A lot music from Ireland and Northern Ireland comes Nialler9’s way and every week, we listen through it all and select the tracks from emerging artists and some 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.
Anna Leah
I Wonder
Superb alt-pop smarts from the Dublin artist Anna Leah. ‘I Wonder’ has charming indie undulations and rock dynamics and recalls our gal Julia Jacklin in the best possible way – keeping the vocal front and centre no matter what’s happening.
Add the song on Spotify and add Anna on Linktree.
2.
Evan Miles
So Stuck
The 24-year-old Waterford artist Evan Miles‘ music could touch on electronic, R&B, rap or shoegaze, and his second single of 2022, features Dublin singer/songwriter Rudy (via a sample of the song ‘Far Away’) finds inspiration from Ross From Friends, DJ Seinfeld and Four Tet, with its airy pads and propulsive production.
3.
TR One
Pitchshift Featuring Elaine Dowling
Carlow electronic producer Eddie Reynolds aka TR One (which was previously a duo) has a new album coming out called From The Studio Of soon through Bandcamp and also in two parts on vinyl. The lead track is a moody house number called ‘Pitchshift’ featuring a vocal turn from Elaine Dowling. The package also features remixes from Cignol and Mihail P.
4.
Lowkick
D.Y.N
Dublin trio Lowkick’s music falls between rap, jazz and lo-fi beats, all made in-house. ‘D.Y.N’ (which stands for Dry Your Nose) has some Kojaque influence, and you have heard these guys before under the name CK&MCG which they wisely changed., and one of the members is in Fizzy Orange too.
An EP is released on June 24th. Add it on Spotify.
5.
Loshh
ọ
Nigerian-Irish artist Loshh’s music as evident on his debut 7-track EP Ifarada, and new song ‘ọ’ is a melding pot of highlife, blues, soul and post-punk. The London-based artist has drawn out words of encouragement from Pitchfork, The Face, Highsnobiety, Crack Magazine, Fader, The Guardian and Boiler Room to date.
This new single is spirited soul for the heart, on the Don’t Sleep label, with a video directed by Ivor Alice. There are upcoming shows at Pitchfork Festival, Lowlands and more.
6.
Good Thing
24
Lisburn native Susy Good started the Good Thing project during the pandemic with singer/songwriter Jon Wilson, and was featured here in late 2020.
For their latest song ’24’, you can hear strong melodic likeness and production nous to Oh Wonder.
This is by far our most personal and relatable song to date. It’s about the anxiety and pressures that come with being in your 20s, especially during a global pandemic! It’s a reminder to keep going, that you’re doing better than ya think!
7.
Fortúne Igiebor
PISS IN THE CORNER
Fortúne Igiebor featured here lately and here he is on the delightfully-titled ‘Piss in the Corner’ which brandishes 808 stabs, chants, dark guitar lines and a frenetic vocal delivery. If only all our pisses were as thrilling as this.
Fortúne Igiebor plays The Grand Social next Monday June 20th.
8.
Célia Tiab
CREAMY
Célia Tiab is the latest Soft Boy Records artist to go solo, and the French Belfast-based artist’s second song expounds on the virtues of a creamy stout, after a visit to Cork.
A debut EP is coming on July 22nd, and we previously shared ‘BIBIBI’.
“I wrote this song after visiting Cork, as an ode to the creamy pints of stout served in bars there. It encapsulates the loving feeling I had when being there, imagining being in a bar with someone you start having feelings for, and finding myself in an awkward position when wanting to express my new feelings for this person who may be indifferent. I tried writing lyrics that would be as descriptive as possible, while still allowing room for interpretation.”
Célia Tiab
9.
Roo Elizabeth
My Everything Great
A fine debut track from Berlin-based Irish alt-indie artist Roo Elizabeth. ‘My Everything Great’ is the songwriter’s opening song, and it’s all about those vocals.
Elizabeth has supported Wyvern Lingo, Mary Coughlan, and played shows The Ruby Sessions.
“You could call this a heartbreak song, but it’s more than that. This track is about messy love and Stockholm Syndrome. The style of voice and production was chosen to reflect that theme in the song. I wanted to contrast darkness with something soft. I wanted to serve the meaning of the song. Being in love with something or someone that destroys you is dark, but it doesn’t always seem that way.”
10.
Paddy Mulcahy
Thomas Street
Limerick ambient electronic composer Paddy Mulcahy wrote ‘Thomas Street’ while experiencing grief at the passing of his father. It’s a moving instrumental tribute to a parent.
“Out of this cloud of grief came these beautiful ambient chords and a low-end bass. It was a special moment for me. This track is a musical love letter to the street on which I live in Limerick City. The intro synth part was written on a MicroFreak synthesizer on my living room floor. The instruments that follow create a lovely warm atmosphere that I instantly fell in love with. A special mention must go to my guest musicians Myles and Gareth who provided the drums and violin. The presence of live instruments really brought the track to life. This was explored a lot more throughout the album.”
11.
Kormac
New Day (Narolane Remix)
A refreshing dancey remix from the Narolane crew with soul, strings and input from God Knows, MuRli and Denise Chaila doing nice things with Kormac’s original, which features Jack O’Rourke.
There’s also a New Spectrum remix. it’s out now on Kormac’s new label Always the Sound.
12.
ZOID, Meljoann
Space Mission
“‘Why send a person, where an algorithm would do?”
ZOiD and Meljoann have collaborated on two sci-fi-themed singles this year, and I love the Kate Bush jazz orchestral electronics of Space Mission’, which features Meljoann’s distinctive voice and string quartet featuring by Cora Venus-Lunney, Aoife Durnin and Ailbhe Mc Donagh.
The song is about “a woman sent to space by a corporation, who, in turn, decided it wasn’t ‘cost-effective’ enough to return her home safely.”
Once again the duo co-produced the track and wrote and arranged for a
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.
