Music

Nialler9's New Irish Music: New Portals, Exit: Pursued By A Bear and more

Plus, new music from Travis Oaks, Windings, Rufus Coates & The Blackened Trees, Funeral Suits and R.S.A.G.

Honeyed pop: Northern Irish duo Ruth and Michael Aicken of New Portals

Niall Byrne
Fri May 6 2016 - 15:00

SONGS OF THE WEEK

Exit: Pursued By A Bear - Rabbit With Hat

The Cork band may have taken their name from a famous Shakespeare stage direction, but the band have yet to entrance the masses (ha!), despite general critical approval. Tadhg Hickey, Brian Lane, Paul O’Driscoll and Eoin O’Sullivan just announced the follow-up to their debut 2011 album on May 26th with this track, an impressively swoonsome electronic pop number.

Killian, Mike, Taran, Aran from Travis Oaks

R.S.A.G. - Leave A Light On

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Ireland's finest singing and drumming multi-instrumental talent Jeremy Hickey is back with a track that crosses brass parps, buzzing synths and nuanced percussion on a track that ignores basic good manners when it comes to electricity in the home.

Travis Oaks - Slow Burner

Coming across as a blues outfit covering Arctic Monkeys, this Cavan/Dublin rock'n'roll band also dropped a live 360 degree version of this single.

Fancy

. It's the lead track from their forthcoming EP,

Black Light

. The band have also signed a deal with New York-based Big House Publishing. Double fancy. You can catch them on the festival circuit this summer, including Knockanstockan, Sunflower Fest, Le Cheile and Art Beat Fest in Waterford.

Windings - Stray Dogs / Helicopters

Limerick band Windings offer up very little hope with two tracks that reek of dank and desolate moods and sound stretched to breaking point.

Be Honest and Fear Not

, their fourth album, is expected in Autumn. Will they shift this disquietude by then? Get an idea when the band play gigs this month in their hometown, Galway, Clonakilty, Cork and Clare.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Rufus Coates & The Blackened Trees - Rufus Coates & The Blackened Trees

Fans of blues, Americana and folk will likely find much to enjoy from the dusty new album from Rufus Coates & the Blackened Trees. Fronted by the gravel-voiced Nick Cave-esque Coates, with a counterpoint of the sweet female vocals of Jess Smith, these are dour blues songs that have enough beauty to lighten the hearth of the home.

NEW ARTIST OF THE WEEK

New Portals

Northern Irish duo Michael and Ruth Aicken were known for the folk-pop music they created with The Jepettos, but during some downtime the brother and sister explored a electronic sound that has been impactful for them, thanks to the calibre of honeyed pop songs such as

Do It Right

and the indie-disco swing of

Stay Here Tonight

.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Funeral Suits - Tree Of Life

Directed, produced and written by Crooked Gentlemen, Jeff Doyle and Shaun Ryan.

Dublin band Funeral Suits returned with their first bit of music in four years last month. Now, they've posted a video for this Tears For Fear-esque track that addresses the seven deadly sins in a dystopian horror show.

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