New Irish music: from Fionn Regan, Kormac and Otherkin

SONGS OF THE WEEK

Kormac - I Believe

Producer, DJ and big band leader Kormac returns with a new single that casts his jazz-sample electronic style in the best festival anthem light.

I Believe

is a piano-stomping summer tune.

Niamh Regan - Tried To
Pastoral folk, in the style of artists such as Karen Dalton and Laura Marling, is the vibe at play Galway singer-songwriter Niamh Regan's recent EP highlight.

Sea Pinks - Into Nowhere

What started as a jangly indie pop side-project for Neil Brogan when he was with Girls Names has developed into a three-piece with Steven Henry and Davey Agnew and taken a more sophisticated route as heard on the lead single from new sixth album

Watercourse

out on May 26th.

Autre Monde

- Customs

Popical Island associates Paddy Hanna, Mark Chester (Ginnels), Padraig Cooney (Skelocrats, Land Lovers, Tieranniesaur) and Eoghan O’Brien (No Monster Club) got together inspired by the music of Television, early Brian Eno, John Cale , ESG, Television, Suicide, The Slits and with their debut single, they’ve nailed a loose rock style of the era.

Katie Laffan - Tastemaker

Young Dubliner Katie Laffan has been developing her bedroom lo-fi funk pop music over the last few years. Her latest song

Tastemaker

has some disco glitter to it belying a warning about music industry sharks.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Fionn Regan - The Meetings Of The Waters

Five years since his last full-length and 11 years out from his breakthrough debut, it sounds like time away has left Fionn Regan with a renewed sense of purpose. Having considered being a visual artist but instead delving into production inspired by electronic music sensibilities,

The Meetings Of The Waters

feels like a stepping stone to a new path for Regan. Ditching the Dylan-influence completely, the album largely features meditative spacious folk music that sustains quietly like smouldering embers and a centrepiece of three songs with more layered rock music-style songs. The album was inspired by its countryside construction, a slower life, also of more space and time.

NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK

Cities

Promising to meld influences from pop, R&B and electronic, the newly arrived Dublin band certainly have moulded those touchstones into a sound that has elements of artists such as The 1975, M83 and Ed Sheeran on their debut single

Give It Up,

produced by Phil Magee (Kodaline, The Script) .

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Otherkin - Bad Advice

A rock band performance in a nicely-lit studio with some good camerawork that makes use of cut-out circles placed apart and with some clever editing? This video makes it look easier than it is.