Tag Archives: singer songwriter

A Chat With, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With : Shiv

I caught up with Kildare-raised singer-songwriter Shiv to talk about her recently released debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’. Shiv who is now back in Ireland for Christmas tells me how she crafts her songs, what sparked her to venture into a career in music and her new found joy for the family chaos Christmas brings.

“I think everyone’s really looking forward to the craziness because it’s been such a dead year, and coming up to Christmas you have time to relax, but it can also be fairly stressful and busy but I think it’s a welcome busyness this time around for a lot of people.”

Shiv has released her debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’. She wrote, produced and recorded her six-track debut EP during a year of self-discovery. However for Shiv the crafting and sculpting of this EP was more nerve-racking than the process of releasing it into the world.

“I think I had all my nerves when I was making it, if that makes sense. While I was doing it I was really apprehensive and really anxious and overthinking every lyric, every chord. But once I made the decision to release it and once I had the first single out of the way, I was happy. I’m happy with the EP and, obviously, I want people to like it but I was comfortable in the fact that I was happy with it myself. So I think that really helped, taking the time to sit with it way before the release.”

The EP is a great collection of tracks saturated in R&B and Soul with tropical elements peppered on top. Shiv explained being exposed to various genres has helped craft her sound.

“My dad used to play such a variety of stuff when we were growing up so I think that’s where the influence comes from musically. In terms of songwriting process. I like to come up with lyrics first.I try to write poetry as much as I can and then sometimes those poems turn into songs, but usually if I have an idea I want to get down or if I hear a word that I think will be really cool or phrase that I think would be really nice in a song I try flesh it out. Then I get down to the piano, play a few chords, see what sits right, see what melodies come out. From there then, it kind of flows. I’m lucky enough that I do have an idea of production and it’s easy enough to translate the ideas that I have in my head into a real song so yeah that’s usually the way it goes.”

Shiv shows her deft lyrical capabilities within this EP. She presents intimate and honest, accounts on a variety of themes from anxiety and longing to loneliness. I wondered if this feels exposing, releasing these personal thoughts into the public and are these feelings and emotions just as raw performing the songs now.

“Yeah, absolutely. I think that was part of the struggle as well being so vulnerable and so honest is quite a scary thing. You’re letting people into your mind and letting people see your flaws and your insecurities. I suppose it’s just part of being human as well. I feel that’s the best way to connect with people, if you are your most authentic self that translates and that’s what makes people connect to whatever you’re doing, people can sense the authenticity. But yeah, it’s definitely a nerve-racking experience especially during the writing process. More than post writing. It can get easy being caught up in your head and be like, oh, should I really be saying this should I really be exposing this part of myself. But all in all it’s such a rewarding thing and such a freeing experience because you know you are being true to yourself and expressing yourself in the most honest way that you can.”

“I guess it’s a processing thing I suppose. If you write a song about something and sing about something it is kind of, a relief. It’s like you’ve freed yourself from that in a sense, and obviously it’s never going to be perfect and the emotions are still going to come up but I guess it’s a way of processing the emotions so they’re not as raw. You know when you’re kind of anxious about something or overthinking something and it’s always in the back of your mind and it’s never really resolved, I feel writing and releasing songs, for me anyway gives things like that a sense of resolve. Then performing them afterwards, I think it’s easy to go back into that frame of mind. I can put myself back to how I was feeling but it’s not something that is overwhelming it’s not bringing me down or bringing me back to that point. I can still feel free.”

The instrumentation Shiv uses is light, bright and almost bouncy which creates a wonderful contrast to the emotive lyrical content. Shiv’s songs unfold and blossom almost naturally.

“I find it hard to picture in my head, what exactly I want something to sound like. I follow a feeling, when I’m producing stuff so even from lyrics, that shapes what chords I’m gonna play. The chords shape the melody and then the melody shapes everything else, so it fits in together, not necessarily all at once. Each song encompasses the whole feeling of my emotion, if that makes sense. Each song is a representation of whatever feeling I was trying to convey, just in my own way.”

Shiv has a degree in psychology which has helped her understand her feelings and emotions. This has aided her to express a true and organic version of herself within her songs.

“Yeah I did. I was going into educational psychology and then when I didn’t use my degree I thought it was a waste, but psychology is one of those things… it’s people you know what I mean and that’s a lot of what life is about. It’s aided me in that sense for sure. I’m definitely, for being able to process emotions, being self aware and being able to be real with myself and talk through things with myself…which is what songwriting is for me, it’s the talking through things. That background in psychology has helped me understand feelings more and be able to translate them from just a vague abstract feeling in my brain to a physical manifestation of it via lyrics and music.”

I wondered if the change in career from psychology to music was a difficult decision. There is so much uncertainty within a career in music and to take that jump is a brave decision.

“It was a process. Music has always been a part of my life. Like I said, my dad used to play so much music for us growing up and my mom used to sing with my sister and I a lot. I sang all the way up through school, I was in choirs and I sang with a couple of my friends. It was always something that I had and something that I always came back to, but I never really thought of it seriously as a career, just because it seemed unattainable. It was one of those things that you know, only one in a million really makes it but I guess the model changed for the music industry and it became more of an achievable goal. I’m so lucky and grateful that I have a family that really does support,they are so supportive. It just made it easy then to see that goal as something that I could possibly slide into.”

“How I really got started was my sister was getting married, and I was her maid of honour. I was meant to make a speech for the wedding. Public speaking is just not really my thing. I was not very good at it so I said instead of that,I can write a song maybe and see how it goes. So I wrote her song, which I posted on YouTube and I ended up getting scouted by this management agency in Dublin. That gave me the drive to start seeing it as more of a concrete possibility. I started off timidly and I approached it as though it’s still a hobby and slowly it began becoming more real and more solid as I progressed and transitioned into being a full time musician, which is something I never really thought I would be doing. So it was just a process, it was something that’s always been with me and then just ended becoming more and more of a theme in my life .”

Shiv explains it wasn’t an automatic or spontaneous decision to change career and because of this, the change in career was easier to process.

“Exactly, yeah, it made it easier to digest and be serious about it and get used to the idea in my head that, I’m a singer now, you know. If I just made the switch I don’t think I would have been able to have as much time to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I possibly would have ended up giving up before I could even get ahead because I wouldn’t have been secure in what I was doing.”

Choosing to sing at a wedding rather than deliver a speech is not the decision most people would make but Shiv was always comfortable with her own voice.

“It was something I always did. I was…I don’t know eight or nine, and there was this scene in my town it was called Shepherds Watch and it was basically a Christmas Carols sort of thing. I was singing, as part of a choir and then one of the organisers came up to me at the end of practice and was like ‘oh you should do the solo’. I was like what !, obviously I always enjoyed singing, my mom used to sing with us, as I said, and it was just something that I always had but I didn’t really think I was talented at. After I did that solo and I loved it so much, I loved the performance aspect of it. It developed into something more serious for me.I could recognise that it was something that I was good at and something that I really enjoyed doing.”

I was interested to know of Shiv’s experience with DJing and how this aided her production skills. She explains how DJing gave her the foundation she needed to produce her own songs.

“Yeah, absolutely. I did DJing for a while as it was a great way to make money. It was also a lovely way to be able to express myself in a musical form that’s not necessarily singing because I didn’t think that was a real option. So it was a really nice way to get a sideways door into the music world and made me feel I could teach myself or learn how to produce because that falls on the more technical end of music, I just played instruments, but I didn’t really know that much about production. DJing was definitely a nice stepping stone”

Shiv has also travelled quite a lot while she was creating this EP, travelling from Paris to Mozambique and this travel gave her the space and time she required to tap into her creativity. 

“Yeah I think so, when I went to Mozambique…my parents live over there and it was just around the time when I was starting to consider taking music seriously. I had written one or two songs but there was nothing that I felt confident enough to release. I was in Dublin and I was working as a waitress and doing the mid 20s thing of you know; working, going out and kind of the same thing over and over. So, my parents said take a break from work come stay with us and see what happens, give yourself six weeks, completely immerse yourself in music and just see what comes out. So I had the six week period of just writing…it wasn’t even necessarily a case of wanting to experience Mozambique or particularly to do with the country or where I was, but it was just the opportunity to get familiar with how I wanted to represent myself I guess musically. So yeah, that was that and then Paris. Yeah, Paris has definitely been an influence. I moved there last year and just having different environments and seeing different things and being around different people. It makes your brain, see things in a different way and think about things in a different way as well. I think it’s really important to take yourself out of your usual environment because it allows you to let different things come out. So yeah, I feel travelling definitely was an influence and driving factor”

The ‘Me 2 Me’ EP discusses anxiety, especially ‘Letting You Go’. It’s a personal note to Shiv to release the overwhelming grip of deep-rooted anxiety. I wondered if she had that anxiety travelling, and how she overcame it. 

“Yeah I did. I guess I’ve always been an anxious person. I do feel as a general rule our fast paced way of living doesn’t allow for you not to be anxious. After I’d released my first couple of songs, I hadn’t really been expecting anything to come from them and I was just excited and was like I just need someone else to hear them. They surprisingly got a really good reception, and that was amazing. But in another sense it was also crippling because before I was just writing for myself and I didn’t have any expectations. Whatever I put out was what I put out and it didn’t really matter because if no one heard it I’d be in the exact same position that I was before. But after I put out my first couple of tracks I felt a bit more pressure and I felt I had something to prove and that’s where it came out, when I tried to create….because I didn’t feel as free as I did before. I felt a bit more in my head about things and oh you know if I make this then it’s not really like this song that people seem to like, maybe I need to make more of that. So yeah, that’s where that came from. Writing the songs helped me work through that because I guess that’s what a lot of them are like, the EP is essentially a diary entry from me to me.”

I asked when we can finally get back to doing shows again, what can people expect from Shiv’s live performances.

“I’m still working on what I want to do. I do want to incorporate some live looping and stuff like that into my shows but at the moment, my setup is with the live band, which is great. It’s so lovely to have other people to bounce energy off as well.”

Shiv’s path to music is an intruiging one which has allowed her to indulge in her creativity and experience different countries and cultures. I wondered what advice she would give to anyone who wants to pursue a career in music.

“Take the time to familiarise yourself with the different technologies that exist. It’s so much more accessible now than it used to be a couple of years ago. Get familiar with GarageBand and that kind of production stuff, so that you can support yourself and move yourself through music without having to rely or depend on anyone else. Invest in a microphone so you can get your own demos going and mess around with stuff and just feel free to create. Also just be patient with yourself, that’s a big thing that I’ve taken away from this last year. Just be prepared that possibly not everything is going to be perfect, not everything is going to be amazing and that’s just part of the process. Be comfortable with failure and expect the failure and not to judge too much… try not to judge it and allow what’s going to come out, come out.”

Shiv has some exciting thing coming up next year so stay tuned to her socials

“Next year I have my first headline show, that’s going to be in April. I’m really looking forward to that and then I’m hoping for an album, that’s my aim. I’d love to have an album before the end of 2021. Hopefully when things get back to normal I’d love to be performing and possibly a tour but, who knows it’s difficult to say for sure what’s gonna happen in the next few months.”

Shiv creates deeply emotive and passionate tracks surrounded in lush tender soundscapes. Her ability to touch the soul with her silken voice and heartfelt lyrics is mesmerising and marks her as an artist to keep an eye on. Along with her charming persona and magnificent production skills there is something very special about Shiv. 

Stream ‘Me 2 Me’ below


Author : Danu

EP Review, Indie Pop, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Robert O’Connor ‘Transcendence’ EP

Dublin born artist Robert O’Connor has recently released his new EP ‘Transcendence’. Laced in danceable electronics, emotive vocals and infectious melodies the EP fluidly drifts into the ears delivering a satisfying listening experience. O’ Connor creates a cohesive and uplifting collection of tracks complete with sweet short musical instrumentals; ‘Intro’, ‘Interlude’ and ‘Outro’ provide supple breaths of fresh air between the infectious pop drizzled dance gems. O’ Conner utilizes delicate warm guitar melodies between his sun soaked synths to create summer saturated tunes ‘Over (Before It’s Begun)’ is a perfect example of this.

Each song drifts into the next providing a glimpse into O’Connor as an artist. His vocals exude a velvety tone as he uses sticky beats and flashing disco- esque soundscapes to illuminate bittersweet tracks such as ‘Older ‘20’. Throughout the EP soft melodies radiate a lovable earworm charm as the crisp production highlights the tenderness within each song. Oozing rich, pop sensibilities and sun kissed, laid-back soundscapes O’ Conner has crafted a wonderfully lush EP to indulge in.

‘Transcendence’ is an EP brimming with Robert O’ Connor’s emotive, uplifting and heartwarming musicianship. There is no shortage of sweet melodies, elegant electronics and wonderful production within, making each track a delight on the ears. 

Stream ‘Transcendence’ below


Author : Danu

New Music, Seasonal Music, Singer/Songwriter

Ross Breen ‘Mrry Xmas @ 1st Lght’

Ross Breen follows October’s acclaimed release of ‘Some Other Time, Maybe’  (RTÉ Radio Recommended list,) with his new single ‘Mrry Xmas @ 1st Lght’. Previous singles released include  Heather in December  (Dec. 2019 – supported by  RTÉ Radio 1, Radio Nova, RTÉ 2FM ) and  Idyllic Valley  (performed on RTÉ television’s  The Saturday Night Show, top 30 chart placement, no.1 iTunes Rock chart ).  Ross was awarded the title of Ireland’s Best Unsigned Singer-Songwriter  by Newstalk’s The Tom Dunne Show, with his song Monet  singled out for extensive airplay from over a thousand submissions. He has also consistently impressed on the live stage, earning special guest invitations with acts like Midlake, Bell X1, Damien Dempsey, Sinéad O’ Connor  and Oscar-winner Glen Hansard  while building a following with his band at a number of Ireland’s premier festivals, including Electric Picnic, Body & Soul, Indiependence, Sea Sessions, Vantastival  and Knockanstockan .

‘Mrry Xmas @ 1st Lght’ is a glistening Christmas track with an indie edge. This triumphant track has darker fuzzed guitar lines contrasting the bright church bells and shimmering synths as Breen spreads melodious hooks over a tight and richly textured backdrop to create a lush, well crafted new single.With an air of nostalgia, sprinkles of joy and Christmas cheer mixed with darker undertones the track takes us on a musical journey of past Christmases and experience them through a new lens as Breen’s warm vocals drift over the sweet melody. Exuding deft songwriting and a rich vibrant wall of sound ‘Mrry Xmas @ 1st Lght’ is a refreshing and dynamic addition to Breen’s emotive musical collection.

Ross offers an insight into his latest song:   “I come from a background of family and social life where gatherings with music are intrinsic to the enjoyment of Christmas. For many, music is a tie binding us together during this period. Art can unify when restrictions keep us apart.  Mrry  Xmas @ 1st  Lght  envisages the close of 2020, how we will be engaging with our families, friends and partners during this time, and how it will be different to what we’ve known before. These lyrics are threaded with references to songs and instrumentals I’ve loved at sessions throughout the years, including obligatory party pieces from my grandparents, parents, sisters, close friends and extended family. I see it as a painting of Christmases gone by, rendering memories through verse and hoping we can all reach a point in the near future where we can once again feel free to experience that sense of warmth, openness and release.”

Stream ‘Mrry  Xmas @ 1st  Lght’ below


Author : Danu

Indie, indie rock, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Jack Joyce ‘Electric Love Letters’

Up and coming unsigned Irish singer-songwriter Jack Joyce has released his new single ‘Electric Love Letters’. Joyce first embarked on his music career at the age of sixteen when he began performing and booking gigs in local pubs and clubs. He released his debut demo EP, ‘Get Down’, in October 2018 and spent the summer of 2019 busking through Europe. Following his return he sold out The Vintage Room in the Workman’s Club and the Whale Theatre. He followed this by opening for Cassia in Whelan’s and playing a slot at the New Year’s Festival in Dublin.

Vibrant, melodic and wrapped in slick indie goodness, ‘Electric Love Letters’ is a knockout bop from Jack Joyce. The track travels on bright jaunty guitar lines which hop through the shuffling beat as Joyce creates a fun, light and infectious gem. Joyce’s witty lyrics drift over a chugging rhythmic backdrop as his cheeky chappie charm and unique warm vocals highlight his impressive storytelling. All the fun lyrics aside the track is tight and well crafted, there are glorious little moments peppering the track in subtle refinement including a shredding solo and intricate weaving on percussion. ‘Electric Love Letters’ is another sublime pop sprinkled indie earworm from Jack Joyce.

Stream ‘Electric Love Letters’ below


Author : Danu

Indie, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Nathan Mac ‘The Boy Who Learned To Fly’

Nathan Mac has released his new single ‘The Boy Who Learned To Fly’ produced by Brian Dwyer. Exuding majestic instrumentation ‘The Boy Who Learned To Fly’ is a wonderfully magical song from Nathan Mac. Soft aerial synths caress fluttering percussion and twinkling guitar as Nathan’s sublime storytelling holds your heart in suspense throughout. As the track builds, lush soundscapes weave innocent electronics between warm melodies and earnest lyrics – this enthralling soundscape showcases the refined and beautifully crafted musicianship of Nathan Mac. The song describes a boy who sees his father crying for the first time. There are layers to the story but the message is distilled into its final lyrics: “You will grow into a man, and it’s okay to cry.” ‘The Boy Who Learned To Fly’ is a captivating and cinematic number from Nathan Mac. His music is always a joy to listen to and never disappoints.

About the track Nathan said “Everyone has a story about this. When I sing this song to people, it seems to compel them to tell me about the first time they saw their father, or mother, or older sibling cry. The sheer amount of stories I’ve been told in response tells me that I’ve struck some kind of ‘chord’ with this song.”

Stream ‘The Boy Who Learned To Fly’ below


Author : Danu

New Music, Seasonal Music

Dan Donovan ‘Recover’

Dan Donovan has released the first track, ‘Recover’ off his debut EP ‘Light and Dark’. Written about a woman who inspired Dan with her strength and character and the good that she does, ‘Recover’ was recorded in his studio with Dan playing all of the instruments himself. Dan’s first release was a compilation album of artists recording at the studio called ‘State Of Mind, Expose the Hide-Out’ and was released on the Bristol Trip Hop label Cup Of Tea Records. Two of the tracks from the album were licensed to 6 various artist dance albums, including ‘Secret Affair’ and ‘Moments of pleasure’.

‘Recover’ is a bluesy hued track that glides effortlessly on bright guitar, swirling elements on electronics and intricately played percussion. Donovan’s warm vocals drift over the smooth melody while jaunty guitar lines sprinkle a dash of warmth into the track. The steady beat and subtle electronic bursts create a vibrant atmosphere as the track ventures into a mellowed easy listening soundscape. ‘Recover’ is a refreshing and laid back new single from Dan Donovan.


Author ; Danu

New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Fjorda ‘Unspoken’

Boston-based Fjorda has released her debut single ‘Unspoken’. Fjorda was born in Russia and grew up during the years of the collapse of socialism and the chaos of the new political reality. Her upbringing and turbulent adolescence led her to discover and ultimately fall in love with music. Fully self-taught since the age of 10, music became a form of liberation and escape; a mesmerizing, imaginary place to be.

Ambient, nostalgic and beautiful the piano led ‘Unspoken’ is a captivating debut from Fjorda. This stripped back gem flows elegantly on a bed of sweet sombre tones allowing Fjorda’s vocals lull you into a calming state of sorrow. There is a soulful warmth to her vocals as she coos the delicate melody while backing vocals whisper and echo her lyrics. Fjorda paints a picturesque scene of bittersweet nostalgia and melancholy through lamenting piano and lonely icy pockets of space. The contrasting and complimenting elements within the song is joy to the ears and showcases deft musical prowess and poetic musicianship. ‘Unspoken’ is a mysterious and emotive track that marks Fjorda as an artist to keep an eye on.

Stream ‘Unspoken’ below


Author : Danu

New Music, Singer/Songwriter

Joe Romersa ‘Where We Go From Here’

Inspired by his relationship with his girlfriend, ‘Where We Go From Here’ is the brand new single to come from Joe Romersa. Written from a place of love and feeling like his relationship was in a perfect place, ‘Where We Go From Here’ questions what will happen next. Recorded in his home studio, Joe Romersa plays most of the instruments on the record with Doug Hamblin (John Prine, Johnny Rivers) stepping in on electric guitar. Drummer / Songwriter / Sound Engineer Joe Romersa is a professional drummer with extensive studio experience on both sides of the glass. His work can be heard on numerous albums, including the 1992 Grammy award-winning ‘The Missing Years’ by John Prine

‘Where We Go From Here’ is a bluesy rock track saturated in Joe Romersa’s immersive songwriting. His deep whispered vocals create a dark sultry tone to the track while the luring beat entices in the background. Well crafted, the song balances vaporous blues rock with spaghetti western-esque country rock to create a tense and steamy number. The track builds superbly becoming more expressive as it reaches its rock infused fiery crescendo. With elements of Leonard Cohen flickering through a multi genre and lush textured backdrop, ‘Where We Go From Here’ is an intoxicating new single from Romersa. 

Stream ‘Where We Go From Here’ below


Author : Danu

New Music, Singer/Songwriter

AJ Wander ‘Way We Walk’

Following the success of his debut single, ‘Time Out’, London-based pop singer-songwriter AJ Wander has now released his second track, ‘Way We Walk’. “Time Out” received 850k+ streams and 450k+ monthly listeners in only 3 weeks. Prior to the ongoing pandemic, AJ Wander had been running himself ragged playing covers at piano bars and hotels across the United Kingdom. Once lockdown hit, he turned all his energy and focus into creating his own music and pushing forward his solo career. Wander’s drive paid off as his new music led him to sign a management and recording deal with Elevation, a USA-based music company that specializes in artist development, and a publishing deal with BDi Music, administered globally by Bucks Music Group.

Melodically lush and heartfelt, ‘Way We Walk’ continues AJ Wander’s spine-tingling emotive song writing. Doused in uplifting and inspiring tones which contrast the earnest lyrics ‘Way We Walk’ drifts through anthemic instrumentation as a bright piano melody weaves between bubbling rhythms and warm guitar refrains creating an indie pop edge and expansive wall of sound. There are folk elements glimmering through lush pop soundscapes while the mesmerising, warm vocals of AJ Wander tie all the vibrant components together. He coos through the pulsing verses and showcases his rich depths and power through the explosive chorus as the instrumentation pushes and pulls creating a tense yet animated backdrop. ‘Way We Walk’ is a stunning second release from AJ Wander.

Lyrically, ‘Way We Walk’ centers around the end of a relationship, as Wander states, “I wrote ‘Way We Walk’ after an ex and I discovered the lie we’d been living together. We finally saw the truth that we weren’t made for each other and that ignorance isn’t always bliss.” 

 Stream ‘Way We Walk’ below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Indie, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With : Moncrieff ‘Class Of 2020’ EP

Having been featured on a host of 2020 hot lists and named as one of Her.ie’s ‘Ones To Watch’ for 2020, Moncrieff has had a monumental year. Now he is set to release his second EP ‘The Class of 2020’, which is out on December 11th. I caught up with Chris Breheny aka Moncrieff to talk about the new EP and his slight shift in musical style. This EP, like all of Moncrieff’s collections to date, express his journey through life so far through the medium of music as he navigates being in his 20’s during Covid 19 while at the same time providing the listener with catchy, witty lyrics and showcasing deft musicianship in the process.

In true Breheny manner our chat meanders through many topics, from Christmas plans to EP track titles and then ventures into many tangents from there as we discuss how people are coping mentally with the Covid crises, the gym and the dangers of doing a workout beside the kitchen fridge.

“The first lockdown all the gyms were closed for however long so we just started doing runs and stuff like that.That was really good and then the gym’s opened back up, I did a bit in the gym. I stopped running. And now I’m just like, I’m just so unfit. I’m doing this circuit thing at home, I’ll do like 10 minutes and then I’ll do this pull up or push ups. It’s just not the same, when you go to the gym, you’re going somewhere to get something done. But here it’s like you’re in your kitchen. It’s close to the fridge.”

Breheny’s debut body of work ‘The Early Hurts’ EP featured lead track ‘Like I Do’, this debut radio single (released in Sept 2019) received extensive airplay across national radio racking up nearly 12 million audience impressions and 5 million streams. The success of the single and EP led to Moncrieff selling out his first headline show in Dublin in less than 3 hours. His growing reputation also landed support slots touring with headline Irish acts Picture This and Walking on Cars. His new EP ‘Class of 2020’ shows a different facet to Breheny as an artist. The EP was co-produced by Breheny and his friend Toby Scott who has a home studio in Brighton. The result is a collection of songs unconfined by genre that captures the zeitgeist of an ever changing musical and cultural landscape. However one theme that keeps popping up in Moncrieff’s lyrics is how Breheny is terrified to die. In ‘F*CK It – Dance’ (strong in the running for my favourite track on the EP) he contrasts an upbeat, vibrant soundscape with dark lyrical undertones. This mesmerising song is the result of a crazy lockdown.

“Basically, I had a very weird lockdown. I ended up getting close with a friend of mine. She’s a very good friend of mine and I was like, ‘this shouldn’t be a thing’ and she was in agreement. Then things just got really weird, she kind of, got feelings, I thought I had feelings…maybe just not as much as was on her level. Basically long story short, that song, I was right in the middle of it,..writing this song and was kind of, inspired by her.”

The lyrics in this EP are particularly well crafted, highlighting Breheny’s lyrical prowess and songwriting ability – phrases such as “this 2020 depression” can be interpreted many ways, for example, the obvious depressive mental state the world has experienced with isolation and loneliness due to Covid but also a financial depression for many people, especially musicians.

“They take time but the lyrics are always good lyrics. I always have certain phrases stuck in my head for weeks at a time. I have a couple of phrases running in my head and sometimes they’ll fit into a song. I was really worried about putting in 2020 depression because it then frames the song and that year. I’m like, ‘How will that feel in five years’ time when people listen to it?’… I was gonna put in something like “this 20 something depression”, but I just feel this year is such a weird year that it deserves to be named. Each song was written in 2020, and was written during lockdown. It’s been written about the year so there’s no better time to release the EP other than now.”

It all started this year with the release of ‘In My Room‘ however on ‘The Class of 2020’ EP ‘In My Room’ is the last track on the EP. 

” I just liked it as a demo. I always like having a demo at the end. It almost feels like, on CDs where the album the last track would be super long, you’d have to skip forward like a minute of silence and then there’d be the secret track. So yeah, it’s just that kind of idea.”

The songwriting is candid as Breheny expresses through his lyrics what he was going through emotionally and physically. Again in ‘imsadandhorny’ he places dark and honest lyrics into an upbeat and extremely catchy tune. 

” Yeah, both the last two tracks I produced myself so I wanted to make it like a Selena Gomez type record you know what I mean, like super pop. The melodies are all super pop, but I wanted to inject this overwhelming existential thing in there for the laugh”

“They do feel like singles. But, yeah, producing was painstaking because I’m so slow, but I had a lot of time to produce them”

The EP reflects on a difficult year through the eyes of Moncrieff as he ruminates on feelings and emotions a lot of people have had to cope with however within this EP he digs deep and finds himself looking at how he is living his life and spending his time, The experience has been an eye opener for him.

“Yeah, definitely to a certain degree, it should be an eye opener. If you let it go by, and it doesn’t teach you something about yourself, you certainly missed out. You realize what’s really important when your whole world is brought to a standstill. Anybody going to college doing a degree they have no idea why they are really doing it, they just did it because their parents thought it was a good idea, and not really living up to their own standards. When they realize you could be going to college for a job that could come to an absolute standstill just because of a virus, then you have to really look at how you’re spending your time and what sort of person you want to be.”

”Having none of those distractions (social media)  you really have to be cool with being on your own. It’s been a tough year but you should try use it as a learning experience to find out more about yourself and what’s important to you.”

I’ve met Breheny in person and he is a charming and charismatic person. I was surprised to hear how tough he is on himself at times on the EP. 

” I guess the side I put out in public is quite extroverted, upbeat and happy, but I don’t really talk. I need to be able to talk more when I’m having trouble and stuff. When I’m going through tough times I don’t bring it to anybody and that’s a really bad thing. My music is where I get it out, that’s where I need to get that kind of stuff out in some way.”

Each song on ‘The Class of 2020’ is catchy, vibrant and polished. When I first heard the EP as a whole I thought it would sit very well with an American audience. I wondered if Breheny had his sights set on America.

“Most of my fans on Spotify are from the States. I’ve 10 times as many followers on Spotify in America as I do in Ireland. The dream is to move to LA and be signed out there. I don’t want to go to LA and be like scraping and trying to like…I’m better doing what I have here. It’s going well and not like super super struggling, but if I go to LA without a proper deal or whatever things in place, it’s going to be a really difficult time. But America is the dream.”

Speaking of America our chat ventured onto the infectious The Fun Boys Three’s snippet of  “it ain’t what you do ( it’s the way that you do it)” in his track ‘AMERICA’ and how it made it’s way onto the song

“That actually wasn’t my idea. I write with a guy called Paul Harris, I had the actual instrumental made, which is the beat that I made. I brought that to my mate, and next thing I know, we’re like, we could do this, and…. it just turns into such a sarcastic, like, weird vibe, and it just worked out. If that song went to Imagine Dragons, that’d be a f*cking hit.”

Though the songs take a different slant on the Moncrieff style, Breheny maintains the velvety soul tone of his voice, especially in ‘AMERICA’. The satirical side is quirky and very witty but his vocals never compromise on quality and richness.

 ” It was a weird one, because you want it to sound laid back and kind of, weird and cool but you don’t want to rap at the same time, you’re still a singer, you know. At first, I’m using auto tune as a kind of effect like an artistic thing. Auto tune is kind of the done thing in pop now.”

With Covid and lack of shows the whole promotion of a new EP is different but Breheny is getting the hang of it and creating mesmerising content, although understandably he is missing gigging terribly. 

“Yeah, not ideal. I miss gigging. The songs are designed for when you’re allowed back into a venue without a mask without social distancing and you just want to let loose, having been deprived of a gig. When I do the songs live for the first time properly I’m just gonna go mad, just run down the venue for no reason. Promoting has been weird because, the fact the promoter can’t tour, can’t go into a radio station and then the fact that you can’t make any money from touring. All the videos I’ve done this year have been like 500 pounds ( Sterling ) or less. That is insanely cheap and they’re all independent, indie, low budget music videos. People haven’t gigged, all my money comes from gigs. People think ‘Moncrieff is getting radio play and stuff in Ireland” – that’s all cool – but at the end of the day, it’s me and my manager, no buffer, no label, no nothing, just music that people connect to and my own wallet.”

Breheny has suffered literal pain for his art creating videos where he is hanging upside down in ‘PLAYLOUD’ and hanging from a clothes rail in ‘AMERICA’

“Clothes rail was way worse than hanging upside down. I thought it was gonna be super chill,  I had to do the photo shoot and video shoot in one day.The video shoot was done in like an hour, whereas last year it was like three days and by the end of that hanging upside down, I felt really unwell.Then I had to do another shoot and my face is all pale and s**t. But the America one I didn’t think was gonna be that bad. It was just gonna be – get some rope, make a loop at the end of it, put myself into the loop and cut a hole at the back of my jacket and have the rope out through the back. I was going to get some towels or some sponges and wrap it around the rope so that when I hang out of it, it wouldn’t be that painful. But, oh my god ! – it was so f***ing painful. We couldn’t even do a full take of the song. We actually did it in 30 second stretches and put a box underneath me to stand on, in between. It was just so bad, so yeah no more hanging. Next time I’m just gonna sit down with a cup of tea.”

 I wondered what Breheny had planned for the coming months.

” I am back in Ireland right now so I’ll be at home writing. I’m looking forward to January to be honest because I have a writing camp scheduled. I’m going to be writing with Pat ( Walking on Cars ) and Conor O’Donohoe ( Wild Youth ), I’ve been writing some stuff with him lately and that’s been really cool. I want to get as many cool writers in Ireland as possible and then rent a house in Dingle for a week, and just go there, set up a camp and write during the day. Then just like, I don’t know, play Xbox at night. I’ve got a couple of live stream recording things. Then, I’m planning a load of tracks for release next year. I’ve got a bunch of tracks coming next year that I’m really excited about. I’m trying to save up my money to release those as well. I’m like, I gotta do a video for that song. I can’t get takeaway this weekend.” 

Breheny is a talented songwriter and musician. It’s exciting to see him push boundaries to create music that is universal, fun and honest. His deft melodic prowess and witty character make each track a joy to listen to. Moncrieff is one of the most exciting artists to watch as he develops his sound. Each release is more compelling than the last. ‘The Class Of 2020’ is set for release on 11th December but until then check out his recent single ‘AMERICA’ below


Author : Danu