Author: Breffni Banks

‘Aphrodite’ the debut album from Melina Malone is here.

Tipped as ‘one of the best voices in Ireland’ by GoldenPlec, Dublin born Irish-Greek R&B artist Melina Malone is a force to be reckoned with in the Irish music scene. With collaborations with some of Ireland’s finest artists from Mango X Mathman to Zaska, Booka Brass, Glasshouse Music, and Irish Women In Harmony her powerful vocal performances often leave audiences captivated and Melina can be seen regularly drawing large crowds whenever she performs.

Taking influence from all things Neo Soul, from soul queens Erykah Badu & Jill Scott, to their more contemporary counterparts Amber Mark, NAO & RAYE, Melina Malone’s album  ‘Aphrodite’ lands ahead on October 6th, the day of her Ireland Music Week showcase debut, and is a powerful debut with heavy nods the aforementioned Soul trailblazers, while also blending flavors of Bossa Nova & 90’s R&B. Melina aims to redefine the standard of Irish R&B with this record.
‘Aphrodite’ is OUT NOW.

Her latest singles ‘ ‘Lovers Sunday’, ‘Tru Luv’ and ‘Naive’ have garnered support from the likes of RTE 2FM with each track landing on the day time playlist, BBC1xtra, 98 FM, FM 104, BBC Introducing, Nialler9, Goldenplec, IMRO, Noctis Magazine, Ones to Watch, and more, plus Spotify Editorial playlist slots on ‘A Breath Of Fresh Eire’, ‘Fresh Finds UK & Ire’, and ‘LED Lights’

“I was thinking a lot about the role of women in Greek myth and the parallels with modern life when writing this track. It’s an expression of female rage which is often portrayed as a threat to patriarchal society and the stories of Medusa, Pandora, and Circe come to mind. On the surface it’s ethereal and sweet, but it’s much darker than what it seems. Really enjoyed building a world on this one”

The album themes are heavily inspired by Melina’s Greek-Irish heritage, and draws parallels between modern feminism and Greek myth with the album tracklist order representing a woman’s journey from pain, suffering & loss of self, to love, empowerment, and acceptance. The spirit of the album’s namesake, ‘Aphrodite’, the Greek goddess of Love & Beauty, is ever-present, and represents a return to the divine feminine and what it means to be a woman in Ireland today.

Listen to the album below:

Rising Irish artist Isaac Butler is set to release his brand new single “Heart Of Gold” on Wednesday 4 October . The brand new single is released ahead of what will be his biggest headline show to date at Dublin’s Academy on December 1st.

Having sold out shows in ‘Whelans’ main room, ‘The Grand Social’ and ‘The Soundhouse’ and amassing 3 million spotify streams for his singles (including ‘Moon Song’, Just One Night’ and ‘On The Run’), it’s clear Isaac Butler’s sound is connecting with fans!

That sound is a strong mix of singer-songwriter and grit, Isaac Butler’s songs are made for the big stage. His Anthemic choruses combined with powerful electric guitars and thick sounding drums make for a very exciting live show!

Speaking about ‘Heart Of Gold’, Isaac Butler says: ‘I’m a pretty hopeless romantic! I’ve been in relationships that I’ve loved but always seem to make quite the mess of it… ‘Heart of Gold’ is a song about my pursuit of love with a little sprinkle of Panic! There’s a line in the prechorus, ‘My dad said son, you’ll find the one’ , this was a genuine conversation that happened and it was my Dad essentially calming me down because I was genuinely stressed about finding someone. I’m an overthinker! So it was having a bit of an effect on me. ‘Heart of Gold’ was my way of telling myself that it’ll all work out, funny enough it still hasn’t though!”

Listen to it below:

Following the success of singles ‘Huge Mistake’ and ‘Sapling Be’ West Cork based songwriter Polly Barrett releases her third album Sapling be… with focus track ‘Following Her Truth’. Sapling be… is out October 6.

Sapling be.. is available for pre-order on bandcamp and will be available in full only on  Bandcamp from October 6. Polly is excited to host a listening party on Bandcamp on October 7 and fans can RSPV for this at  https://pollybarrett.bandcamp.com/album/sapling-be.  Meanwhile, Polly will continue to drip feed segments of the album on other platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Deezer and Soundcloud.

With two studio albums to her credit Polly Barrett is no stranger to the creative process of writing and recording albums. However, it took the birth of her son and her rebirth as an artist for Polly to find her authentic truth. Recorded in her home in West Cork Sapling be… is fully dedicated to her son who came up with name itself as he strummed the guitar as a toddler. Saturated in Polly’s new home life the record is imbued with her struggles as writer’s block got its angry claws into her and the ethereal, meditative peace she found and made for herself in West Cork as she navigates the path of motherhood.

Speaking on the album Polly Barrett says, “The great thing about ageing is how much you learn about life as you go. In my 20s I thought I knew everything, but it wasn’t until I had my son at 31 that the real learning began. Our children can be little mirrors, showing us our weaknesses and our strengths, our patterns and our pitfalls. Before I became a mother I thought I would teach my child everything I knew. I didn’t expect to learn so much from him! The journey of motherhood has brought me to know myself. What a gift!”

Initially used as a tool for meditation, the tongue drum found a place in Polly’s songwriting opening her up to fully embody the music. Ethereal and rhythmic both ‘Sapling Be’ and ‘Hedgerow’ were written with just the tongue drum and loop pedal. Other songs also feature the loop pedal including ‘Huge Mistake’, ‘Sparrow’, and ‘Standing by The Sea’.  Polly plays most of the instruments on this album which include acoustic guitar, tongue drum, bodhrán, tin whistle, low whistle, bass guitar and piano. Polly has several upcoming live shows where fans will be able to experience the songs in new ways as she uses different instruments in her live performances to the recorded songs.

Released singles ‘Huge Mistake’ and ‘Sapling Be’ introduced fans to Polly’s journey through motherhood. Of ‘Sapling Be’ Polly says “The song is like a wish for my son that he grows strong and tall like a great oak tree, and with his roots firmly in the ground. That he never forgets his connection to nature.” ‘Huge Mistake’ is an ode to finding beauty and one’s peace in an unexpected place. Both singles saw Polly earn support from RTE Radio 1’s Louise Duffy, Today FM/98FM’s Claire Beck, Lyric FM’s Marty Whelan, Dublin City FM’s John Barker and Newstalk’s Sean Moncrieff. Sapling be… was mixed by grammy-nominated producer Chris O’Brien (Clannad, Aslan, and Emma Langford) and mastered by Richard Dowling at WAV Mastering, Limerick.

Polly Barrett is a well-known name on the Irish folk scene. After releasing 2 albums, 2011’s Mr Bookshop and Probably Me in 2014 she took a break from music to focus on family. During the Covid-19 pandemic Polly quietly recorded and released “Dark Garden”, an EP of four new songs, one of which, ‘Thinking About You’ was chosen for a Discover Ireland Campaign for West Cork. Polly performed an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance in the US in 2022 and has just returned from performing at Milkwaukee Irish Fest in the US alongside the Coronas, Wallis Bird and a host of other Irish acts. She has also played alongside Jack O’Rourke, Caoimhín O’Raghallaigh and recently wowed at Tradfest.

Sapling be…  is out October 6. Single ‘Following Her Truth’ is out October 20, 2023.

Gearing up for their WORLD TOUR this Autumn with dates already selling out across the board, Irish pop-rockers are back with the anthemic new single ‘Plans’. A nod to the fast-paced, high-energy grunge of the 90s and early 00s, ‘Plans’ is an explosive statement that will have fans screaming along all over the world. With support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, MTV, LineOfBestFit, Wonderland, Notion, millions of streams and fast approaching 100k followers across platforms, modernlove. are establishing themselves as one of the most exciting up and coming bands in the world. Having sold out their entire first 2 headline tours of the UK, as well as a number of dates across their debut US tour, and recent support slots with The Vamps, Everything Everything, Nation of Language and We Are Scientists, modernlove.’s live show is the driving force behind their incredible international ascent.

“Plans is a song that deals with just that. It’s about the plans we make, both big and small and follows, for example, how making a plan for the weekend, proposing a date can develop into lifelong goals and aspirations. How certain, seemingly insignificant, trivial things are sometimes connected and lead to the more profound moments and matters in our lives. After all, most of the really important relationships in a person’s life will begin with a “hey, wanna grab a drink/coffee?”.

“It’s finding the beauty and poetry in the mundane and every-day that we’ve been exploring a lot as a band recently. There is a sense of joy and hope in looking to the future like that and sonically, the composition of the song definitely falls in line. It hits hard and has an uplifting air of optimism and fun about it. This sense of fun and play informed the lyrical direction as well which took on an absurd sort of humour at times. We took inspiration from The Pixies, Blur and Nirvana.”

With larger than life indie-pop anthems born of small town boredom, coming of age, big nights out and young love gone wrong, modernlove. are a new generation’s brightest hope – already racking up streams in their millions and selling out shows, simply by singing about what they know and having a good time doing it. From playing dingey rural pubs to working with super-producer Luca (of Arlo Parks and Lana Del Rey fame), this Irish band of young 20-somethings are about to show the world the true heights of their ambition.

Formed in Drogheda near Dublin in 2016 of childhood friends and mutual pals, the four-piece came together as “the only people in town we knew who liked music”. Their shared influences of the game-changing future-pop of The 1975 and The Japanese House, the new wave sounds of The Cure and New Order, the danceable indie of Bloc Party and Bombay Bicycle Club, the experimental ambience of Jon Hopkins and Aphex Twin ,and a whole lot of day-glo pop-punk took them from jamming covers for the hell of it to carving out a monolithic, genre-shifting sound of their own to lift them out of the doldrums of their sleepy hometown.

Listen to it below:

A powerful new voice with a flair for perceptive, witty and brutally honest lyricism, Bea and her Business made a huge introduction with her debut single ‘Born To Be Alive’. It shot past 17 million streams on Spotify alone and landed Bea her first Radio 1 airplay.

Having captured a first wave of attention, Bea is now set to accelerate her ascent as she shares her second single, ‘All The Boys’.

Like ‘Born To Be Alive’, ‘All The Boys’ is an intense, intimate and evocative snapshot of a near universally relatable experience of teenage life. Shimmering with personality and an appealingly soulful alt-pop tone, Bea’s charismatic vocals tell the story of someone who is doing everything they can to attract the attention of a love interest – from bleaching their hair to listening to techno – and getting absolutely nothing back in return. Lyrically it’s a journey of youthful naivety but one that culminates in the realisation that their efforts are all in vain as Bea sings, “Could you not like me for me, like I always liked you for you?” 

 Bea says, “This song is about changing little pieces of yourself for someone else. I kinda idolised this guy at one point. He was older so always had the upper hand and we all know how that story goes… I’d say it’s an honest, confessional and slightly self-deprecating song. I love to out myself sometimes, it’s quite fun and reminds me that I’m not totally delusional (yet).  I’m still aware of my mistakes, It makes me look back and laugh at myself for things like sweating my ass off on the treadmill purely because I wanted to look good for this guy, NOT FOR MYSELF, and that ain’t good!

Aside from the fact this song reminds me that I have a tendency to be attracted to or fall deeply in love with absolute car crashes, it also acts as a bit of a reality check to me now – if any boy fits the criteria of these lyrics, I know I should run.”

19-years-old, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has enjoyed an array of landmark moments of discovery. Posting original songs alongside heart-stopping covers of songs by Lana Del Rey and Tove Lo, she quickly established a huge following on TikTok. As ‘Born To Be Alive’ took off, Bea’s talents translated into the live arena too with one of the biggest debut shows imaginable: a festival performance in Oslo in front of 100,000 people.

The young Londoner first started writing and performing as a child, but it was the humour and insight that she adored in Lily Allen’s music that first influenced her own style. Gradually she discovered that she could write songs which put a leftfield spin on her own experiences, an angle which was heightened by spending countless hours in the local library devouring stories which she could flip to her personal perspective. Two poetry anthologies proved to be particularly inspirational: Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Flame’ and Kate Bingham’s ‘Quicksand Beach’.

So that’s Bea and her Business: an artist with a gift for human connection that allows strangers to recognise themselves in her lyrics. There is more to come from Bea in the coming months, including her debut EP and her first London headline show at Omeara on November 16^th. Fans who subscribe to Bea’s mailing list by midday on Tuesday, October 10^th will receive access to a presale for tickets to the show. Any remaining tickets will then go on general sale HERE at 9am on Friday, October 13^th.

Listen to it below:

Ian Ashford’s album The Tree is available on your listening devices since 23rd of September, 2023. This album is a collection of songs Ian has worked on since 2018 and finally brought to some kind of completion at The Old Dream Studio in early 2023.

The 7 songs on the album were written by Ian Ashford and crafted with the help of John Oldream, Arthur Duburq, Simon O Reilly, George Oldream, Meglena Tzaneva, Guillaume Latil and Camy French. The album was produced by Ian Ashford, engineered and mixed by John Oldream and mastered by Francois Stoudmann.

https://www.ianashfordmusic.com/

The atmospheric electronic pop song is released on all streaming platforms on September 29th.

Carlow based electronic music producer Hawk Jupiter has teamed up with songwriter Helen Agnes D. and up-and-coming Galway based singer Lauren Davis to release a stirring, atmospheric electronic single ‘Land Beneath Waves’, directly inspired by the Irish mythological story of Tír na nÓg.

The atmospheric, synth-filled pop song received its first live performance featuring both Hawk Jupiter and Lauren Davis during a Mayo Culture Night event at the recently restored Bunnacurry Monastery on Achill Island.

Broody, droning guitar effects combined with rhythmic synths, airy vocals and commanding drums summon up an other-worldly feel of a supernatural realm, calmly bringing to mind the soaring landscapes of the Celtic Otherworld.

The lyrics, crafted over countless Whatsapp exchanges by Hawk Jupiter and fellow Irish songwriter Helen Agnes D., tell the popular Irish mythological story as imagined from the viewpoint of one of the most well-known inhabitants of Tír na nÓg, Niamh.

As Niamh warns her lover Oisin of what perils lie ahead should he depart for the homeland of Ireland – ‘you’re on a road you know, you’re on a road to nowhere’ -, there is a sense of looming danger and eerie foreshadowing within the lyrics, ‘if I let you go, there’s no coming back.’ The somber lyrics are juxtaposed against the soothing and immersive bed of warm, burgeoning synths.

The other-worldly soundscape provides ample room for Lauren’s impressive vocal to glisten, her pleasant timbre and arresting presence taking centre stage. Lauren’s unique vocal complements the instrumental, particularly as the harmonies soar into aerial territory as the track progresses.

“As songwriters, Helen and I come from different genres but we have a shared love for storytelling and lyric crafting,’ mentions Hawk Jupiter. ‘Helen’s passion for Irish mythology provided a rich reservoir of ideas that seemed to magically intertwine with the synth soundscapes I’d been crafting, and suddenly the song was brought to life.”

The songwriting pair wrote the song at a songwriting camp that they created during lockdown, which received Irish government funding as part of the 2020 MISP Music Industry Stimulus Package.

‘Land Beneath Waves’ is available to stream everywhere from September 29th and can be pre-saved here.

About Hawk Jupiter

Hawk Jupiter is a music producer andsongwriter from Carlow, Ireland. Inspired by artists like The Chemical Brothers and Róisín Murphy, his evolving sound fuses uptempo beats with genre-spanning instrumentation.

About Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis is an up-and-coming singer from Galway. Having previously released music as one half of duo Don’t Hold Back, she is also a well known performer around Galway due to her regular performances as lead singer with Vicaria band. She plans to release more material as part of Don’t Hold Back in 2024.

About Helen Agnes D.

Helen Agnes D. is a singer-songwriter from Dublin Ireland, who has been recording a growing collection of new material which she describes as ‘a songbook of the human heart.’ Her upcoming album ‘The Avenue’ will be released in 2024.

The Kenmare, Co.Kerry based trio consisting of Chris Liddle, Gill Newlyn and Anita Heffernan are back with a great new single ‘so long’. It features the talents of the legendary Frankie Lane (Fleadh Cowboys) on peddle steel guitar and the renowned mandolin luthier and player Dave Shapiro.

The trio have been playing music together around the restaurants and bars of Kenmare, Co.Kerry for years playing trad music and singing cover versions until original music and songs started to bubble to the surface.This resulted in the wonderful self titled debut album under the name blackmailed & bereft in 2019.

The name of the band comes from two words introduced to the English language by the Border Reivers in the 15th Century – blackmail and bereave. The first, black mail, was the original ransom letter and bereaved means the ransom wasn’t paid, killed by The Reivers.

The Liddles were a Reiver family in the 1500s and 1600s.

Even with the pandemic the album received support and airplay on RTE, BBC and independent stations around the world.

The song ‘so long’ came to singer Chris early one morning while mucking about with his guitar. First the opening riff which sounded to him like an old western soundtrack, then the first verse popped into his head

“Take a little drink, take a little draw, try and recall what worrying’s for”

With this now developed it soon turned into a fabulous travelling/leaving road song. Hence the addition of pedal steel and mandolin to authenticate the sound.

The song was born!

Written and produced by Chris Liddle at his home studio in Kenmare, Co. Kerry

Mixed and mastered by Josh at Get Real Audio, Chippenham, UK

Musicians

Chris Liddle – Vocals and Guitars

Gill Newlyn – Fiddles

Anita Heffernan – Harmonies

Josh Clark – Drums and Double Bass

Frankie Lane – Pedal Steel Guitar

Dave Shapiro – Mandolin

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/blackmailedandbereft

https://blackmailedandbereft.bandcamp.com

Out now via Welcome to the New World

https://found.ee/foramantobecontent

Strange Boy: A 1000-year-old poet, his essence flowing through the vessel of a young man from Limerick. With his impactful and thought-provoking lyrics, he stands as one of the most significant contemporary rappers. Strange Boy, aka Jordan Kelly, artfully combines hip-hop and Irish traditional music, seamlessly blending the timeless cultural influences of this nation.

His debut album, HOLY / UNHOLY, produced by the esteemed Enda Gallery in Kilfenora, Co. Clare, released on June 25^th, 2021, via Welcome to the New World, features the soulful voice of Grammy award-winning Clannad vocalist, Moya Brennan. This opus garnered extraordinary critical acclaim.

A lyricist extraordinaire, critical voices and the youth of Ireland and abroad alike resonate with the power of his craft. Strange Boy returns alongside solid collaborator Enda Gallery, with a new track, “FOR A MAN TO BE CONTENT”, out now (Friday 29^th September) https://found.ee/foramantobecontent

At the core of this single resides a personal narrative. Jordan, having navigated the turbulence of a painful breakup, engages in contemplation, delving into the insatiable desires that reverberate within the human soul.

“In this series of singles, we’ve chosen to transcend the boundaries of tradition, blending the contemporary with the age-old. We’ve woven trap elements with the heartfelt resonance of spacious guitars and the timeless yearning of the flute. The result is a unique fusion, a tapestry of sound that encapsulates our collective desire to evolve without forsaking our roots.” says producer Enda Gallery.

Strange Boy had this to say about the song: “What is enough?” 

Stream/download “FOR A MAN TO BE CONTENT” by Strange Boy ft Enda Gallery: https://found.ee/foramantobecontent 

LIVE DATES:

CASK at Kilmurry Lodge Hotel, V94 WTC9 Limerick
19:30, Friday, October 6th, 2023

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/strange-boy-live-at-cask-limerick-tickets-666824228217

Tradition Now – National Concert Hall

7:30pm, Saturday, October 7th, 2023

Tickets €25: https://www.nch.ie/Online/default.asp

Tradfest – Button Factory, Dublin

Jan 26 2024, Doors open: 8:00 pm – Starts: 8:30 pm
https://tradfest.com/events/strange-boy/

Folk Alliance International, Kansas City – Official Showcasing Artist
February 21-25, 2024, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Your Roots Are Showing – Official Showcasing Artist, Dundalk, Co. Louth

Fri Jan 19, 2024