Month: August 2019

Aiken Promotions proudly presents Gypsies on the Autobahn live at The Button Factory, 15^th November 2019. Tickets €15.00 inclusive of booking fee, available now from Ticketmaster.

The four-piece is comprised of brothers, lead singer James and drummer Dan Smith, guitarist Niall Mooney, and Gary Quinn on bass. After processing their first outing 2017’s ‘Born Brief’, a record ten years in the making, it’s evident that they have arrived at a point in their lives where they not only know the music they want to make but also they know themselves more than they ever did before. Freed up from the pressure of introducing where they came from on their debut, ‘SUSPENDED’ brings with it a more mature sound and central theme of hope born from moments of struggle.

Talking about writing the record, James said he had always previously found it necessary to try to use his lyrics to speak to someone else. However when it came to moving forward he found that familiar process transitioning into one that delivered lyrics he identified as him searching for hope for himself. It’s that intimacy and insular dialogue that delivers ‘SUSPENDED’’s big emotional punch and creates inevitable internal conversations for the listener because everyone can relate to them on a deeply personal level.

While they admit they write songs in what might be considered a backwards way, music first and lyrics second, it’s easy to see that it is born from an understanding between four young men who have been creating together for over a decade. This understanding allows them to continually bring each other outside of their comfort zones. A lack of fear in suggesting things that might on the surface level sound unorthodox, ultimately delivers moments of glory that give this sophomore record brand new life. Being so close for so long doesn’t come without conflict, yet even as tensions rose and a battle between their own aggressions and sensitivities reared its head, all it did was create a raw environment where only candour could exist.

While every band becomes a family at some stage, brothers James and Dan grew up in house where music literally moved the walls. If there was a fifth member just as responsible for their sound, it would be that family home which doubles as their rehearsal space. On a regular day you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find their younger brother Kevin (widely known as Kojaque) upstairs building a sonic movement that recently captured a generation in this country and bands like Soda Blonde, formerly Little Green Cars, passing you by at the stairs as they carry out their own rehearsals and writing sessions. It’s very easy to see why music has become the first language of anyone who walks through its doors.

Teaming up with producer Ciaran Bradshaw, ‘SUSPENDED’ glues together seamlessly but is never afraid to go places the previous track hasn’t, providing big guitar moments that meet at a crossroads with the slower piano driven junctures like the record’s heart breaking first single ‘Make You Mine’. You can’t help but feel that Gypsies on the Autobahn aren’t just wanted by those who listen to them, they are needed. Four men unafraid to be vulnerable in a society where that so rarely transpires. A voice for everyday people who carry real tragedy but can’t help but move forward with an infinite hope for the future.

Launched to a sold out crowd at the Roisin Dubh in Galway, Partland is back with the new single, ‘Hope To Love Again’.

“Partland’s blend of energetic and intimate vocals makes for a heartfelt Summer pop song. It is time for Partland to take the next step and find the audience that his music deserves.” – Cian O’Connell, Connacht Tribune

“The new sound that can be heard on the new single is a return to form, an emotional gut punch that demands further listens.”- The Leitrim Observer

Partland has gigged in various countries, Canada, Germany, France, Scotland and England and all over Ireland, supporting Damien Dempsey, HamsandwicH, Picturehouse and Heathers.

His first album, ‘Sing Me To Shore’ was featured as Shannonside and Northern Sounds’s Charlie McGettigan’s ‘Album of the Month’.

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‘Out Patience’ is the third single from Galway based post punk outfit Slyrydes. Slyrydes caught the attention of the Irish music press with their 2019 debut singles Mental Health and Point of view. Known for their honest, passionate and agressive deliveries Slyrydes have a lot to say. 

Recorded by Daniel Doherty (Fontaines DC, Vulpynes, Galants, Murder Capital) in Darklands audio Dublin. 

‘Out Patience’ picks up where Mental Health left off. Ominous pounding bass and drums, swirling chaotic guitars and combative raw vocals. This is a song about running out of time. 

It’s going to be alright’ folks, even though the summer is ending, D. Cullen’s latest single will keep the good vibes going. ‘Alright’ is a John Lennon-esque piano ballad with a rousing chorus featuring a choir and a horn section giving it a Motown feel: altogether perfect for those last lazy days of summer. ‘Alright’ was produced by award-winning English producer and singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine (Eddi Reader, The Corrs, Sia), who also plays bass on the track, and is released on September 27^th.

D. Cullen is otherwise known as Darragh Cullen, a twenty-four-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Dublin. Despite his young age, D. Cullen has already had significant success in the music business, releasing his first album when he was just fifteen, which lead to him being named Male Solo Artist of the Year 2011 by Jackie Hayden of Hot Press. After two well received solo albums he went on to form a band called The New 52. The quartet released an album, ‘Let Me Sleep’, in 2016 as well as three singles and an EP, with their single ‘I Am’ reaching number 1 on the iTunes Rock Charts in Ireland.

The New 52 went their separate ways earlier this year and D. Cullen refocussed his attention back to his solo career. After all, when you can sing, write, and play piano, bass, guitar and drums, the need for collaborators is not as urgent! ‘The Rising Tide’ was the first single released in February, a brooding string-laden track accompanied by a stunning black and white video featuring impressive drone footage, directed by Ian Whelan. 

‘Alright’ is D. Cullen’s second single and will be featured on his upcoming album, as yet untitled, which is also produced by Boo Hewerdine and recorded by Chris Pepper. D. Cullen will be doing some live shows throughout the autumn (dates below) to launch ‘Alright’ and test out the new material in front of live audiences. D. Cullen already has stacks of experience onstage including a much talked-about barnstorming performance at Electric Picnic in 2012, as well as gigs with HamSandwich and Little Green Cars, so he’s very much looking forward to getting back under the spotlight.

Upcoming Gigs:

Wed 2^nd October         Whelan’s Upstairs, Dublin (single launch)
Sat. 5^th October           Roisin Dubh Upstairs, Galway
Fri 11^th October           Rogue Gallery, Waterford
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Ahead of Dublin-based musician and singer Kiruu’s album release on August 24th, two tracks have been shared.

‘Tibet’ (released 17/08/2019) is an energetic ska/reggae track written in response to the 2008 unrest in Tibet. It features a harmonizing wind section accompanied by a rhythmic accordion, as well as some occasion touches of the melodica. The song talks about activism and resistance.

‘Fading Pain’ (released 21/08/2019) is a thumping rumba and swing combination. With an orchestral intro, soaring trumpet solos and subtle guitar work, the track is a hip-mover which moves between Spanish rumba rhythm verses and a manouche style chorus. Its lyrical theme is recovery and recuperation.

Both tracks are taken from Kiruu’s first full-length LP ‘Super Feo Express’ and were recorded at Hellfire Studios, Dublin. The LP will be released August 24^th on digital platforms, and on CD and Vinyl with a live launch concert in Lost Lane, Dublin on September 24^th. 

A “world fusion” offering, the album follows in the footsteps of Manu Chao and Paul Simon, exploring a variety of genres and styles through the medium of different languages, namely English, Spanish, Swahili with sprinklings of French and Irish as well.

Kiruu music is available on itunes, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Youtube

Having worked extensively all decade with a wide variety of labels and publishers, including Sony, Ultra, Feel Good Lost, Good Soldier Songs, Universal, and Warner, producing music for critically and commercially successful acts such as Talos, Daithí and with Young Wonder, Cork based music producer Ian Ring unveils his debut solo project Boku, with his debut single ‘Rise’, out Friday 16th August,via Soul Jamz Records. 

Introducing Boku, Ian says: “Over the years of producing and writing music for different artists I always found myself moulding my creative mindset to suit the artist and musical realm/genre that they live in.

Boku means “l” and it is music that is personal to me. In essence, I want to create music people can dance too when I DJ but also something that can musically sit on its own outside the world of DJ sets and clubs. The music falls under the electronic umbrella I guess, but I hope my music never really fits into one specific type of genre too comfortably.

‘Rise’ started with a Breakbeat I built, I wanted to create something hypnotic and atmosphere with beats people can dance too, I love that type of contrast. I always try to find something that shouldn’t really work like these slightly detuned synths in rise, I felt it brought a sense of danger and urgency. Music should never sound too clean or perfect in my opinion, it loses character.”

Ian Ring is a Cork-based music producer, who who has just unveiled his debut solo project, Boku, this August.

Ian has worked extensively all decade with a wide variety of labels and publishers, including Sony, Ultra, Feel Good Lost, Good Soldier Songs, Universal, and Warner, producing music for critically and commercially successful acts such as Talos, Daithí and with Young Wonder.

His work has received multiple Choice Prize nominations, and achievements include BBC Radio 1 single of the week, Hype Machine number 1 plus has been used in adverts by the likes of Calvin Klein and MTV. It has also been featured on sites like Pitchfork, New York Times, Pop justice, Brooklyn Vegan and Pigeons & Planes.

He has played support to ALT J at the 02 Shepherds Bush plus other big artists such as Toro y Moi, while other notable live performances include big slots at the Heineken stage at the Electric Picnic, Longitude in Ireland, Latitude in the UK and many more.

The Boku journey begins in August and continues with a number of releases on Soul Jamz records.

Tolu Makay is an independent artist based in Dublin, raised in Offaly, and born in Nigeria. She uses music as an expressive tool to make sense of life around her. Her first single release of 2019, ‘Ocean’, is out now. It fits into an alt pop-soul genre.

Losing someone is hard and the memories that seep through unknowingly is what makes it harder to let go. ‘Oceans’ represents the loop effect of one’s memories. In the music video, directed by NothinToFancy Productions and Tolu, ‘Ocean’ describes memory to be like a scratched vinyl that is in a constant loop. The track is melancholic but masked with an upbeat tempo.

Inspired by the likes of Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, Sabrina Claudio, Jhene Aiko, etc. This emerging Soul Alt singer strives to create powerful, emotive songs that will inspire generations to come.

While staying true to the theme of experience, empowerment, and self-love, her two singles released in 2018, ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Reflection’ have become anthems for many young women finding their feet.

https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/tolu-makay/1255343563
https://open.spotify.com/artist/337qYJNRgFq2iddKtqiHDG?si=bicZrmc4THiZkSkXCiWx7g
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Girl Band are excited to share ‘Going Norway’ the second single from their new album ‘The Talkies’, out on Rough Trade Records on September 27th.  ‘The Talkies’ is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed debut LP ‘Holding Hands with Jamie’, of which Pitchfork wrote, “it’s hard to think of another guitar-based band conjuring fear this exhilarating and volume this rapturous.” Following on the heels of lead single ‘Shoulderblades’, ‘Going Norway’ debuted with a  Bob Gallagher directed music video for the track, and can be found streaming on all DSPs. A 7” vinyl version of the single is also out now. 

‘The Talkies’ was produced by the band’s own Daniel Fox, and recorded in November 2018 at Ballintubbert House, a stately manor  on the outskirts of Dublin. “In many ways,” says band member Alan Duggan, “the idea behind the album was to make an audio representation of the manor home.” The space became Girl Band’s sonic playground as the members worked to adjust to the house’s corners and textures to create the soundscape of the record.”  

Dara comments, “‘Going Norway’ was actually one of the first tracks we finished but the melody actually comes from a track that I wrote about 8 years ago. I saved that melody and brought it up when I didn’t have any ideas left, I was also doing a lot of mindfulness mediation around the time of it, so lyrically I decided not to use any pronouns within ‘Going Norway’ and the whole album – that came about when I came across this quote from the Buddha which was ’Nothing is to be clung to as I, me or mine’ – and I removed all that in a way to kind of find an abstract world to live in.”

‘In Going Norway’, we hear the mimicry of Dara’s vocal to Alan’s guitar coming close to a moan, both simultaneously reaching outside of the confines of Adam’s steady, flitting snare sound: “And Why/ Is the Death/ So Alive?”.  The track pushes and pulls against itself, and the emotion is felt within this combative movement and the elongation of vowels – the intensive repetition to the point of abstraction results in a violent discrepancy between language and meaning, as Dara draws attention instead to the way the mouth moves and how sound is formed.

Album Track List
Prolix
Going Norway
Shoulderblades
Couch Combover
Aibohphobia
Salmon of Knowledge
Akineton
Amygdala
Caveat
Laggard
Prefab Castle
Ereignis

Pre-order/pre-save ‘The Talkies’ here: https://girlband.ffm.to/thetalkies

LIVE 

Oct 2nd – Chicago – Beat Kitchen 
Oct 4th – Allston, MA – Great Scott 
Oct 5th – Philly, PA – Boot and Saddle 
Oct 6th – Washington, DC – Songbyrd, DC
Oct 8th – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere 
Nov 2nd – Manchester – Academy 2
Nov 5th – London – Electric Ballroom
Nov 7th – Brussels – Botanique (Sold Out)
Nov 8th – Utrecht – Le Guess Who? 2019 
Nov 12th – Berlin – Bi Nuu
Nov 14th – Paris – La Maroquinerie 
Nov 22nd – Dublin – Vicar Street (Sold Out)
Nov 23rd – Dublin – Vicar Street 

Photo Credit: Richard Gilligan  

Girl Band Website // Twitter // Facebook // Rough Trade