“Epic. Grandiose. Staggering. Amplified guitar-pop at its mind-blowing best.” – Turn Up The Volume
“Melodic, hooky guitar pop.” – Cobra Promotions
Formed in 2018 as Soundstrand, STRAND is a five-piece indie-pop outfit from Finglas, North Dublin. The group features Dara Clancy on vocals, Shane Aherne on bass, David Solola and JP Roche on guitar and Jude Finn on drums. From their inception as schoolboys, STRAND’s sound has aged as they have. Starting out with a youthful-sounding blend of Buzzcocks and Housemartins, the band’s sound has evolved and matured, introducing elements of indie-pop (think Inhaler), garage-rock revival (think The Strokes) and new-wave (think The Cure).
Beginning on the independent venue circuit of Dublin, STRAND have headlined and sold out most key venues in the city, including The Workman’s Club, The Grand Social, Fibber Magees and Whelan’s.
The group have bided their time, waiting until 2024 to begin releasing music to Streaming platforms. March 2024 saw the release of ‘American Radio’, a sonic ode to their gritty initial sound. STRAND entered the studio with Keelan O’Reilly of Post-Party to begin work on their upcoming 5-track EP. The first single, Progress saw its release in October and is now being followed up by November’s ‘Upside Inside’.
Upside Inside is the third single from Dublin’s fresh-faced indie five-piece STRAND, and the second in promotion of their upcoming debut EP, An ode to doing ‘nothing at all’, ‘Upside Inside’ navigates the mundane nature of being an adrift 20-something. Bassist/lyricist Shane Aherne’s penmanship and the band’s performance on the track, however, are anything but mundane.
The interesting juxtaposition provides the tune’s charm – leaving the listener with the feeling that maybe it’s okay to be aimless once in a while. Between the bouncy rhythm, witty lyrics, infectious energy, Nick Valensi-esque guitar hook and that chorus, this song is the epitome of fun and bound to be stuck in your head for days, if not weeks to come.
The single was recorded in Transmission Rooms in Drumlish, Co. Longford – which has seen the likes of Shane McGowan, Kodaline, Declan McKenna, The Script, The Waterboys and Cronin darken its door – with Post-Party’s Keelan O’Reilly. O’Reilly’s poppy, yet punchy production lends itself to the track’ accessibility, and the song as a whole leaves the listener with the parting emotion every band aims for – wanting more.