Month: October 2020

Since the release of Niamh Regan’s debut album ‘Hemet’ on September 4^th this year, she has quietly and assuredly taken her position at the top table of the Irish music scene. ‘Hemet’ has been critically acclaimed by music critics and journalists across all media and has been tipped by many as one of the contenders for “Album of the Year” in Ireland for 2020.

‘Freeze Frame’ is a powerful, almost orchestral song, written in the wake of Niamh losing her mum in 2019. She had been due to play a concert with Matthew Berrill and the Contempo Quartet in The Druid Theatre, Galway, but the concert was postponed at the time as her mum was too ill. Sometime later, after her passing, Niamh wrote ‘Freeze Frame’ while making lesson-plans for kids she had been teaching.

“It’s about trying to freeze time and trying to navigate those feelings that you felt at the time – trying to make some sense of them. It’s that dreaded fear of your memories fading and trying to find ways of preserving them amidst all of the chaos of life. It’s about finding a sense of that person in the little everyday things that remind you of them.

I was talking to Matt Berrill soon after that, and he said that we should still arrange to do the performance with the quartet. He came to my house and wrote this string arrangement for it, and we ended up doing the show in Druid. It was one of the most amazing musical experiences – hearing this obviously quite charged song – with this group of amazing musicians playing all of these exquisite lines on it.

I suppose it was the culmination of all sorts of crazy emotions and experiences.

The song is quite dramatic at times, but behind that, the sentiment is really quite simple.

I hope that this track ends up meaning as much to other people as it did to me when I wrote it…”

‘Freeze Frame’ is the third single to be released from Niamh Regan’s debut album ‘Hemet’.

Live video of ‘Hemet’ at The Black Gate Galway https://youtu.be/-xuOfjts–E

Buy Niamh Regan’s debut album ‘Hemet’ on digital/CD/vinyl via Bandcamp: https://niamhregan.bandcamp.com/album/hemet

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‘Everything Changes With You (Version 2)’ is a standalone single from singer-songwriter Patrick Mc Eleney, hot on the heels of recent singles ‘Memory’ and ‘She’s Gone’. The song featured in E4 television show Made in Chelsea Monday 19th October and has had an incredible reaction online so far. The song draws on influences from Ben Howard and Damien Rice, while also going deeper into atmospheric and cinematic landscapes with string arrangements and soaring guitars.

Patrick Mc Eleney grew up in Donegal watching the Atlantic tides come and go. The passing of time, much like song writing, has forever been on his mind. Over the years, he has travelled, collecting words, sketching melodies and experiencing life. Growing, learning, hurting and healing.

You can hear it in his voice. The introverted honesty he quietly asserts feels colossal in its weight while impossibly intimate in his delivery. He uses piano, guitar, strings, cuatro and other instruments he’s acquired along the way. For the last few years he has pushed himself to arrange and record them while forcing himself to rise above the deafening self-doubt.

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Following on from BARQ being one of 13 Irish acts in RTE2FM’s 100 most played acts of 2016, TodayFM’s PLAYIRISH Artist of The Week, as well as encouraging radio play on Newstalk, 8Radio, FM104, 98FM, Spin 103.8, Radio Nova, and many more – 2020 has gotten off to a bright start with ‘I’m Blaming You’ featuring on a television and radio campaign for Audi, and ‘Not Touching (Can’t Get Mad)’, ‘Thanks For The Night’, and ‘Dive’ receiving over 1,000 plays on Irish radio since their release earlier this year.

For their upcoming single ‘The Table’ the combination of BARQ’s unique musical style with the skills of Diffusion Lab producer Marcin Ciszczon (Jafaris, Soulé, Mango x Mathman) has created a subtle but striking groove that brings to the fore the influence of modern R&B artists like The Internet and Hiatus Kaiyote, with a nod to old school hip-hop in the style of J Dilla. 

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the support over the last few years. With so much great music in the world and particularly in this country, it always gave us a giddy thrill whenever anybody took the time and effort to play our songs, come to a gig, write about our music, book us for a show….the list goes on. We are extremely grateful. This single will be our final release as a group.

Thank you and goodbye from BARQ!“

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Dublin-based singer/ songwriter Honas has just released powerful indie/folk/pop tune, ‘I Can Get You Out of This’. With reverby guitars, ambient synths, and energetic drums, Honas creates a cinematic soundscape complete with a compelling vocal performance.

Honas says, “The song is about having a friend or loved one that’s having a hard time mentally. It’s about standing on the outside, wishing you could help but not quite sure how. It’s about feeling helpless.“

He goes on to say, “I started writing the song about five years ago, but then moved away from it. I had an experience in a similar vein that brought the song back into my head. As I started living it again, I completed the song in a new light.” 

Sonically, he says, “The hypnotic acoustic riff carries the whole way through the song. I wanted to create an atmosphere that conveyed the song’s meaning. I’ve always been drawn to ambient sounds, swells and evolving tones, to create something really immersive. We wanted an energetic, aggressive, chaotic drum sound, the result being a mix of programmed sounds and real drums.”

The song was recorded by Adam Redmond in Flaked Studios, where Adam helped sonically bring the song to life. The pair were inspired by the likes of Bon Iver, Dermot Kennedy, and Ben Howard.

The Irish singer-songwriter combines honest, raw songwriting with an ambient sonic palette. He has written and produced with several artists, as well as being a key part of Irish indie-outfit Orchid Collective playing bass and songwriting. The band was the outlet for his music for many years, though he was still writing on his own. He ended up with a group of songs he was happy with, and came across producer Adam Redmond. In 2019 he turned his attention to his own debut album. His first three singles have amassed over 1.7 million streams on Spotify, landed on several Spotify editorial playlists, and gained acclaim from several major blogs and publications. 

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Global phenomenon Dermot Kennedy today announces the release of ‘Without Fear: The Complete Edition’ repack out November 6th. This new edition of his x5 Platinum, number one selling album will feature 7 additional tracks, a new merchandise release and a new video clip set to hit single ‘Giants’ documenting the past 2 years – watch now. The record will be available on CD and across DSPs via Island Records – pre-order here.

‘The Complete Edition’ will feature Dermot’s latest top 3 single ‘Giants’, as well as live versions of favourites such as his cover of the Joey Bada$$ track ‘Temptation’ and the multi-platinum selling single ‘Outnumbered’; alongside a cover of the Van Morrison classic ‘Days Like This’ and fan favourite ‘The Killer Was A Coward’.

Ahead of the release Dermot will be performing ‘Giants’ live on The Graham Norton Show on October 30th, a track that has already surpassed 70 million streams globally and has been a top 3 radio record across Europe and adds to Dermot’s 1.5 billion+ streams across all DSPs. In Ireland, ‘Giants’ is the most played Irish track on radio this year and spent eight weeks at #1 in the radio charts.

Alongside this, Dermot’s recent unique pay-per-view performance ‘Some Summer Night’, which streamed live from The Natural History Museum in London, sold over 30,000 tickets and is currently one of the biggest selling concerts of its type across America and Europe. The show featured a guest appearance from actor Paul Mescal from the BBC show ‘Normal People’ who appeared on guest vocals during ‘Giants’ and co-wrote spoken word pieces with Dermot which he performed in between songs. 

With over 300,000 tickets sold internationally in the last 18 months alone and a nomination for ‘Best International Male’ at the 2020 Brit Awards, Dermot is well on his way to being one of the most successful artists of 2020.

‘Without Fear: The Complete Edition’ tracklist:

1. Giants
2. An Evening I Will Not Forget
3. All My Friends
4. Power Over Me
5. What Have I Done
6. Moments Passed
7. The Corner
8. Lost
9. Rome
10. Outnumbered
11. Dancing Under Red Skies
12. Outgrown
13. Redemption
14. Without Fear
15. The Killer Was A Coward
16. Temptation (live from Soundwaves) 
17. Days Like This 
18. All My Friends (Lost In The Soft Light sessions)
19. Outnumbered (Lost In The Soft Light sessions)
20. The Corner (Lost In The Soft Light sessions)

Rescheduled 2020 live dates

June 2021
04 – Dublin, St Anne’s Park
14 – Killarney, Gleneagle INEC Arena
15 – Killarney, Gleneagle INEC Arena
16 – Killarney, Gleneagle INEC Arena
24 – Belfast, Belsonic, Ormeau Park
25 – Dublin, Malahide Castle
26 – Cork, Irish Independent Park

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Following the release of their critically acclaimed second album ‘CCTV’ earlier this year, Columbia Mills are thrilled to announce they have teamed up with some of their favourite artists Jape, Girl Band, Ryan Vail and Get Well Soon, for their ‘Remixed EP’. This EP allowed the artists to create their own interpretation of tracks from ‘CCTV’ and put their creative spin on the songs. The first release from the remixed EP is Jape’s remix of their song ‘The Greatest Love’, which will be released Friday, 30th October 2020. 

Columbia Mills will be releasing a track a week throughout the month of November, kicking things off is Jape’s remix of ‘The Greatest Love’, due for release Friday 30th October 2020.  

The full release dates for the EP are:
Jape remix ‘The Greatest Love‘ – 30th October 2020
Get Well Soon ‘Mirror on the Front Seat’ – 6th November 2020
Ryan Vail ‘Car Crash TV’- 13th November 2020 
Daniel Fox of Girl Band ‘Understand’ – 20th November 2020

Frontman from Columbia Mills Fiachra Treacy speaks about how the idea came about for the remixed EP:

“Above all else, the members of Columbia Mills are massive music fans. 

We spend most of our free time attending gigs of all genres and discussing our favourite artists.  Our broad range of influences can be heard in our music, so we thought it would be a good idea to ask the people who influence us most, to remix some of our tracks. 

We put out the feelers and we were delighted that everyone agreed to be a part of this EP. 

Getting the mixes back from each artist was like waking up on Christmas morning. To have your favourite artist remix your tracks was an awesome feeling for us. 

Given the circumstances we find ourselves in, there has been a massive sense of community amongst artists of all genres. We are all in the same boat. Some of us are unsure as to whether we keep paddling, or whether to get off before it sinks entirely. This project, and the support that we have gotten from our friends and fellow artists, have galvanized and inspired us to keep going.  It has inspired us to plough ahead and write our 3rd album.

This EP represents the sense of community that has been created by the decimation of our industry. 5 artists of different genres coming together to support each other when it is needed the most.

Thank you, Richie, Foxy (and the lads from Girl band), Ryan, and Konstantin for your genius. We are inspired and truly grateful.”  

Jape’s remix of ‘The Greatest Love’ due out Friday, 30th October 2020 

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Folk troubadour John Hynes has returned with another heart wrenching anthem. ‘The Glory’ is released everywhere October 23rd and is inspired by the death of his father, “a man for whom a life well lived meant a humble life of independence,” as John puts it. 

Hailing from Co. Kildare with a sound that hovers close to the baroque pop and tender folk-rock of Roy Orbison and Glen Campbell, John’s songs are a storyboard for hopeless romantics and hopeless romances. His songwriting explores the grey areas of life and love, where the good and bad reside uncomfortably side-by-side.

Produced by Gavin Glass (David Keenan, Lisa Hannigan) and featuring string arrangements by Cormac Curran (Hozier, Villagers), John has expanded and grown from his previous singles and is releasing his most autobiographical song yet. 

With lyrics being left somewhat open to interpretation, John was left thinking how in all of the goals we aim to achieve we hope to do our best and “fight well” until the end. Ultimately it is a song of hope for the resilience of the human spirit, whether your goal is running a marathon or just getting through another day..

With John’s previous singles reaching No.1 on the RTE Radio 1 airplay chart and receiving plays on Today FM, Lyric FM, 4FM, Radio Nova, and a host of regionals, he is eager to keep the momentum going with a busy year of releases.

John is also announcing his forthcoming debut album due out in May 2021. ‘A Man In Love’ will expand on these themes of love and loss; the death of a father, the birth of a child, lost loves, marriage and modern manhood and will be released in May 2021.

Writing the new songs for the album began during the summer of 2018, the long hot summer which for John was bookended by the birth of a son and the death of a father. His new single ‘The Glory’ is inspired by these events.

Recording of the album started in January 2019, with John arriving with very specific ideas and demos which Gavin and he would then expand on, swapping instruments and playing the majority themselves. With release set for autumn 2019, the album was delayed by not one but two studio evictions and the onset of Covid-19, finally being finished in August 2020.

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In May of this year RuthAnne signed with AntiFragile Music and ‘Remember This’, written and recorded in London with her main writing team Future Cut, will be her first release for her new label. In recent months, RuthAnne has been back in the studio working on new music – with lots more to come in 2021.

On the writing ‘Remember This’, RuthAnne says; “I had gone through some dark times and was finally getting out the other side when I wrote this song. I looked around at my loved ones, the people I’ve overcome so much with and felt so grateful for everything in my life. ‘Remember This’ is about coming through the dark times, stepping back into the light and fully embracing all that we have.“

RuthAnne’s outstanding career started back when she was just 17-years-old, penning music for huge pop artists, including JoJo’s ‘Too Little Too Late,’ for which RuthAnne achieved the ASCAP Songwriters Best Pop Song award. From then she wrote a string of massive records including Britney Spears’ RIAA platinum-certified ‘Work Bitch,’ One Direction’s ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go,’ Pentatonix’s ‘Misbehavin’ and Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha’s ‘In The Name Of Love.’ In 2017 she co-wrote 5 songs on Niall Horan’s debut solo album ‘Flicker,’ including US #1 hit ‘Slow Hands,’ for which she received a BMI award. As a songwriter her songs have been streamed over 4 billion times. She also co-wrote Horan’s latest single ‘Nice To Meet Ya’.

RuthAnne’s stunning solo single ‘The Vow’ took her own music to great heights. The track was played during ITV 2’s Love Island 2019 Final – it was Shazamed 15 thousand times within the hour and reached #1 in the main Irish iTunes chart. RuthAnne’s material has now amassed over thirty million streams so far. 

Her most recent project has been back home with Irish Women In Harmony. RuthAnne brought together almost 40 of Ireland’s greatest female artists to remotely record a cover of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries. All funds raised go to Safe Ireland, working to end domestic violence and coercive control in Ireland and supporting women and children living in dangerous situations. RuthAnne produced the track and came out with a song that captured the heart of the nation and made Irish music history.

In its first week, the single hit #1 in the Official Homegrown Chart, the first female act ever to do so. It was also the highest new entry in the official charts at #15, making Irish Women In Harmony the first female Irish act to break the Top 20 in over 10 years. ‘Dreams’ was also #2 in the Irish airplay chart and #1 in the Breaking Tunes chart. 

The track has surpassed 2.6 million streams on Spotify and Irish Women In Harmony have now raise over a quarter of a million Euro for Safe Ireland.

Watch their stunning performance on The Late Late Show here.

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Amy Montgomery has shared her new single, ‘Anywhere’, the latest track to be taken from her forthcoming debut EP, ‘Intangible’, out on November 20^th. 

Uplifting, radiant and full of character, ‘Anywhere’ is an inspiring and liberating gem that emphasises the importance of believing in yourself. Serene, playful melodies waltz with one another through a hazy and dream-like setting, every instrument gracefully brushing past one another as they all orbit around Amy’s powerful and passionate vocals.

“’Anywhere’ is a song of encouragement, resilience and hope,” Amy describes. “It’s a reminder that whenever we are searching for something, it is often within us and has been the whole time. It inspires us to embellish our perspective on life with determination and imagination, only then, will the world around us grow in colour and opportunity. You can take yourself anywhere you want to go!”

‘Anywhere’ follows the release of the beautiful cover of Sharon Van Etten’s ‘Jupiter 4’ and the title track from her upcoming EP ‘Intangible’, a shimmering work of Nineties-influenced alternative rock with squalls of guitar feedback lifted by bright, fluttering synths and, like most of Montgomery’s work, a showcase of lyrical power. 

Mixed by Australian producer Kyran Daniels (Greta Ray), the video for ‘Intangible’ premiered with The Music in Australia where Amy has been making a name for herself following last year’s performance at the Dashville festival, a four date Australian tour with William Crighton and a national radio playlist on JJ Australia.

The songs on her forthcoming debut EP represent an artist who won’t shy away from her feelings, but also one who doesn’t attempt to oversimplify experiences that are deeply complex, or profound. “These songs still have a lot of pain,” she says, “but they’re lighter. I actually feel like I’ve let go of a lot of things in the past year, and that’s had a big influence on my writing.”

“I want to tell people that it’s OK to feel a certain way,” she added. “You might feel happy one day, then the next day you might feel like shit, and that’s alright. We need more songwriters doing that, addressing mental health. It is getting better, but I think depression is still quite a taboo subject, especially in music.”

Montgomery proved a mesmerising hit on the festival circuit last summer after a slew of stunning debut performances at eighteen UK & European summer festivals including Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk, Electric Picnic and Black Deer. 

Amy hails from County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the first thing you notice, apart from her outlandish bohemian looks, is her raw and beautiful voice, honed from relentless busking across her native Emerald Isle. 

Already a musical force of nature, performing with great intensity on both guitar and keyboards, it’s her powerful vocal that has captured attention in big ways, drawing immediate comparisons to Janis Joplin, Anna Calvi and Alanis Morrisette but with a very modern attitude. A voice with exceptional power but with an individuality all of its own.

On what seems like an unstoppable trajectory, one thing is certain, Montgomery is not going to compromise her art for anyone. Amy is a unique artist who is setting out with purpose, and a clear vision for how she wishes to present her music, something that will surely appeal to everyone. 

Her debut Intangible EP is available on both CD and digital available on pre order from Friday, October 23^rd – Buy here Intangible Cd EP!

Intangible EP Tracklisting

Intangible
Jupiter 4 (live)
Anywhere
Old Photographs (live, Belfast 2020)
Dangerous

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In the Covid-19 era it’s become a daily struggle for many across the globe to maintain enough focus to function and not slip into the grips of the paralysing depression induced by such isolated times. Pete Kavanagh has just released his brand-new single ‘Hold On’ in a sincere effort to battle the issues from the front-lines of music.  Ready to provide comfort and catharsis by confronting anxiety and authority with the creative freedom, courage, and artistic integrity required to make a resounding impact on the hearts and minds of those who listen – Pete Kavanagh dives deep into the emotional trauma being experienced all over the world, encouraging us all to ‘Hold On’.

With our shared humanity threatened by the peril of demoralised times spent trapped in lockdown, mental health issues undeniably on the rise, and no answers to the many questions we all have on the horizon – ‘Hold On’ boldly dares to address what we’re all collectively feeling, and offers authentic solace to the soul through a mesmerizing Blues/Rock vibe that echoes the emotional tone of his words. 

Willing to explore the darkness in desperate pursuit of the light, Kavanagh has created a genuine tale of our times that fearlessly documents the damage the distance between us has established, driving the message home through powerfully expressive instrumentation that punctuates the urgency in his voice.

Sounding every bit on the front-lines of despair as anyone listening would be, wrestling with his own thoughts and emotions as he sings with a magnificent pairing of insightful wisdom and trembling fragility, Pete Kavanagh’s ‘Hold On’ directly addresses what so many are feeling, but cannot find the words to describe themselves.

A chilling exploration of the highs and lows of the current state of the society we share – ‘Hold On’ is profoundly haunting, melodically enchanting, and passionately performed; it’s the perfect combination of mood and music that captures & expresses the essence of the human connection.

‘Hold On’ is the follow up single to ‘To Hold the Red Rose’ which was released earlier this year. It reached No. 4 in the Irish Singer-Songwriter Charts and was well received, with airplay on RTE Radio 1, KFM, KCLRFM, Carlow FM, Dublin City FM, Blues & Roots Radio and PLAYIRISH Radio.  Both songs will be featured on his forthcoming album ‘Join Up the Dots’ – follow Pete Kavanagh as he climbs the charts & playlists with authenticity, originality & all-out stunning music.

Pete Kavanagh is a singer-songwriter, musician and storyteller from Co. Kildare. His style is best described as Folk/Americana. His sound invokes the vintage quality of musical influences such as Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, The Band and Leonard Cohen, but a contemporary feel that is unique to him, surges through the music.  

Website – https://petekavanagh.com
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