZ’ sound. Dripping in soft keys and atmospheric soundscapes with airy chimes on guitar, the song has a dreamy and ambient atmosphere. FRUITZ coat a sweet, catchy melody in tender vocals and a soft instrumental allowing the band to present a sensitive and moving pop sound for listeners to enjoy. FRUITZ are a talented band who showcase their diversity and mature musicianship with each exciting release, and ‘Set The Motion’ is a magnificent example of this. Filled with a delicate sun-kissed tone and lush harmonies, ‘Set The Motion’ is a sublime slow jam that charms its way into your head leaving you craving to hear more from this talented band.
About the track, frontman James Keegan said: “The song was a product of the first lockdown, I didn’t plan to stray from our sound or anything like that, it just felt right. It is a shot in the dark for us but I feel as a songwriter it’s very refreshing to do a song that’s not what people are going to expect from us.”
Irish Singer/Songwriter Taylor Mas has released her new single, ‘Tonight’.Taylor Mas released her debut single ‘Bad News’ at the end of last year. It has been streamed over five thousand times on Spotify and was added to the RTE Radio 1’s Recommended playlist along with a Q&A feature on RTE entertainment. Mas has had many years of experience in the music scene in Ireland. Having completed a level 8 Degree in Songwriting at BIMM Dublin, she has performed vocals for many different artists and bands across Dublin in multiple different recording studios as well as performing at Electric Picnic, Longitude, Knocken Stocken and many more Irish music events and gigs. Her previous single, ‘Me Again’ got its first play on SPIN 1038 and was added to the RTE Radio 1’s recommendations list in its first week of release.
‘Tonight’ is a bubbling alternative pop tune that boasts Taylor Mas’ deft musicianship. Mas creates a cinematic and compelling wall of sound to accompany heartfelt lyrics, which deal with the scenario of overcoming mental manipulation from a partner or friend. With buoyant rhythms and heavy electronic beats creating a dance-infused soundscape, Mas maintains an upbeat, uplifting tone throughout while icy keys and ethereal synths create a sense of innocence and provide a refreshing release from the muggy beats. Showcasing a catchy melody and pristine vocals, Mas crafts a shimmering and emotionally impactful song ready for repeat plays.
Inspired by the constraints of a routine, ‘Identidad’ is the latest song to come from Peruvian Electro-Rock duo Última Conexión. Fronted by Ana Alvarez (vocalist, composer) and Jim Bravo (bassist, composer), Última Conexión began making music together in 2010. They released their debut album ‘Señal’ in 2013 and have gone on to release a number of singles. Active participants of the live music scene, Última Conexión built up their fanbase performing at concerts and festivals around Lima. Their songs speak of social change and issues that face our modern society.
‘Identidad’ is a vibrant and upbeat tune that explores the rich sonic sound of Última Conexión. With 80’s – esque synths shimmering between a sticky beat and reverb laced vocals, the track has a quirky and energetic sound. The band mix elements of alternative rock with edgy jabs on guitars and slick riffs throughout to create a full-bodied and dense sound. The lyrics explore the contradiction between the exciting life we create for ourselves on social media and the ordinary and often boring reality while bright and dynamic instrumentation provides a sleek and swagger dipped soundscape that will have you bopping along in no time.
Irish artist Luz has released her new single ‘permanent +1’, via global artist services company Platoon. Recorded between Dublin and London with producer JMAC (Haux, Rosie Carney, Matilda Mann), the track is Luz’s fifth release, following previous singles ‘counting houses’, ‘we’ll be fine’, ‘i’m lonely’ and ‘the author,’ the latter of which has recently been featured in this year’s series of Love Island. Since being played on the show the track has doubled its daily streams, hitting Number 11 on Shazam’s charts, as well as re-entering the iTunes chart.
‘permanent +1’ is a beautifully uplifting tune that boasts the emotive and melodic songwriting of Luz. Her smooth vocals glide upon the soothing melody while a delicate piano and ethereal soundscape flesh out the song’s backdrop to create a heartwarming and wholesome tune for listeners to indulge in. Well crafted and filled with heart-fluttering joy ‘permanent +1’ is a sublime and intimate new tune from Luz that is a joy to listen to again and again.
Speaking about ‘permanent +1’, Luz says: “’permanent +1’ is about the person in your life who is always there. Yes, they are the person you take with you to your cousin’s wedding, to a birthday party and to your family’s Sunday dinner. But they are also the person you take grocery shopping, who comes with you to a doctor’s visit and who helps you do your laundry.”
Lurgan based indie alternative artist BECAH has released a stunning single ‘Reminders’ and accompanying video. The song is the second single from her upcoming debut EP ‘Freak’, due out later this year. Having cultivated her art playing the local scene over the last number of years, BECAH has in that time secured support slots for renowned acts including that of Aslan, The Four of Us, and Brian Kennedy, most recently playing on the same bill as Brian Houston, Sam Wickens and Amy Montgomery.
‘Reminders’ presents BECAH’s emotive and utterly captivating songwriting through moving soundscapes and awe-inspiring musicianship. The song is filled with rippling basslines, punctuated beats and subtle whirls of electronics that swoop with cinematic tendencies between lamenting guitar refrains. BECAH’s slightly rasped voice drifts between captivating tones and breathtaking melodies as she discusses the aftermath of a toxic relationship through tender and heartbreaking lyrics, “I’m trying hard to be myself See I got torn up by somebody else”. BECAH is a talented musician. The artist’s ability to aptly express emotion through well crafted and beautiful musicianship is admirable. ‘Reminders’ is a spectacular example of this.
About the song, BECAH says “I wrote ‘Reminders’ in the aftermath of a very toxic relationship with a past girlfriend. The coinciding music video, filmed by Chris McCann and directed by John Dynes and Chris McCann, presents a glimpse into that story – the good times I had with her in the beginning, to its violent turn. The lyrics speak of the struggle I had to feel like myself again, and how all my attempts to push away all the little details and memories of that time felt futile.”
Metal band Munro have recently released their new single ‘Demonic Headcase’. With throat-ripping howls from Jake Munro kicking the track into motion this searing tune is a roaring delve into the thrilling and menacing sound of Munro. Not for the faint-hearted, the track pivots around heavy electronic beats and mammoth drums while acute guitars lacerate throughout. The verses brood with a wall of thick asphyxiating soundscapes from which there is no escape until the melodic chorus softens the tune by exploring a more punk rock aesthetic. Dripping in eerie, haunting tones the band use a sinister key refrain to create a spine-chilling sense of innocence while drawing on tension from the relentless drum assault and agitated bass. Well crafted and tightly layered, Munro display their powerful, immersive sound in all its glory within ‘Demonic Headcase’ and boy it’s magnificent.
Watch the video for ‘Demonic Headcase’ below
Author :Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
