Dublin-based Scattered Ashes release their debut single ‘Love Is Not An Option’ today, Friday 20th November. A bold opening statement from the band, the track is a dive into the sinister aspects of an ailing relationship. The substance of which is a tandem between the prophetic vocals of frontman Robert Dalton, and the urgent guitar stylings of Ben Downes. The abrasive four-piece range in influence from Brutalism to Punk, matching aggressive sonic textures with a strict sense of space.
You can hear our influences, but the product is entirely our own. Taking cues from the likes of Bauhaus, Gang of Four, Sisters of Mercy & Joy Division we sit in a darker lane than most of our contemporaries, taking post-punk back to its murkier roots.
‘Love Is Not An Option’ was recorded at Darklands, in Dublin with Dan Doherty, mastered by Pete Maher.
Irish Women In Harmony return with their eagerly awaited festive season single, ‘Together At Christmas’.
The original song was written and produced by RuthAnne, with all parts recorded remotely by 30 of Ireland’s finest female musicians. ‘Together at Christmas’ features a clever use of familiar Christmas song lyrics and also includes a choir of young Irish girls after a call out was made to the next generation of aspiring female singers.
Earlier this year, Irish Women In Harmony made a nationwide call out in search of singers for a ‘Tween Choir’ that would feature the voices of Irish girls under the age of 12, as part of the Christmas single. Over 1,500 entries were received from across the country, which was narrowed down to 50 semi-finalists and lastly, the lucky 18 were chosen. Like all other members of IWIH, the children recorded their parts for the song remotely and sent them to RuthAnne, who put it all together like only she can. This choir of next generation voices was an integral part of magic around creating the single. Through lending their voices to the track, these young Irish women have had both the opportunity to be a part of Irish Women In Harmony, and the opportunity to support their fellow children through Childline.
Irish Women In Harmony’s cover of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries, released earlier this year, captured the hearts of the nation. A collective of Irish female artists came together while physically apart to create something powerful, in an effort to raise awareness and support for women in need. All of this, during one of the most challenging periods of our generation. The track lifted spirits across the country, with many echoing the words, ‘it’s not a song, it’s a movement’.
In its first week, the single hit number 1 in the official homegrown chart, making the group the first female act ever to do so. It was also the highest new entry in the official charts at number 15, making Irish Women In Harmony the first female Irish act to break the Top 20 in over 10 years. ‘Dreams’ was also number 2 in the Irish airplay chart and number 1 in the Breaking Tunes chart. The track has just passed 3 million streams on Spotify and the group have almost 300,000 Spotify monthly listeners.
Money raised throughout the ‘Dreams’ single campaign went to Safe Ireland, the national agency working to end domestic violence and coercive control in Ireland. With over a quarter of a million euro raised for this incredibly important cause, Irish Women In Harmony are now raising support for Childline. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on their fundraising, notably this year now being the first in many without the RTE 2FM Christmas Ball.
Caroline Downey, President of ISPCC Childline said, “Childline is indebted to the amazing musicians involved in Irish Women In Harmony for releasing this Christmas single in support of Childline. We are truly privileged to have their support in this very difficult time. All fundraising as we know it has ceased and it is only through the support of initiatives like this, that we will be able to keep Childline open 24 hours a day. We will continue to help children all over Ireland who use the services of Childline – never before has a service like this been so valuable to children. We will never give up on a child, EVER. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
RuthAnne, songwriter, producer and founder of Irish Women In Harmony said,“It’s been such a joy to write and produce our original Christmas song ‘Together At Christmas’. Hearing all the amazing Irish female talent come together again has been the best Christmas gift! We’re also thrilled to work in support of Childline, which is a charity very close to all of our hearts. Irish Women in Harmony is hoping ‘Together at Christmas’ will bring joy and festive spirit to the Christmas season, which we all need this year more than ever.”
Every child deserves to be a child – especially at Christmas.
Yet, the joy of the season does not reach every home. This year, children and young people have needed Childline like never before.
As soon as restrictions were first implemented, a surge was noted in children and young people reaching out to the service for support online. They may have been at home with their tormentor and not have felt comfortable having their conversation overheard.
Children and young people who have turned to Childline have spoken about experiencing issues including abuse and violence, neglect, mental health issues and other challenges. All of this has come at a time when the traditional fundraising activities on which Childline relies each year – including our Christmas Holly campaign, 2FM Christmas Ball, on-street collections and more – have not been possible.
Childline relies on the generosity of the public for 90% of its funding.
The service critically needs donations to ensure it is always here for children and young people – this Christmas Day and every day.
The Christmas period is always one of Childline’s busiest. This year will be like no other. Will you help make sure Childline is here to listen when a child reaches out for support?
Collaborators
AILBHE REDDY AIMÉE ÁINE CAHILL EMMA LANGFORD ERICA CODY EVE BELLE KEHLI FAYE O’ROURKE FIA MOON LAOISE LENII LYRA MELINA MALONE MOYA BRENNAN ROE RUTHANNE SIBÉAL SIIGHTS SOPHIE DOYLE RYDER SOULÉ STEPHANIE RAINEY TOLU MAKAY UNA HEALY WYVERN LINGO
Musicians
AOIFE DENNEDY LOUIZE CARROLL LUCIA MCPARTLIN MARIA O’CONNOR MARIA RYAN THEODORA BYRNE
Support Childline
Text CHILDHOOD to 50300 to donate €4
ISPCC will receive a minimum of €3.60 Service Provider LikeCharity. Helpline 076 6805278
Irish Women In Harmony were thrilled to raise much needed awareness and over a quarter of a million euro for Safe Ireland through the release of ‘Dreams’ earlier this year. All profits from streams and downloads of ‘Dreams’ will continue to go to Safe Ireland, always.
Any profits from streams and downloads of our next releases will go back into the Irish Women In Harmony project. This will allow us to continue to support Irish women in the music industry, nurture new and upcoming talent, create more music and support our artists, who now more than ever need our respect and our backing.
As Irish Women In Harmony grows, we would like to continue to support causes that are close to our hearts. With the release of ‘Together At Christmas’ we will be raising awareness for ISPCC Childline, who are in desperate need of funding at this time. If you can afford to, please consider donating €4 by texting CHILDHOOD to 50300 or going to www.ispcc.ie/harmony now.
Tara Lee was born in Dublin, coming from a strong musical background it’s not surprising she wished to follow a career in the arts and especially music; her father is a film composer and brother a music producer. She started writing while she was studying dance at the Dublin performing Arts College.
Tara started writing ‘Christmas Time In Dublin City’, earlier this year on a midnight flight back to London after spending Christmas at home in Ireland, and finished it during lockdown. “It’s a dream of home, and of all of the faces that I haven’t been able to see this year. It’s a love letter to Dublin, to Ireland, and it’s for everyone who’s a little homesick at the moment, wherever home is to them.” ‘Christmas Time In Dublin City’ is remembering how things were, and looking forward to the time when we can dance through the streets of our hometowns, and hold the people we love again.
Some people say it is really difficult to write a strong Christmas song. Tara makes it look easy, however, when you are driven by the emotion which initiated its writing, the words and sentiment flowed freely and when married with the swell of an orchestral score the result is truly beautiful.
For the accompanying video Tara would love for Irish people living away from home to become involved. She says it best herself, “I would love to hear from Irish people, or people who see Ireland as their home, who are currently abroad and have a message to send to a friend/family member/partner, etc., who’s back in Ireland.” She continued, “It could be something as simple as; “Happy Christmas, mum” or it could be something more personal, as long as they are addressing it to someone (“George,” “Lucy and Brian,” “mum and dad,” etc.). I would love to fill my video for ‘Christmas Time In Dublin City’ with real people and real emotions!” All you need to do is:
Write a clear short greeting on a piece of large paper or cardboard (A4), and film yourself for at least 30 secs, or take a picture clearly holding your sign and send to ChristmasTimeDC@nullgmail.comby close of business on November 20th. Bonus points for Christmas jumpers!
During the last couple of years Tara has had a number of single releases and alongside this her acting career has been developing nicely also. Tara’s recent roles include BBC’s EastEnders, where she starred in a leading storyline as new comer Jessica. Tara’s acting prowess was given a further nod when she was cast to star in The Fall alongside Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan.
In addition, during the last eighteen months alone Tara has worked on two critically acclaimed films; Moon Dogs (which picked up a slew of international awards) and played lead in A Date For Mad Mary, which picked up an IFTA award for Best Picture. One of Tara’s original acting jobs was the RTE series RAW, set in a fictional Dublin restaurant of the same name and a role she received critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Tara has two films currently on release; Schemers, a Scottish indie movie, which won the Audience Award at last year’s Edinburgh Film Festival and The Racer, which is featured in the re-imagined 2020 Online Cork International Film Festival, and is currently on release in the US. The movie is scheduled for general release in UK and Ireland in spring 2021.
Musically this Dubliner’s talents do not end with writing and performing her own material, she has also had a significant number of her own songs used as syncs, including ‘If I Burn, You Burn’, the Jack Taylor TV series theme tune, and it also featured on Love Island Series 5.
Tara sites David Bowie, Blondie, Nick Cave and Massive Attack amongst her strongest influences and likes to believe her own style fuses raw emotional ballads with a contemporary twist. ‘Boyz’, her first single is a slice of neo-electro pop about an intoxicating fascination with the wrong kind of men. Tara co-wrote the track with producer Justin Broad (Emeli Sande, Izzy Bizu. ‘Boyz’ earned Tara a place on Spotify’s New Talent playlist and kudos from tastemaker press. Her second single, ‘Drive’ was co-written with friend Jonas Quant (Hurts, Kylie). Tara opened for HURTS on their UK tour last year. A prolific songwriter herself and a formidable live artist, Tara has also been tipped as one of Live Nation’s Female Artists to Watch!
For now, we hope you enjoy ‘Christmas Time In Dublin City,’ released November 27th and available from all digital stores.
Columbia Mills will release their ‘Remixed’ EP in its entirety today, Friday, 20th November 2020.
The band have released a remix a week, played exclusively on Today FM’s Paul McLoone’s show and premiered on Nialler9 throughout the month of November.
Daniel Fox [Girlband] remix of Columbia Mills track ‘Understand’ is the final instalment of their remixes EP. This follows remixes from artists Jape, Get Well Soon, Ryan Vail.
This ‘Remixed’ EP allowed the artists to create their own interpretation of tracks from ‘CCTV’ and put their creative spin on the songs.
Columbia Mills ‘Remixed’ EP:
Jape remix ‘The Greatest Love‘ – Out Now Get Well Soon ‘Mirror on the Front Seat’ – Out Now Ryan Vail ‘Car Crash TV’- Out Now Daniel Fox of Girl Band ‘Understand’ – 20th November 2020
Other Voices are thrilled to unveil the full lineup and supporter registration for the virtual edition of their Dingle event. They will be collapsing distance between the church of St James in Dingle and your homes with aweekend of beautifully realised live streams, bringing a piece of West Kerry directly to you.
Joining the wonderful lineup of Irish based acts are: Legendary Irish musician Damien Dempsey, Singer-songwriter Aoife Nessa Frances, indie pop musician Ailbhe Reddy, contemporary folk artist Brigid Mae Power, Cinder Well the project of musician Amelia Baker, newcomer Conchúr White, Mick Flannery approved artist SON (Susan O’Neill), experimental five piece Sun Collective, Limerick based rock band Fox Jaw, alt country musician CMAT, renowned musical artist Mark Lanegan, multi-award winning traditional singer and musician from Corca Dhuibhne, West Kerry Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, multi-instrumentalist sean-nós performers, brother and sister duo Séamus and Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta and renowned singer, songwriter, record producer and guitarist Gerry O’Beirne.
Previously announced acts include: For Those I Love – the project of multi-instrumentalist and producer David Balfe, singer-songwriter Niamh Regan, up and coming alt pop singer Luz, rapper Nealo, GRAMMY nominated folk artist Rhiannon Giddens and musical partner Francesco Turrisi, American composer and musician Peter Broderick and indie rock four piece Pillow Queens.
While all the live streams will be publicly available for free, Other Voices have put together some limited supporter tickets for those who wish to support both them as an organisation and those they work with during this unprecedented crisis within the arts industry.
By buying one of their tiered digital supporter tickets, you’ll be supporting artists and crew, who are facing immeasurable difficulty, with plenty of perks and prizes thrown in for good measure, purchase here.
This live stream event is made possible with the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Kerry County Council, Tourism Ireland, IMRO, RTÉ, Jones Engineering Group and eir.
Other Voices will also be presenting Cogar in collaboration with artist Artist Áine Ní Chiobháin and Our Coasts Our Voices in collaboration with Clean Coasts.
Cogar is a multidisciplinary art project as Gaelainn led by local artist Áine Ní Chiobháin. Three short art films are being specially commissioned for the Cogar series made in collaboration with Collective Films as part of Other Voices. These will premiere on the Other Voices YouTube and Facebook channels on December 6th. Featuring Billy McGlynn, Muireann NicAmhlaoibh, Rónán O Snodaigh, Ciara Ni É, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Meabh Ní Bheaglaoich & Séamus Barra Ó Súilleabháin.
Our Coasts Our Voices is a collaborative creative educational project which uses music, spoken word and interactive workshops to explore our waterways, coastline, ocean and marine life. Join us for a fun, interactive, and a very child-friendly (4+) live-stream from the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium on December 5th, featuring Paul Noonan of BellX1 and Ray Foley of Clean Coasts.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, T.D., said: “Cultural events such as Other Voices Dingle continue to be a soothing balm in these challenging times and the importance of this aspect of culture can be seen in the continued and unprecedented government investment in the sector. I am happy to support this event which reminds us that when times are difficult, it is often our artists who offer us hope.“
Other Voices founder Philip King said: “We are absolutely delighted that Other Voices will be going ahead in Dingle again this year, streamed live , from the West of Ireland to the world. This year, the thousands of people who come to Dingle for Other Voices can’t come. The hundreds of thousands of people who normally come back home to Ireland for Christmas can’t come. Thankfully, with the support of Minister Catherine Martin and her Department, our artists and crew are able to be in Dingle to produce an extended Other Voices festival – Bringing It All Back Home – that will be streamed live over five nights. We will collapse distance between the Church of St James here in Dingle, in the Gaeltacht of West Kerry and homes all around the island of Ireland and across the whole wide world. It will be an experience like no other, in a year like no other. You are invited to take the best seat in the house.”
Chief Executive at IMRO Victor Finn: said “It’s important this year in particular that we have continued to provide an International stage for emerging Irish artists. Other Voices provides a unique platform for our music to reach all corners of the globe through online and global television outlets”.
Executive Producer at RTÉ Justin Healy said: “This year more than ever supporting Irish artists couldn’t be more important to us, and in Other Voices we have a unique opportunity to bring their work and the magic of Dingle to a worldwide audience. We are delighted to continue to support Other Voices and look forward to bringing this years special series to our audience on multiple platforms.”
Other Voices is made possible with the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Kerry County Council, Tourism Ireland, IMRO, RTÉ, Jones Engineering Group and eir
This year, Other Voices will be working with the St James Restoration Fund and the Irish Music Industry Covid-19 Relief Fund. More information on these partnerships coming soon
Other Voices will be streamed worldwide via YouTube, Facebook Live,Twitter and RTÉ.IE
Swimmers Jackson is set to release ‘So Tired’ on 4th December, the final release from his 2020 album ‘Murmuration’
‘So Tired’ is NOT a Christmas song. It’s a song about end of year exhaustion that happens to reach its apex during the festive season.
Everything will be alright in the end though because there is someone looking out for you, keeping you from falling off the edge, keeping you smiling throughout the many hardships thrown your way, again and again.
“Everything, everything makes sense when I’m with you, it’s all crystal clear, crystal clear, before it turns back blue”
A mantra for 2020 ‘So Tired’ is a brief pause of reflection, a sigh of frustration and resignation at the mundanity of this most repetitive year. The constant bleep of the check out, the condensation fogging the bus window shuttling you home to a brief sense of warmth before the cycle begins again.
Employing the help of super-producer Ruáiri Lynch aka Bantum (Loah, Royal Yellow, Le Boom) to give it a more mechanical, industrious sound. It echoes the lives of those on the production line, the shelf-stacker, the nurses and carers. The lives of those that were once deemed unskilled workers that society has now realised are our key workers. 2020 has been the year of the front line, the bottom line and the end of the line. If there is hope, it is in the abandonment of a society fuelled by self-interest. Take care of yourself and each other.
Following in a long lineage of bands with songs called ‘So Tired’ (The Beatles, Fugazi, Nap Eyes, Ozzy Osbourne), the influences for this track lie closer to Matt Berninger, Michael Stipe and Fiona Apple.
A solo effort, with a lot of help and community spirit.
Formerly a three-piece, Jackson released two EPs under the name ‘Swimmers’, (‘Swimmer’s Year’ 2013, ‘This Burning Circus’ 2015). After moving to London with no bandmates, he was left reconfiguring Swimmers songs back into solo versions. This new found confidence led to the recording of nine new songs between 2017-2019. Singles creeping out as seen fit, before the debut album ‘Murmuration’ finally saw the light of day on May 8th 2020.
His influences include Elliott Smith, early Weezer (emphasis on early), Andy Shauf, Stephen Malkmus, David Berman, Cat Power, Villagers, So Cow, Pixies and R.E.M.
Jackson’s other acts Bouts & Sweat Threats continue to enjoy success, touring the UK, Europe, and North America, opening for the likes of Johnny Marr, Cloud Nothings, Yuck and P.U.S.A. In January 2019 he recently released a new album ‘Flow’, with Bouts.
All song sales of ‘So Tired’ go to the Peter McVerry Trust.
Following on from ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ at the start of October, the new single ‘River’ from A. Smyth will be released digitally on 20th November via Lover Records.
As A. Smyth expands “’River’ is a song I wrote about that sense of loss you feel when you’re struggling to find your place in the world. Or even in your own life. It’s a kind of companion for those times, a song I’ve been leaning on a lot myself lately, and I hope others can find the same kind of comfort in it that I have”.
Also announced is news on the debut album, ‘Last Animals’, which will be released early next year on 19th February. The album was produced by Darragh Nolan (Asta Kalapa) and mastered by JJ Golden. “…we made ‘Last Animals’ in January of this year, moments before the world was to change forever. Throughout the record I reflect on the effect we as humans are having on our home, little did I know what was to come…. ‘Last Animals’ is made up of 10 songs, some big, some small, but all with something to say.”
The forthcoming album’s first taster ‘Hero’ (Oct 2019) racked up 338k streams with inclusion on Easy, Your Coffee Break and Breath of Fresh Eire Spotify playlists. It followed a series of equally well-received early singles released by A. Smyth over the last two years, including ‘Second Moon’, another add to Your Coffee Break playlist (alongside many other discovery playlists) with 642k Spotify streams to date, ‘Coming Back To You’ and ‘Fever’, both of which featured in ‘Made In Chelsea.’ With the singles gaining early support by major Irish radio stations RTE Radio 1 and Today FM.
A. Smyth has sold out Whelans in his hometown Dublin, and performed at Ireland Music Week and Other Voices festivals – with an appearance also on Other Voices TV show which aired this Spring. As well as performing UK/international showcases at Primavera Pro, Eastbound Festival and All Together Now (among others).
‘Last Animals’ Tracklist 1 Rain Boys / 2 Yeah You Said / 3 Don’t Let Me Down / 4 Say You Won’t Mind / 5 Me And My Old Man / 6 River / 7 Hero / 8 Out of the Disappear / 9 When It Calls / 10 Tempt
Smoothboi Ezra is excited to release their new single ‘My Own Person’. The track is accompanied by a live performance video shot during the lockdown.
“I don’t know what a song means when I’m writing it. I don’t make a plan. I find myself basically doing a brain dump,” Smoothboi Ezra says modestly of their songwriting process. It’s a laissez-faire method with impeccable results; there is no doubt that they are a precocious songwriter. The music – which you could call “anti-pop” or “bedroom pop,” if you’re bothered about labels – has an all-encompassing warmth and charm. It’s reminiscent of Kimya Dawson or Michael Cera, but distinctly Gen Z in its innate ability to tackle tricky topics like gender identity and depersonalisation.
Speaking about the track, which they recorded in their bedroom, Ezra says: “I wrote this song when I was 16. I had one or two outfits I would interchange and I wore the same grubby pair of shoes every day. They were replicas of a previous grubby pair I wore when I was 14 and 15. The song is about not being happy but not being able to do anything about it.” Though they write from a very personal place, they prefer to leave their music open to interpretation, surrendering it wholly to the listener. “When I finish a song I let go of it, it’s not mine anymore and I forget it. A lot of the time I’ll have to teach myself the song again before a live show,” they explain.
Smoothboi Ezra is an 18-year-old songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Greystones, Ireland. Their musical influences range from contemporaries like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski, to legends like Elliott Smith and Kate Bush. In their short career, they have amassed over 10 million Spotify streams, despite releasing their music entirely independently. They have supported Orville Peck at Dublin’s Grand Social and also sold out their first headline show at Whelan’s, Dublin in 2019. ‘My Own Person’ is the first track from a collection of new songs set to be released in the coming months, ahead of what is sure to be a phenomenally exciting 2021 for Ezra.
‘From Your Love’ is the new single from Johnny Bourke and follows up his remix radio hit ‘Can’t Do Without’. For his new single Johnny has taken the usually unrepresented side of a relationship, the person who has to break the others heart.
According to Johnny, “It was the central epiphany when writing the song and going through it at the time that loving someone and being “in love” with them are, contrary to popular belief, not the same thing and they’re definitely not mutually exclusive or guaranteed to be concurrent. People only ever feel sorry for the person broken up with and never think that the person who actually breaks a relationship off is probably hurting and was just the only one of the two brave enough to do the right thing and end it before it got worse the longer it dragged on.
I think the best lyric that sums up the whole message of the song is ‘you know I love you but I’m not in love’.“
Johnny is a new and exciting Irish musician who is bringing guitar back into pop. 25 years old and hailing from Tipperary, his sound is fresh and fluid and echoes artists such as Shawn Mendes, Khalid, and John Mayer. No stranger to the live scene, he has crafted a career as a session musician playing all over the world including shows in Australia and New Zealand.
In summer 2019, Johnny worked alongside London producer Jackson Dimiglio-Wood (Shawn Mendes) to create the scintillating debut track ‘Can’t Do Without’. Johnny’s popularity has been rising steadily since with his ever-growing fanbase. ‘Can’t Do Without’ has proved to be a massive hit with radio plays all across Ireland over the last few months. But now it’s time for some brand new music!
IMRO member Taco Hemingway, also known as Filip Szcześniak, was recently the subject of an in-depth interview profile in the New York Times.
The rapper recently hit the top of the Polish charts with his double album releases ‘Jarmark’, a politically influenced album, and ‘Europa’, a party album. The video for lead single, ‘Polskie Tango’, received 5 million YouTube views in the first weekend of release.
Releasing his first album in 2015, Taco has gone one to become a household name in Poland and one of the country’s biggest rappers filling arenas with fans and video and stream numbers in the high millions.
