Author: Breffni Banks

23-year-old artist-songwriter, Bradley Marshall, is set to release his most personal single to date. “You’ll Be Okay” is released on Friday, 8th September across all digital platforms.

The inspiration for the song came after someone very close to Bradley attempted to take their own life, which is why Bradley has decided to release the song to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th.

On the song, Bradley said “This song means so much to me. Even though it came from a traumatic situation, ultimately, it’s a song of hope. I wanted to write a song that portrayed the message that no matter how bad things seem, you are not alone”.

The track was co-wrote and produced by Liam Geddes.

After a busy summer of gigging, Bradley is eager to get back to releasing new music while he gears up to his first tour in November.

The brand new single, “You’ll Be Okay”, from Bradley Marshall is set for release across all digital platforms on Friday, September 8th.

Irish Indie rock-n-rollers The Burma are back with the music video for their new single, ‘Holiday’, set to
release on the 15th of September 2023. Having received support from The Rolling Stone India, CLASH
Magazine, NOTION Magazine, Hot Press, Atwood Magazine, and Medium.com/Pop Off, the 3 piece
band has also earned spins on RTÉ 2FM with Dan Hegarty as well as RTÉ Radio 1. The single comes off
of their highly anticipated album, ‘Crazy Dreams & Cruel Realities’, which is set to release on the 6th of
October 2023. In addition to this, the boys have earned support slots for artists such as The Academic and The Strypes, and have gained extensive airplay across Ireland, the UK, and the USA.

Named after The Burma Steps in Cobh, The Burma are based in Cork, Ireland. The band is made up of
Tony O Donovan (Vocals), Peter Piggott (Lead Guitar) – both from Cobh Co. Cork, and Cian Doherty
(Drummer) from Doolin, Co. Clare. Crediting their influence to the 2000s American Indie scene, the band cites Tame Impala, The Strokes, and Mac Demarco as their main inspirations.

‘Holiday’ is a tranquil, feel-good track with terrific story-telling. Featuring a dreamy instrumental backing, and vocals that are subtle and soft, they’re befitting of the relaxed, laid-back vibe of the song. The music video follows suit. Shot around their local town, the boys are seen going from place to place, engrossed in the outdoors and various landmarks. Taking time out of their work day to relax, laugh and take in the scenery, the video embodies the message of ‘Holiday’: Get outside, take a break, and have some fun.

Speaking on the video, the band has this to say: “Jack Ahern shot the music video for ”Holiday”. We had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted to do, a fly on the wall style document of a day spent hanging around in some of our favourite places cut with some laidback performance pieces. Jack brought some really innovative ideas to the table on the day – one of which was to hand Tony an old Sony handy cam to shoot with at free will. Tony can be seen using it throughout the video and the footage is cut with the HD shots to give the video a unique feel.”

The Burma will be launching their album ‘Crazy Dreams & Cruel Realities’, with a live performance on
Sat 14th October at St. Lukes, Cork. Get tickets HERE.

Dublin, Ireland — Brace yourselves for a journey that unfurls across the tapestry of Berlin, Prague, Paris, Frankfurt, and Barcelona – a musical odyssey that has woven together continents, cultures, and genres. Esteemed rapper and producer Pablo Kush emerges as the mastermind behind this captivating narrative, poised to stun the world with the resounding impact of their latest release, “Hardcore Vibes.”

“Hardcore Vibes” serves as a testament to the power of transcontinental collaboration. Teaming up with fellow luminaries Drumla and Madugo, Pablo Kush elevates listeners on a sonic voyage that seamlessly weaves together the threads of Trap, Hip Hop, and Rap, punctuated by the spark of Electro, Dance, and Pop Rap. Paying homage and rebirthing the 1995 version of song created by German group Dune.

The creative journey that culminated in “Hardcore Vibes” was marked by a symphony of minds and talents converging in perfect harmony. The rhythmical foundation was laid by Drumla’s contagious beats, complemented by the invigorating energy of Madugo’s chorus. A true maestro of the mic, Pablo Kush then steps onto the stage, intertwining their verses with the essence of the track. The result? An exquisite tapestry of voices, styles, and perspectives, raising the song to stratospheric heights.

Reflecting on this artistic voyage, Pablo Kush candidly shares, “It was a completely new style to me, but it almost seemed natural at the same time, so it was just fun.” This enchanting track underwent meticulous refinement under the skilled hands of Cohen, who ensured every note danced in harmony, and Busy, the revered virtuoso, lent his mastering touch. Adding a visually arresting layer, the mesmerizing artwork and motion art were conceived by the visionary Peepmylyfe.

From sharing stages with luminaries like DJ Yella, Onyx, and Ghostface Killa, Pablo Kush has demonstrated their innate ability to enrapture audiences in a live setting. Behind the scenes, they’ve harmonized with a roster of distinguished producers and engineers, including Drumla,Luci G, Gezin of 808 Mafia, Rott, Rizzo8, and CohenLabs, among others.

Having brushed shoulders with legends from Rae Sremmurd, A$AP Rocky and Kanye West to Wu Tang Clan and Travis Scott, Pablo’s voyage is one etched with encounters with greatness. However, the true spotlight remains steadfastly on their own artistic evolution and sonic exploration.

Listen to it below:

‘Enola’ is the first single off Dublin band San Rocco’s forthcoming debut EP. Often played as a fast paced opener to San Rocco’s live set, ‘Enola’ has asserted itself as a crowd favourite among their fans. It features a captivating high tempo bass riff that is quickly joined by pulsing drums and guitar. Jim McDonagh’s lyrics delve into the paradox of dreading the day ahead of us while also fearing that our days as a species are very much numbered. It takes a nihilistic yet tongue-in-cheek look at the old adage “the days are long but the years are short”.

Written in their rehearsal space at Displace studios in 2022 the song  the single was recorded at Black Mountain Studio, Co. Louth by Peter Broderick (Just Mustard, The Divine Comedy, All Twins) in spring 2023. When recording the song the band were keen to emulate their live sound that had grown in stature and popularity following a year of gigging around Dublin. It was for this reason that Black Mountain Studios was chosen for the release, the studio allowed the band to track the song in a live take together in the same room.

The track was then sent to London to be mixed and produced by Richie Kennedy who brought his experience of working with The Murder Capital, Interpol and Ed O’Brien to the track. Richie reinforced the live feel that had been created in the studio with his mixing, creating a punchy but dynamic atmosphere. The track was then mastered by John Webber (David Bowie, Echo and the Bunnymen) at Air Studios, London.

Listen to it below:

“What shines out are the vocals, beautifully resonant, accurate and eloquent, equally melodic on the low tones as on the high notes. Musicianship of the highest quality, songs with meaning and voices that are mellow and mature, a touch folk, a touch country and most of all, a touch of class”, Seán Laffey Irish Music Magazine, May 2023.

Formidable Galway-based folk duo Niall Teague and Padraic Joyce release their latest single ‘Come Away With Me’, on Friday 8th September taken from their 2023 Studio album ‘What Will We Be’.
Their latest single blends beautiful vocal harmonies with piano, acoustic guitars and fiddle with a folk, country/rock feel.

Niall and Padraic have honed their craft as songwriters and performers since their partnership began in the musical melting pot that is Galway city. With the success of their well-received 2020 release ‘Taobh le Taobh’, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, the duo were spurred on to record this new album which represents many years of their artistic development.

The album Features Niall and Padraic on commanding vocals, exquisite harmonies, and well married acoustic guitars, Maidhc O’hÉanaigh on double bass and a deft Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. Their catchy title track ‘What Will We Be’ features contributions from percussion wizard Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.

There are touching themes of love and hope threaded throughout the track ‘Come Away with Me’ which features a beautiful interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies. People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on the tracks; ‘Martin and Tom’, ‘Guitar Gold ‘, ‘Memories of You’ and ‘Achill Island’.

The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel ‘Walden’ looms large on the tracks ‘Simple and Wise’ and ‘Walden’, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core. The album moves seamlessly from minimalistic folk ballads such as ‘Galway Ghost’ to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song ‘Neptune’, both influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Throughout the album each small scene, each line has been thoughtfully painted both lyrically and melodically, resulting in a rich and beautiful acoustic sound.

Much of the albums collaborative work and development was supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble ‘Treo’. Recorded at Paddy Jordan Recording Studio, Labane, ‘What Will We Be’ is available from March 24th.

A tour marking the release of ‘What Will We Be’ is underway with Shows at Dodd’s bar folk club, Boyle on October 5th, Saint John’s Theatre Listowel on October 27th and Sea Church, Ballycotton, Cork October 28th.

CMAT blazes towards the release of her highly-anticipated second album with the personal post-mortem ‘Stay For Something’ – a power pop blast of self-introspection gussied up in her most stadium-sized clothes to date.

CMAT on Stay For Something: “It’s basically just about questioning why I stayed / suffered in a bad relationship for as long as i did. trying to desperately find some kind of meaning in the mess and then being embarrassed when i remember the good parts. It’s not very lyrical or poetic, it’s just a lot of emotion and energy – this song, to me, sounds like going for a run at 1am with your headphones on full blast, screaming through the streets in order to get away from your problems. i hope that at least one person does that when they hear it.”

The single – produced by Matias Téllez – debuted as a Hottest Record In The World on Clara Amfo’s BBC Radio 1 show last night, with the James Slater-directed video premiering on her YouTube channel immediately after.

The release follows a busy summer for CMAT: a breakout Glastonbury moment on the Woodsies stage, followed by a solo acoustic number post-Elton John on the BBC’s live coverage; a Spotify billboard in Times Square; two huge outdoor supports to Florence and the Machine and her first festival headline at Otherside in her native Ireland, plus festivals across the UK and Europe.

CMAT has announced further live dates, including a three-date solo run across North America, an extensive UK instore tour and a third date at The Olympia in Dublin, which goes on sale this Friday, September 8th at 10am.

CMAT’s new album, the 12-track ‘Crazymad, For Me’ – out via AWAL Recordings on October 13 – is a “an abstract break-up album – about what happens when you are still angry about something that happened 10 years ago”. It’s also a concept record of sorts – involving time travel, Belle Epoque Paris and a woman who may or may not be CMAT in the future.

The album is available to pre-order now via www.cmatbaby.com. A run of UK instores has been announced which will feature CMAT performing and signing copies of the new record.

Listen to the track below:

Hiber Nation is the second full length solo album by Pete Mac. Recorded over the space of 3 years from 2020 to 2023 with many tracks written over the COVID-19 lockdown and inspired by its isolation. The album title Hiber Nation came from the idea of society becoming a recluse and being forced to hibernate during this strange period while not being equipped to function as before when emerging out the other side as a result of this hibernation.

Most of the album was self recorded and produced at home except for tracks ‘Disappear’ and ‘Escape’ which were recorded at Wavefield Recording Studios, Clonakilty, West Cork and produced by Brian Casey. Pete Mac played most instruments on the album with the addition of Cello which was a new instrument and learning curve taken up in 2020 and something that has always been on his musical radar.

Pete also collaborated with many artists on this album including iconic US/French singer Lisa Papinieau who contributed guest vocals on ‘Escape’ which was recorded long distance from the US. Other artists include Mary Moore who played piano on ‘Alien Skin’ and ‘Surrender’, MSea who added vocals on ‘Less I Have’ and ‘Hibernate’, JMac who added vocals to ‘Hibernate’ and Brian Casey who played piano on tracks ‘Voiceless’ and ‘Mother Nature’s Revenge’. Peter O’Sullivan also played drums on tracks ‘Disappear’ and ‘Escape’.

‘Hiber Nation’ follows a different direction to most of Pete’s previous music from his band Paradox to his last solo album. Many songs have a personal meaning and take a critical view on much of today’s society from animal rights issues on ‘Voiceless’ to the state of the natural world on ‘Mother Nature’s Revenge’. It’s been nearly 14 years since his last original solo album ‘In Limbo’ was released back in 2009. With the Paradox discography included this will be Pete Mac’s 7th album release to date.

Listen to it below:

Artist and producer Plantain Papi returns to the scene with the release of his latest track, ‘Vela Cinderella.’ According to Plantain, ‘Vela Cinderella’ is what would happen if Calvin Harris’ record ‘We Found Love’ and Burna Boy’s ‘Last Last’ had a musical love child.

‘Vela Cinderella’ explores themes of love and loss, but in true Plantain Papi fashion, its infectious upbeat tempo and groovy beat compel you to move, making it impossible not to sway along or tap your feet!

Produced by Plantain in collaboration with Loj, the instrumental incorporates elements from amapiano, afrobeats, and house music. The track also samples Olamide’s iconic afrobeat record, ‘Who you epp,’ further enhancing that afro-fusion vibe!

‘Vela Cinderella’ arrives in anticipation of Plantain Papi’s forthcoming debut EP, set to be released before the end of the year.

‘Vela Cinderella’ will be available on all DSPs this Friday 8th September – you won’t want to miss it.