Nialler9's New Irish Music: Beauty Sleep, Sea Pinks, Automatic Tasty, and more

What’s essential in Irish music this week, including Sun Collective, Laoise, The Fontaines and Aikj


SONGS OF THE WEEK

Beauty Sleep - All In

Ryan McGroarty, Cheylene Murphy and Aimee Williamson’s dreamy pop Belfast project releases a track that mixes escapist indie-pop with a smudged disco bassline and chorus that is asking to seep into your summer skin.

Automatic Tasty - Listening Post

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The spirit of Kraftwerk and their1980s electro followers shines through in this latest production from Jonny Dillon. Don’t expect to see Automatic Tasty out there flogging his wares any time soon but a trip to his Soundcloud always unearths something of interest. He does support Altern8 in Dublin and Open Ear Festival on Sherkin Island this weekend though.

Sun Collective - Tides

Sun Collective are an eight-piece ensemble of classical and jazz musicians featuring members of the Crash Ensemble. A self-titled debut album written by the group’s Caimin Gilmore and Shane Sugrue is trailed by this undulating track of orchestral songwriting. They launch the album in D-Light Studios on June 10th with promoters Homebeat.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Sea Pinks - Watercourse

Former Girls Names’ drummer Neil Brogan has been using Sea Pinks name since 2010. It’s been his main gig since he left that band in 2013 and the project is a couple of years deep into being a trio with Davey Agnew on drums and Steven Henry on bass. It’s a prolific project and Watercourse is the band’s sixth full-length album in that short time. A Sea Pinks album always feels welcome though, as no-one else quite manages to draw together different strains of guitar pop: surf-rock, power-pop, jangly-indie and retro garage influences in quite the confident way that the band once again, do here. Highlights include the retro-tight title track, the stormy indie of Into Nowhere and the bounced rock of

How Long Must I Be Denied

.

NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK
The Fontaines

A Dublin five-piece rock band in the traditional sense who have been gigging all over the shop and singing in their own city’s accent. Check out their debut release

Liberty Belle

and

Rocket To Russia

, two songs with the DNA of 1950s rock’nroll, thumping garage and psych.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Laoise - Halfway

Directed by Christian Tierney

Two rising artists in their respective fields combine to highlight the current housing crisis. The only place that the Galway singer can find to live is a cave by the sea, plagued by red flares.