Featuring Shiv, Girlfriend., Offica, The Burma, K.C, Bless, HEADSGONE, Saoirse Miller, FL Breezy, Cartin, Valerie Rose.
A lot of music from Ireland and Northern Ireland comes our way and every week, we listen through it all, sift the list down to a manageable list and share the best new tracks from emerging artists and some more established acts that deserve to be heard by you.
For more extensive Irish and new music coverage, follow our Spotify playlist or hit up the Irish section for individual track features.
1.
Shiv
Mother
The London-based Dublin artist Shiv has released her newest single ‘Mother’ , a song tackling heavy topics despite its relative lightness of sound. The song “explores the themes of colonisation and the opposing natures of masculinity and femininity.”
“It is analogised via an unhealthy relationship between a Mother and a Father, and narrated through the eyes of a child, who bears the brunt of the toxic relationship, or in other words, the citizens of the country suffer the damage and long lasting effects of colonial power. It is something that is common to both my Irish and Zimbabwean heritage, the wounds of which both countries still feel today. The masculine role is exploitative and domineering, while the feminine remains meek and defenceless, trapped in survival mode. I really wanted to make a song that had a topic that feels quite heavy, but for the meaning to be unclear to someone listening passively. The instrumental in and of itself doesn’t seem like it lays the foundations for a song a topic as heavy as colonisation, and I like that juxtaposition.”
shiv
2.
K.C, Bless
Sunshine
After featuring here two weeks ago with ‘Obsessed’, Bless pops up again on ‘ChitChat’, a drill track that goes hard from main artist KC.
3.
The Burma
Holiday
Summer might be over but don’t tell the Irish indie band The Burma whose new single ‘Holiday’ beckons the sunshine with a Phoenix-esque lilting pop jam.
Crazy Dreams & Cruel Realities is the name of the album the track features on, and its coming out on October 6th.
The Burma are a Cork band named after The Burma Steps in Cobh, Tmade up of Tony O Donovan (Vocals), Peter Piggott (Lead Guitar) – both from Cobh Co. Cork, and Cian Doherty (Drummer) from Doolin, Co. Clare.
The Burma will launch their album Crazy Dreams & Cruel Realities, with a live performance on Sat 14th October at St. Lukes, Cork.
The Burma:
4.
HEADSGONE, Saoirse Miller
The Difference
Gauzy and immerse in fog, ‘The Difference’ is a dense collaboration between Cork producer Headsgone and Dublin singer Saoirse Miller drawing. onelectronic and acoustic sounds. Dreamy.
HEADSGONE: Instagram | SoundCloud | Spotify
Saoirse Miller:Instagram | SoundCloud | Spotify
5.
FL Breezy
About Time
Cork band Crying Loser’s debut single ‘Friends’ was legitimately the first exciting song of 2023 I heard in January, with its no-wave punk energy.
Nice to hear from FL Breezy after recent track ‘Talk Talk’. ‘About Time’ is more of a percussive synth roller of a track, with fizzy bright notes pinging off the track’s main vibe.
6.
girlfriend.
In Silence
Dublin band Girlfriend. bring a shoegaze vibe to the band’s normally more raucous playing on the excellent new single ‘In Silence’, which is punctuacted by some screamed vocal lines here and there.
girlfriend is: Lahela Jones, Sophie Dunne, Hana Lamari and Eilis Mahon.
They have Dublin and Limerick shows in October too.
The band released ‘Trust’ back in March.
Girlfriend.
7.
Cartin
Rolla Flex
I fell hard for Cartin’s recent track ‘Smasha’ (even playing it at Electric Picnic), and the B-side also doesn’t disappoint, with its big chord breakdown and garage and house influences.
8.
Offica
Living Proof
Nigerian/Irish rapper Offica is stripping it back on ‘Living Proof’, a track that heralds an upcoming two-part project.
As he acknowledges, ‘Living Proof’ has a Dave influence but it also has Yoruba language juxtaposed with Irish slang.
Of the upcoming two-part album, the first – Hokage focuses on his ‘classic’ sound of anime-infused party drill contrasting with more introspective rap, while sic’ sound of anime-infused party drill contrasting with more introspective rap, and part two, titled Hokage in Lagos, pushes into a new direction of Afrobeats-infused drill, based on tunes sampling the likes of Wizkid, D’banj and Psquare.
Follow Offica: TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Facebook | Twitter
9.
Valerie Rose
September
The Dublin alt-pop artist Valerie Rose continues her pop-punk sound after recent single ‘RIP Your Calendar’.
New song ‘September’ also shows an obsession with dates as the time of change, this track was written in reflection of a younger Valerie, as she started at a new school and felt apprehension ahead of the new starts.
It all worked out though.
“I was getting ahead of myself. It turned out I adored the new school and the people I met. They were so supportive and became true friends. Those memories mixed with the dark skies inspired the song.”
The guitar and melody were initially recorded on her phone’s voice memo app as inspiration struck before working with collaborators Adam Cooke and Chris Bubenzer AKA Benza (of Diffusion Lab).
Valerie Rose
For more extensive Irish and new music coverage, hit up the Irish section for individual track features
For this and more Irish songs, follow the Nialler9 New Irish Spotify playlist.
