Author: Breffni Banks

Ard Ó is an alternative project founded in 2022 by Waterford native Stephen Keating, taking inspiration from the likes of Biffy Clyro/Muse/Radiohead to the more alternative sounds of Ben Howard/Bon Iver. Stephen spent his teens and early 20s in an Irish music group, Under Starling, gigging in various venues around Ireland. He is now living in south London where he has started his first solo project; Ard Ó, with plans to release his debut EP in 2023.

Ard Ó’s second release, and first single off the up and coming EP, ‘Peaceful Illusion’, is a second person narrative where the narrator is observing the ‘Sensory Seeker’ as they battle with their own mental health struggles, and their journey to reaching their goal of contentment.

The mix of electronic synths, distorted guitars, thunderous drums and falsetto vocals transport listeners into the struggling mind of the Sensory Seeker.

Written and recorded in true modern music fashion, Keating composed and recorded all elements himself in his house in south east London and the song was then sent across to Dublin producer/sound engineer, Matt Morgan and with a little toing and froing across the Irish Sea, the song was complete.

“Sensory Seeker is a story, which, I think a lot of people, particularly people who have struggled with mental health can relate to, where you create this false end goal or grass is greener scenario and once you have reached that goal or crossed that bridge you find that you are no different to how you felt in the first place.” Writes Keating in lieu of his new release.

“In short the song highlights this struggle of coming to the realisation that this end goal of contentedness won’t automatically come from completing a certain task or journey and that it is a lot more complicated than that”.

‘Sensory Seeker’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.

Von Venn is the main project of songwriter Gary Cox. The name for the project/band derives from the concept that we become who we are based upon the intersection of life experiences gathered, people we meet and lessons we learn along the way. Similarly, the songs are an intersection of musical styles that influenced that Gary’s song writing, artists such as Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, The Blue Nile, John Martyn, John Lennon and many more

The result is primarily guitar-centred songs that examine the intricacies of human nature and experiences. The aim is to craft something for everyone to connect with and explore at an emotional level. Hope, regret, loss, longing, nostalgia, attraction, love is all explored.

Following the critical success of the singles ‘Ghost’ and ‘Constant Girl’, Von Venn are new set to unleash their eagerly anticipated album Jeanie is Out.

The album is a collection of introspective and melodic songs that explore the human condition. The album draws on influences from past indie and alternative greats while still creating a unique distinctive sound.

The songs for the album were written by the main vocalist and songwriter Gary Cox during 2022 and 2023. The songs were initially written on an old acoustic guitar. They were recorded and developed on a small home recording system and then brought to Soundcaster Studios Dublin Ireland.

Drums, vocals and additional instruments were tracked and layered to achieve the rich textured sound on the album. While the songs have a great diversity of feel there’s a strong cohesive identity throughout. The songs have something for everyone to connect with at an emotional level.

Jeanie is Out is available on all major streaming platforms now.

The Rosecaps are an independent rock band from Galway, Ireland. The Band consists of Daniel O’Malley on lead vocals/guitar, Shane Fahy on keys, Daniel Fahy on bass and Emmet Feerick on drums, the group began as childhood friends with a shared love of music.

They began writing songs together and playing smaller gigs to fund their nights out, but upon realizing the potential of their own music, the band dreamed big. Going so far as to collectively defer their college courses, The Rosecaps committed themselves to writing and releasing as many songs as they physically could.

After selling out their debut headline show in Dolans, the band have been tipped by The Irish Times as “one of the most promising up and coming artists of 2023.”

‘Reminder’ is the brand new single from The Rosecaps. It is a catchy, bold and infectious indie-rock tune which tells the tale of a self-centered character, living in their own bubble and they completely shut off from the real world which we live in.

The track opens with oozing, glistening guitars which immediately draw the listener in before bursting into upbeat drums and synths which is a similar sound to Blossoms. It helps give the track a summer feeling despite its pessimistic lyrics. Distinctive vocals, similar to the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Academic then come in with fierce lyrics, loud choruses and catchy memorable melodies, making the release one of the band’s most exciting singles to date and is set to go down well at summer festivals.

The song was recorded and produced over the course of 2 days by Martin Quinn in JAM Studios County Meath, who helped the band greatly in taking their song to the level they envisioned. They really experimented with their sound in order to make a clean, atmospheric and well produced track that they now hope will take their music career on to the next level.

‘Reminder’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.

The High Kings, renowned for their captivating harmonies and timeless melodies, return with their eighth studio album, with a collection of original songs that breathe new life into traditional folk music, blending the old with the new.

The Road Not Taken is a ground-breaking collaborative effort, co-written and produced with some of Ireland’s most respected and popular artists. This includes household names such as The Script, Kodaline, Picture This, Sharon Corr, Wild Youth, JC Stewart and Ryan Sheridan. The album also includes guest appearances from international artists such as legendary ‘Journey’ frontman Steve Perry, making it a genuine feast of global music collaborations.

The album features their recent hit songs ‘Chasing Rainbows’ and ‘Streets Of Kinsale,’ marking the band’s first full original album. This compilation reflects the strength and diversity of Irish music, bringing together for the first time its most influential artists in an unprecedented celebration of Irish folk music.

Speaking about their new album, The High Kings said “We are so excited to release this original album of songs to the world. It’s been a few years in the making and we are truly honoured to have worked on it with some of the best musicians in the business. Folk Music is such a huge part of Irish heritage and to create new stories and songs for future generations has been such a pleasure. We can’t wait to hear our fans singing them back to us”.

The Road Not Taken represents an important milestone in the landscape of Irish folk music. Their unique sound, shaped through this collaborative endeavour, is set to appeal to long time devotees and newcomers alike.

The Road Not Taken is available on all major streaming platforms now.

SELK, are the alt-folk ensemble spearheaded by lead vocalist/songwriter Anna Jordan. Forthcoming album ‘Shed The Skin’ promises to be SELK’s most personal and accomplished work to date.

The record moves between full band intricate arrangements, to minimal evocative pieces and is set to be a stunning showcase of SELK’s unique style and talent. The record moves between full band intricate arrangements, to minimal evocative pieces stripping the sound back to it’s bare bones featuring only Anna on piano/guitar/loops with strings, or bass.

Their sound weaves between genres, drawing on jazz, classical, electronica, avant-folk, ambient rock, classical and more. SELK’s otherworldly sound juxtaposes Jordan’s stark, emotionally raw lyrics and hypnotic acoustic with percussive grooves from Cassidy and the band.

The group’s line-up, featuring Barry Brady on guitar and Dave Redmond on bass, has added a powerful rhythm section that has transformed their sound since their debut album ‘Beast’, which was recorded as a duo (Anna Jordan and Dennis Cassidy). The album also features stunning string arrangements performed by cellist Kate Ellis and violinist Cora Venus Lunny (Crash Ensemble) scored by Judith Ring.

Some of the pieces on the album were composed by Anna during lockdown. You can almost feel the stillness and softness in the songs, the intimacy and sense of space that comes from the process of creating alone in that focused state of mind, which was a very welcome escape from the stress of that time.

Singles from the album include poignant and introspective ‘Moments’, that was recently released; ‘No Saviours’ a vibrant track, with folk/Americana undertones, accentuated beautifully by a string arrangement composed by Judith Ring; and ‘Spill’ which Hot Press described as “a starry-eyed track that belongs in an Oscar nominated indie movie”.

SELK performed two sold out shows in Dingle over the last few months, one as a four piece as part of the Other Voices festival in the beautiful chapel ‘An Díseart’, the other as a two piece (Anna & Dennis Cassidy) at the Féile na Bealtaine festival in The Green Room.

‘Shed The Skin’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.

“Sister’s Love”, by Irish singer-songwriter Rebecca Winckworth, is a captivating bolero written in dedication to the loyalty and strength of sisterhood.

Rebecca wrote this song about the experience of being reunited with her sisters after years without seeing each other, and living on opposite sides of the world: Australia, Colombia, and Ireland. In a sense, this time apart in fact brought them closer. Over time, we may drift apart, and we may have our differences, but the unwavering support of our sisters will always be there to guide us, especially through life’s most difficult of times.

The single features Rebecca’s distinctive songwriting style of heartfelt lyrics, pure melodies and uplifting harmonies, with Latin rhythms, sounds, and world instruments including guitars, requinto, bongos, congas, and maracas.

Irish singer, Rebecca, has graced the world’s most prestigious stages with shows such as Anúna and Ragús, and as a special guest with Celtic Woman.

Based most of her time now in Medellín, Colombia, Rebecca still returns regularly to produce and perform shows at home.

Rebecca’s musical style represents her global outlook, mixing her Irish roots and love for ballads, with international sounds, rhythms, and social issues.

‘Sister’s Love is available on all major streaming platforms now.

https://found.ee/sisterslove

Combining modern folk stylings with an indie rock heart that weaves between the tender and the uplifting, Pearse McGloughlin has been honing his singular signwriting craft since before his debut record ‘Busy Whisper’ appeared in 2009. Often dealing with literary themes his writing speaks to the personal and the nostalgic, sometimes recalling actual events, at other times reaching out into the fantastical and the “artistically hifalutin”.

Pearse’s latest work and his sixth studio album –Keg– is an upbeat delve into the rag and bone shop of the psyche, channelling Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Neutral Milk Hotel, Joe Meek and the lo-fi glint of a nineteen sixties documentary film. It is a melting pot of personal nostalgia, drum machines, spectral tape hiss, grief, glossolalia, media overwhelm, quiet country roads and giddy highs.

Pearse has provided soundtracks and music for film (‘Shine’ and ‘Around Here’), myriad art projects (his music has featured in the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo (collaborating with his brothers , directors, Kevin and Páraic) andin commercial advertising. The music has been described as captivating, elegant and nuanced and has appeared in The Irish Times, on the BBC and RTE as well as at festivals such as Electric Picnic and on Irish television TG4.

Keg was recorded to tape by producer Julie McLarnon (Jeffrey Lewis, The Vaselines) at Analogue Catalogue in Newry, Northern Ireland. “We recorded Keg over a series of studio sessions in 2022. The process (of recording direct to tape) is more exacting than working digitally as you only get a few tries at it. You have to literally rewind the tape (and in so doing, write over your previous takes) to do another shot. So in a way, this album is actually a multi-layered collection, the final recordings most prominent among the ghosts of previous takes running through it.”

It is often said that the best way out, is through.

Keg is out on all major streaming platforms.

‘Enemy’ is AILSHA’s fourth single release of 2023 and is her heaviest track to date. The song is a follow-up to her recent releases ‘Sucker’, ‘Red Flags’ and ‘Sleep’, all of which have received BBC Radio 1 play and have been playlisted on key Spotify editorial playlists in the genre including Misfits 2.0, The Locker, Shockwave and Fresh Finds Rock.

With each single release this year, AILSHA has gradually explored her songs becoming heavier and heavier, with ‘Enemy’ being her first fully heavy track. The makeup artist turned video games composer utilises her love of gaming in this song which was inspired by the excitement of boss fights. Influenced by Japanese electronic metal and elements of cyberpunk, the song conveys the journey of battling and defeating an enemy in a boss fight, but also ruminating on how circumstances escalated into a war. The track features a drum breakdown between Al Quiff of Beardfire Studios and Dublin-based metalcore
drummer Veronika Švecová to symbolise the battle between forces.

“This year I have been exploring going heavier and heavier with each track I have released, and with ‘Enemy’ I wanted to explore this even further. I never thought I could scream but I pushed myself to try it for this song, and the heavily distorted guitars and crazy drum-offs in the track pushed the song beyond my expectations. I always like to incorporate my career as a video games composer into my releases but I wanted this song in particular to represent that side of my work. I want to show the world my darker side.” – AILSHA

‘Enemy’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.