Author: Breffni Banks

Moncrieff is only getting started – having performed with Adele and impressed greats like Elton John and Avicii with his songwriting, Moncrieff is set to release his brand new EP “Warm” on 2 September via German label energie.

‘Music has always been a lens that I use to look at the world and process my feelings.”

Following the successful release of his debut single “Warm” – an instant hit that went top-10 in Irish Radio and was performed live on Germany’s ARD Network (“Frühstücksfernsehen”) – Moncrieff is about to unleash his brand-new EP for German label energie: Also entitled “Warm”, it is comprised of six heartfelt anthems – arriving on September 2.

Moncrieff’s intimate compositions immediately hit you and get under your skin: The six tracks that make up his first EP for energie not only create a unique mood; they also offer a stunning sonic portrait of an exceptional musician who isn’t afraid to address his demons in the studio, of a young man who has been using songwriting to make sense of life for years. Moncrieff knows how to build soaring hooks and juxtapose calm verses with highly explosive choruses. He bridges the gap between vulnerable falsetto and raucous feel-good moments. His new EP “Warm”: Opens with the title track “Warm” which entered the Irish top ten (radio) in 2022 serves as the perfect introduction to Moncrieff’s poignant and deeply personal songwriting.

Sophomore single “Ruin” is an anthem about those “moments where you are both vulnerable and invincible at the same time and for a brief second, absolutely nothing in the world could stop you“  it’s another stunning example of his craft. “‘Ruin’ is about learning to open yourself back up to people after going through loss,” adds the singer who lost two siblings as a teenager. “Learning to love and accept love again can be the most difficult thing to do, but finding that person or people in your life who see you for who you are with all your flaws and insecurities, and love you nonetheless, is what makes it worth it.” Facing his fears and daring to let other people in, the arrangement perfectly mirrors the emotional roller coaster ride.

Another heartfelt track on this EP is “Talk” – a ballad in which Moncrieff recounts the first time he opened up about having suicidal thoughts. “I never had any intention of writing the song.” He confesses. “I didn’t want to dramatise or poeticise it at all – the story literally happened as I tell it in the song – down to the date, the Fourth of April. After the initial shock of losing my brother began to wear off, I fell into a silent battle for almost two and a half years which I couldn’t see myself winning without him. I ended up telling my best friend how I felt one night while in his car on a drive, and it saved my life.”

The story within “Talk” seems to epitomise Moncrieff and this latest body of work – an artist with a mission to connect with people through heartfelt and sincere music. The loss of his only siblings turned him into someone who realises that life is too short to waste time not being the truest version of yourself and doing what you love.

“Music is my medicine. It’s taught me that there is beauty in everything that you are – the flaws and imperfections, doubts and uncertainties, in our darkest moments as well as our brightest. So now I wear my scars proudly because they are part of what makes me, me.”

After moving to London to pursue his music career, it wasn’t long before the music greats took notice. Sir Elton John noted him as ‘one to watch’ on his radio show ‘The Rocket Hour’ and Adele recruited him to perform as a backing vocalist for a number of her live shows.

Moncrieff will be bringing his incredible stage presence to this year’s Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg/Germany. Stay tuned for more live shows later this year.

“Warm” Moncrieff’s brand new EP is out across all digital platforms on 2 September 2 via energie.

For more information:

www.moncrieffmusic.com

Instagram: @_moncrieff

TikTok: @moncrieff_

Facebook: @MoncrieffMusic

Dublin musician Pádraig Cooney shares his dreamy bedroom pop single ‘Houses (feat. Bronwyn Murphy-White)’ today, Thursday 1 September 2022, via Strange Brew Records and announces his forthcoming debut album Centuries of Learning, out Thursday 29 September 2022.

Cooney is now releasing music under his own name after writing and performing in Dublin-based bands for over a decade, from Land Lovers through Skelocrats to Autre Monde. He was a founder member of the Popical Island Collective, which ran a label, venue, and other initiatives through the 2010s.

‘Houses’ is a property ballad characterised by lush 70s synths and stilted latin percussion straight out of a box, with a vocal melody to go all the way to court for. His wife, Bronwyn Murphy-White, takes the lead on vocals, her sweet, haunting voice like something out of a David Lynch movie. The track’s lyrics—“Houses, what of the prospect of doing without? Why bother with them when you can turn out / Eight hundred bedroom hotels?”—will certainly hit home for anyone who’s been crushed by Ireland’s ongoing housing crisis.

Cooney says of the track: “I have been in a few bands now and made several records. I consciously approached this album as a moral redux of the first record I ever recorded myself, the 2008 Land Lovers debut Romance Romance, in that it’s all me, putting everything into making the best thing I can make with the limited talents and means at my disposal at home. I have an ace to play in that context, and it was the beautiful singing of my wife Bronwyn who kindly stepped in to raise this number up higher than the mountain. Side-note: the single is released on our daughter Juno’s first birthday!

“‘Houses’ is a song about the perversity of the house as an object of desire and speculative asset. The outro has a load of ‘lololos’ rather than ‘lalalas’, which is the Spanish way and is pleasing and amusing to my ear.”

Cooney previously released two singles from Centuries of Learning, ‘Space’ and ‘Engrenages,’ which can be found wherever you listen to music.

Connect with Pádraig Cooney

BANDCAMP | IG | TWITTER | SPOTIFY

“For someone so young, Jack Keeshan’s writing prowess is beyond his years”- Roddie Cleere (Irish Music Show)

“Jacks songs touch on the metaphysical and his early music has the echoes of titans running through it. It has Leonard Cohen’s fingerprints , the scent of the best of Bob Dylan and at its core is an inimitable gentleness and ease that makes it instantly endearing” – Darren Keegan (Midlands Tribune)

A proud Roscrea native, Jack Keeshan is not just some other young fellow with a guitar strung round his shoulder; this becomes evident when you see the young man perform.
He has the fingerprints of Bob Dylan and the echoes of Bob Marely flowing through his music. This is a young songwriter with a very different message.

In today’s world music can be very formulated and constructed in many diverse forms and because of this type of manufacturing having an artist who can stand by their authentic self is important. On one hand it’s key that these beliefs and morals be there and on the other there must be awareness so they don’t compromise their work, they need to strike a balance. Jack’s morals and visions would seem to come from his passion.
When the songwriter plays he oozes passion and dedication and it is truly infectious while also having the ability to inspire passion in other people.

This young man has an amazing gift to communicate through song and spoken word.
He believes it does not matter who someone is or whether they are rich or poor, young or old, the thing to keep at the front of our minds is that everyone has something to teach even down to someone we may believe has nothing to teach, they always do if you just listen.

Jack definitely has a positive philosophy on life and the world as a whole. Mental health has been a very important issue that he has done a lot of work for through busking and working as a mental health officer during his years at college.

Keeshan has just released “Internal Dialogue” a six track E.P that deals with a lot of social issues ranging from domestic violence to addiction and housing.

He plays Electric Picnic on the 3^rd of September.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvkZ8VkmAus
https://www.facebook.com/Jackkeeshanmusic
https://www.instagram.com/jackkeeshanmusic/?hl=en

Carlow born singer/songwriter Jack O’Flaherty is making his name with an alternative take on pop music. Combining influence from his Indie Rock background with modern pop production, his songs are lean, hooky interpretations of the world around him.

Featured in Hot Press, The Irish Times and high-profile advertising campaigns; multi-instrumentalist O’Flaherty draws influence from Talking Heads and Fela Kuti, Arctic Monkeys and Foals. If that sounds unique, improbable and intriguing to you, you’re right… and it’s delicious!

Best known for his writing and performing with EXILES (Red Lights EP, RVM) and Mitch (Hot Singles in Your Area EP), Jack was reborn as a solo artist in 2022 and independently released his debut single ‘Pushback’ which earned regional and national airplay (2FM, Today Fm) and extensive playlisting across streaming platforms.

‘Make It’ is a new departure and the first in a string of singles slated for release in 2022. ‘The song is part introspection and part me making a case for a doomed love affair!’ says Jack ‘ I wanted to explore that feeling when you can’t work out why it’s so hard to make things work, that feeling of am I broken?!’

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackflamusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackflamusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackflamusic.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdp…

Friday 2nd September sees Dublin singer-songwriter Gerr Walsh release September. The new single from his debut album ‘Ghosts of Hope & Magic’ is a meditative reflection on the natural world at this time of year when the growing has ended and the days are shortening. It features Max Greenwood on piano and Katherine Atkinson on violin.

The Album, features Drummer Adam Marcello (Katy Perry), Bassist Keith Duffy (The Corrs), Keyboardist Max Greenwood (Jerry Fish, Jack L, Tom Baxter), Backing vocalist Naimee Coleman and Gerr Walsh on guitars and vocals.

Gerr’s previous singles Strays and Sleeping Giant received numerous airplays from Radio stations across the country, hitting the Top 10 in the RTE Radio 1 Airplay Charts  and appearing three times on the RTE1 Recommends Playlist. Gerr’s debut album Ghosts of Hope & Magic received a 3.5 star review from from Tony Clayton Lea in The Business Post calling it a “Fluid, Cinematic, Seductive” album.

Bio:

Gerr Walsh, is a singer-songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. He releasedhis debut EP ‘Prevailing Winds’ in 2016 – a collection of indie-folksongs, with a melodic heart.  With regular plays on radio by latenight DJs, including RTE Radio 1’s Fiachna ó Braonáin and JohnCreedon, Gerr is building a loyal fanbase playing live with thelikes of Joe Chester, Naimee Coleman and Alice Jago.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/GerrWalsh

www: https://gerrwalshmusic.ie/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GerrWalsh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gerrwalshmusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerrwalsh

Acclaimed singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Katie Kim returns for her sixth full-length album ‘Hour Of The Ox’. The Dublin-based artist enters a new epoch as her new collection of music is set to be her concluding work under the Katie Kim moniker. A sonically opulent and majestic new territory, written and recorded while in the process of moving to New York and subsequently mixed after returning to Ireland during the pandemic, ‘Hour of the Ox’ tells a story of longing and desperation for something different. An incompatible, disparate but devoted view of the world, told through lush strings, an orchestra of synthesizers, and live minimalist style drums.

In the artist’s own words – “Hour of the Ox is a collection of quiet moments that began alone, in flow, that were then generously reconstructed and reinforced with TMT steel. A sort of time capsule recorded over a period of time that was unforgiving and vengeful.”

Produced, arranged and recorded by Katie Kim and long-time collaborator John “Spud” Murphy (Black Midi / Caroline / Lankum), mood is central to the expansive musical landscape throughout the new album. Whether the recordings be bedroom, field or studio recordings. Darkened corners, icy atmospheres and hypnotic knife edge soundscapes. Piano chords stretch to infinity. Cinematic in scope and tectonic in delivery, many have used her scores in documentaries, film and TV to deliver their stories.

‘Hour Of The Ox’ will be released on 9 September on limited edition vinyl with exclusive pre-orders available here.

The album launch takes place on 10 September at The Button Factory in Dublin.

This will be Katie Kim’s only headline Dublin show for the rest of 2022, tickets are available at eventbrite.ie/e/katie-kim-hour-of-the-ox-album-launch-tickets-352492684107

Instagram  //  Twitter  //  Bandcamp  //  Facebook

Photo: Thom McDermott

Who Was That? was written by Gavin Murphy & Tony Kavanagh.

Produced by Gavin Murphy & Ger McDonnell.

Lead vocals and guitars by Gavin Murphy. Speaking about his new single, Gavin says “The music is inspired by a middle eastern feel with an indie pop/rock psychedelic swagger”

Living on Ireland’s north-west coast, Gavin Murphy hails from Dublin’s NorthSide. His debut album ‘45 RPM (Replay Past Memories)’ was recorded and produced by Gavin in his home studio in Sligo.

Working with Gavin on this track was producer Ger McDonnell (U2, The Cure, Sinead O’Connor) along with Paul Byrne on drums, Robbie Malone (David Gray band) on bass and Sarah Crummy on backing vocals.

Gavin is currently a music tutor for Music Generation in Sligo.

More new music from Gavin will be released soon…

Gavin will be performing at the Electric Picnic Festival, Ireland on the Global Green Stage at 3pm on Saturday 3rd September.

His previous single “Embrace The Stars” was playlisted on RTÉ Radio 1.

His debut ‘45 RPM (Replay Past Memories)’ – RTÉ Radio 1 Album of the Week and received a glowing review by Hot press music magazine.

Contact with Gavin Murphy: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Spotify

Mandala’ is the second single, and first fully solo effort from Wicklow based artist Aran Sheehy. It will be released on all major streaming platforms on Thursday, the 1st of September, 2022.
Aran’s debut ‘Burn,’ a collaboration with Ailsha, went to number 1 in the iTunes Electronic Charts.
2022 has seen Aran be the recipient of awards from both The Arts Council of Ireland and DLR County Council to create two separate albums with Manyana, an electronica duo of which he is a member of with David O’Rourke.
Music written, recorded, and produced by Aran has been featured on platforms such as RTÉ, Hot Press, iHeartRadio, SBS Australia, SpaceAmbient (over 100,000 subscribers) and The Psychedelic Muse (over 250,000 subscribers)

Aran’s music has also gained hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify and other platforms.

Apart from his solo career and his work with Manyana, Aran works as a freelance journalist for Hot Press and presents his own radio show on Downda Road Radio entitled ‘Emerald Sounds’ (which showcases up and coming Irish artists) He also works as a freelance producer and sound engineer, and has recently has been awarded entry into 2022’s ‘Music Production for Games’ class in Griffith College.

In the Artists Words

“I’m so happy to announce the release of my next single ‘Mandala.’ This song draws influences from all across the electronic spectrum, especially from deep house, tech house, techno and IDM. ‘Mandala’ is driven by a heavily distorted bass riff crafted with a Korg MS20, a trademark synth of the 1970’s and my instrument of choice when looking to create deep, emotive electronica.
I wrote this song while in recovery for a horrible, debilitating neck injury that had meant I couldn’t work on music, exercise, or even socialise for several months. Initially, the sudden loss of these three key platforms on which I had built my life upon was mentally devastating but, eventually, through much physical and psychological conditioning, I was able to traverse this difficult path towards the recovery of both my mind and body. ‘Mandala’ is the first song I wrote after being able to somewhat function in the same manner that I could previously, and as such represents my spiritual journey through such an unexpectedly dark period of my existence.”

‘Mandala’

Written, produced, performed and mastered by Aran Sheehy.

Artwork by Aran Sheehy

Aran Sheehy’s links;

Spotify // Instagram