The vulnerability found in the music of Breeda Murphy traces back to the ballads she grew up singing in rural West Cork, Ireland. Steeped in the tradition of songs and singers, where stories are told and the voice is centre stage. Her songs, sometimes raw, sometimes allusive, always exquisitely sung, invite us to try to understand the essence of our own nature.
Breeda is delighted to blast off ‘A Place In You’ as the first single from her recent album ‘You Keep A Weather Eye’. Recorded in West Cork with co-producer Kenny Dread on delicate modal lead guitar, ‘A Place In You’ is a song that can help us through difficult times. A song of grace and beauty and uplift, it invites us to look within to find our place of stillness and wisdom.
A beautiful music video by Olivia Walsh featuring evocative underwater footage accompanies the single release.
Additionally, Cork architect Oisin Creagh used ‘A Place In You’ as the perfect soundtrack to a video of his pandemic cycle ride through of a deserted Cork city centre.
Shona Blake, has just released her latest single ‘Daughter’, which wraps us up in love and transports us to the sea during these times of isolation. Combining a delicate alt-folk voice with exquisite lyrics, ‘Daughter’ brings us to the core of mother-daughter relationships, at a time when we need it most.
Irish songwriter Train Room releases melodic acoustic single ‘Heroes Everywhere’ on 15th May 2020.
‘Heroes Everywhere’ is the new acoustic single self-produced in home studio in Mayo.
Train
Room have already played many headline shows in Ireland this year (Roisin Dubh,
Workmans, Grand Social, Bridge st) and upcoming May tour has been rescheduled
(Black Gate, Garbos)
Train Room are thankful for previous radioplay on RTE Radio One, Red FM, 2xm, 8 Radio, KCLR, Galwaybay FM, Midwest Radio, WPPM 106.5FM(Usa), WLRM. Performing under the moniker Train Room (Joe Monaghan), ‘Heroes Everywhere’ will be the native Mayo musician’s second single since disbanding from record label in Sweden to start producing his own music again.”
SIIGHTS released their self-titled debut 4-track EP and lead single ‘Blue Skies’ on April 3rd. Clocking over 200k streams since its release and playlist support on Spotify’s acclaimed New Music Friday UK, New Pop UK, Frühlings Chillout and Best New Pop, ‘Blue Skies’ is their fastest streaming single to date.
This dynamic duo are back and have joined forces with one of the most authentic young voices in hip-hop, JyellowL to deliver a raw and touching remix showcasing the song in a new alternative light. The track is a powerful earworm that touches on topics of loss, grief and a much-needed message of hope.
SIIGHTS revealed: “We reached out to JyellowL and having him involved has been amazing – he’s so talented, we love what he brought to the track and the personal perspective he shared lyrically. This song means a lot to us and was hard to write. We have both lost people close to us and it’s something that stays with you forever.”
Channelling his own experience of grief, JyellowL beautifully adds to the song’s sentiment with his personal lyrics and hypnotic flow which make for a striking collaboration that showcases the talent and distinctiveness of both acts.
JyellowL explains: “When Mia and Toni first sent me Blue Skies, it resonated with me instantly. At the time, I didn’t know their personal stories behind the lyrics, but it made me think of how I felt when I lost someone close to me. My grandfather raised me since I was a kid, so when he died it hit me hard. One day he was there and the next he was just gone – everything was thrown into disarray. After a while I started digging into my memory for the experiences we shared together – savouring them and replaying them as a way of coping. Holding on to memories and savoring shared experiences you had is a powerful thing to be able to draw on when people pass on, so I wrote my verses very much with that in mind.”
One of Ireland’s finest songwriters, Mark Geary, returns with a beautiful, hopeful new track, ‘The Forest’, this Friday 15th of May.
The song was written and recorded at Mark’s home in Pickering Forest, Co. Kildare.
Mark Geary says: “I woke up from a dream and there was a storm outside the window here in Pickering Forest. One of those real cinematic storms, with trees bending and lightning. I kept looking out at it all night and the thought occurred to me that some nights there’s a tempest – whether it’s outside or in you. The day after, I wrote the song in one burst. Writing about lonesomeness; writing about ‘my forest’; writing about my childhood: my beautiful brother, my chaotic father. The refrain ‘come into the light – come into the light’ was like a mantra; like a release.”
Mark has long been known for his reflective, autobiographical songwriting style, which over the years has earned him comparisons to some of the world’s greatest songwriters, with Time Out New York commenting that “his delicate songs about love and defiance recall Richard Thompson and John Lennon.”
“If I tried to sit down and actually write about any of this, with a clear plan of who gets mentioned, I wouldn’t get three lines. But when you walk into a song you need to be brave and alert to what wants to be said,” Mark notes.
The song was sent to ROMY to add keys and backing vocals as well as producing, engineering and mixing it, with assistance from David Odlum.
‘The Forest’ by Mark Geary is out on Friday 15th May on sonaBLAST! Records.
Singer/Songwriter
Cathal Flaherty is about to release his first live album – recorded live at the
INEC Acoustic Club in May 2019. Following on from the success of his debut EP
‘The Head & Heart’ it features 12 live tracks including previously un-released
recordings.
Cathal has supported some incredible national and international acts including Tears for Fears, Bonnie Tyler, Christy Dignam, Little Hours, Ruth Anne, Paddy Casey, Jack L, Delerentos and The Riptide Movement. In February, he was selected as a finalist by Today FM to support Gavin James in the 3 Arena in Dublin. His song ‘A Thousand Miles’ was featured heavily on national radio including Eoghan McDermott’s ‘Track of the Week’ on 2FM and also added to the RTE Radio 1 recommends playlist as well as Today FM, Beat 102-103 and Spin South West. It was the Number 1 played song on Corks C103 for two consecutive months after its release. It was also a finalist in the International Song Writing Competition 2019. His debut EP went to no. 5 in the iTunes charts the day of its release in 2018.
‘Cathal Flaherty Live at the INEC Acoustic Club’ will be released on all major platforms Friday May 22.
‘Oh No, Give Up’ is the latest single from Irish songwriter and producer Stephen Tiernan, under his Participant alias. Equally sincere and self-deprecating, the song recalls misspent summers and lethargic afternoons, set against a backdrop of acoustic guitar, warm synths and gentle vocals. In bracing the forthright lyrics of the verses against the melodramatic refrain (and title) Tiernan gives the listener a glimpse at an inner monologue, melancholic in one moment and sarcastic in another.
Tiernan, speaking about the song –
“When I finished the song and started planning the release, I had no idea of the circumstances we’d be living in now. The title and chorus lyrics, intended as an overly dramatic warning to myself, an attempt to breathe levity into other moments, now seem to recontextualize the song as a whole. This was not my intent, but I feel I have to acknowledge it. I had considered renaming it or tweaking the lyrics or maybe moving the release, but I feel that would have defeated the purpose of the song. This song is not about giving up, but striking a balance between where you’ve been and where you are.”
Dublin indie/emo quintet The Winter Passing return to the forefront this summer with their new album ‘New Ways Of Living’, due for release on 3rd July 2020 via Big Scary Monsters. In light of the announcement, the band have also released a video for their brand new single ‘Resist’.
Emerging from Dublin’s thriving DIY punk and hardcore scene, The Winter Passing are among the city’s most forward thinking indie/emo outfits. Formed by siblings Rob and Kate Flynn and guitarist Jamie Collison in their hometown of Tipperary, the band have become known for their fiery DIY work ethic, pressing their own records and tapes and booking their own shows across the world. Armed with a deluge of influences, from Sonic Youth, No Doubt and American Football to a collective fascination with film photography, Irish colloquialism and rural seaside towns, the band have consistently created an infectiously raw mix of punk energy and indie rock quirks. Fans have come to love them for their ability to expertly layer their many inspirations with a heady mix of vulnerability, that make their sound difficult to categorize yet easy to love.
Their 2017 EP ‘Double Exposure”garnered strong critical acclaim from Upset Magazine, The Irish Times, Clash Magazine and more, with Clash saying it is “one that boasts rhythmic flexibility while lyrically the group have rarely hit harder.”
In 2019 The Winter Passing released two new songs, ‘Original Sin’ and ‘Patience Please’, which knocked the band’s songwriting and musicianship to the next level. With each member bringing their unique set of skills and influences to the table, the band locked themselves away at The Ranch Production House to record their second album, ‘New Ways Of Living’, with producer Neil Kennedy. The band approached their new material with a heavy focus on strong melodies and the Flynn’s poetical outpourings centered around their experiences with loneliness, bullying, self-awareness, and Irish working-class anxieties.
The Winter Passing’s energetic live show has taken them far and wide: playing shows in the UK and Europe with the likes of Modern Baseball, The Wonder Years, Touche Amore, The Dirty Nil, Four Year Strong and more. In 2019 the band sold out their Dublin headline show at Whelan’s and have played packed out festival slots at FEST, 2000trees Festival, Manchester Punk Festival and Booze Cruise Bristol.
The Winter Passing are back and ready to bash down the doors of the alternative world. Armed with a slew of anthems and ballads alike, they’re a band whose creative outgoings and DIY ethos make them one of the most exciting bands coming out of Dublin right now, acting as a beacon of hope and catharsis in a forever murky sea of noise.
See The Winter Passing live: 01/08/2020 – Truck Festival Supporting Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties: 29/08/2020 – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms 30/08/2020 – Bristol, Exchange 31/08/2020 – Glasgow, Saint Luke’s 01/09/2020 – Birmingham, Mama Roux’s 02/09/2020 – Manchester, Gorilla 04/09/2020 – London, O2 Islington Academy
Dublin 3 Piece, Stolen City, are set to release their uplifting new single ‘Sparks’ on Friday May 8th 2020.
Following their Number 1. single ‘The Tower’ they now wish to display a brighter track that reflects on the excitement of a first love.
Comprised of Sean McGrath, Ian Bailey and David McCabe, Stolen City has
been growing massively around Ireland and is continuing to produce Easy
Listening Pop Music.
‘Sparks’ is a fresh and organic sound from the band, which is the perfect feel good song for radio.
Written after a night of reflection on their teenage years the lads had a “lightbulb moment” when together they realised, they all had the same idea.
Showing up to the rehearsal studio, Dave was ready to show off a piano line he had written for a song about young love and how it feels at the very beginning. Ian followed up to David`s piano line with a drum beat and structure that he had been working on for a similar type of song. Sean then weighed in with lyrics which he had written about reflecting on their teenage years and first loves.
Dave Said: “It was kinda weird how we all had the exact same idea at the exact same time, it was so strange how easy it was to put the song together.”
Isaac Butler has just released his brand new single ‘Paranoid’ today, the 8 May 2020.
Packed with buoyant Summer melodies and smooth guitar licks, ‘Paranoid’ is a reflective piece from the young artist, candidly detailing the breakdown of a romantic relationship.
Speaking of ‘Paranoid’ Isaac Butler said: “It’s about a relationship I was in and totally had the feeling I was getting messed around but constantly being told that nothing was going on. The music is happy and upbeat but ironically it’s quite a cynical song. I wrote it as a reflection on something that was a bad situation at the time but that doesn’t bother me anymore.”
Named in Her.ie’s “Ones To Watch for 2020″, ‘Paranoid’ follows Isaac Butler’s previous singles ‘Moon Song’, ‘Rescue Me’ and ‘Young Forever’ which have together racked up an amazing 1 million streams on Spotify so far.
Isaac Butler’s show at The Sound House show is now rescheduled to 9 October 2020, with all original tickets valid for the new date. It is his second headline show, having sold out his debut in Whelan’s last November and follows a jam-packed festival season in 2019, which saw Isaac Butler play a host of festival dates around the country including Electric Picnic and Kaleidoscope.
Isaac Butler’s debut single ‘Moon Song’ went on to great success being picked up by German TV show “The Bachelorette”, appearing on the show which broadcasts to over 2 million viewers per episode. Since writing his first song at age 12, and going on to record it for a children’s charity CD, his first love has been music, complete with a passion for writing and performing his own original work.
‘Paranoid’, the brand new single from Isaac Butler is out now.
