Browsing Tag

Irish Folk

Belfast’s Fuar became the paragon of the loveable rogue in his folk debut, Leave the Light On

For his debut single, Leave the Light On, the Belfast-born-and-bred multi-instrumentalist Fuar put the faux Irish roots of Mumford & Sons to shame. If you want to get high on the fumes of authentic Irish folk, make Faur your dealer.

The infectiously upbeat acoustic folk anthem needed little more than his guitar chords, a solid backbeat and Faur’s naturally exhilarated charisma to drive the euphoria through the progressions of the hook-proliferated single which celebrates love and the ecstasy found in the sparks of connection.

With Faur’s affinity for punk giving Leave the Light On plenty of fiery rugged bite, he hasn’t just contributed to the rich tapestry of Irish folk music, he’s made his own matchless mark on the genre. With the promise of plenty more singles to come conflated with the commercial potential which courses through his debut, it is impossible not to anticipate Faur becoming one of the biggest breakthrough singer-songwriters in 2024. Watch this space.

Leave the Light On was officially released on March 16th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Glorious Rabbits conjured the sound and salvation of ‘Freedom’ in their latest folk-punk hit.

The Glorious Rabbits‘ latest folk single, Freedom, is a vibrant testament to the joy and liberation that music can bring. This track is not just a collection of melodies and lyrics; it’s an embodiment of freedom itself, capturing the essence of what it means to be unshackled from life’s constraints.

From the first note, Freedom is an explosion of euphoria. The Glorious Rabbits have managed to encapsulate the raucous joy of being in a room full of friends, the warmth of shared experiences, and the exhilaration of letting go. The track is an invitation to break free from whatever binds you, whether you’re surrounded by others or on your own. It’s a song that insists on being felt, not just heard.

The ensemble’s skill is evident in every aspect of the song. The musicians, hailing from diverse backgrounds, bring a richness and authenticity to the track that is palpable. Their chemistry, forged from years of friendship since the 7th grade, shines through in the seamless way they play together. The process of writing individually and then coming together to breathe life into their songs in a top-grade studio adds a unique and heartfelt quality to their music.

Fans of The Pogues, Flogging Molly, and Dropkick Murphys will find a familiar joy in Freedom. Yet, The Glorious Rabbits are not just imitators; they are innovators in their own right. Their music carries the torch of upbeat folk music, lighting the way for a new generation of listeners. Taken from their seminal album, The Year of the Rabbits, it is an exceptional introduction to a superlative outfit which has exactly what it takes to deliver the rapture society is so desperately crying out for.

Stream Freedom on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laura Mustard extended a folk-pop invitation into the wild with ‘Will You Go Walking?’

As the days get darker and the chill in the air compels us to stay indoors, the folk singer-songwriter, Laura Mustard, provided an opportunity to rekindle your affection for the outdoors with her latest single, Will You Go Walking?

The captivating arrangement beautifully intertwines Irish musical roots with a contemporary folk-pop sensibility as the track blossoms under Musgrave’s artful composition, where sun-soaked progressions and warm melodies create an inviting and heart-warming atmosphere.

Musgrave’s Nashville-based background, combined with her rich and diverse musical influences, shines through in this enchanting piece. Her love for rhythm and syncopation, rooted in her classical piano and percussion training, adds a unique depth to the song’s structure.

Will You Go Walking? is more than just a melody; it’s a reflection of Musgrave’s personal journey and her deep relationship with introspection. Her experiences with learning how to embody body positivity and live with a chronic illness imbue her songs with a profound authenticity and emotional resonance.

Musgrave’s storytelling prowess, influenced by the poetry of Walt Whitman and Mary Oliver, is evident in the song’s lyrical depth. The lyrics take the listener on a journey, evoking images of nature and emotional landscapes that are both vivid and poignant. Take the invitation into the wild; you won’t regret it.

Will You Go Walking was officially released on November 10; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Grainne Eve paid a poignant homage to Sam Henry with her cover of ‘Maid of Culmore’

Taken from Grainne Eve’s debut album, The Songs of Sam Henry, the standout orchestral folk single, Maid of Culmore, is so much more than a narrative tale; the inexplicably anachronistic arrangement conjures panoramic imagery to ensure you’re not solely looking at a portrait of the lyrical protagonist, you are in the landscape within her, completely abstracted from the 21st century.

The debut LP is just a scratch on the surface of the Portstewart, Northern Ireland-hailing folk singer-songwriter’s lifelong mission to understand and pay homage to the legacy of the folklorist and ballad crafter Sam Henry, who was integral to the preservation of Northern Irish folk tradition. Grainne Eve is currently in the final stages of writing her PhD, which focuses on Henry’s vast folk collection after completing a BA and MA in Music at Newcastle University.

‘The Songs of Sam Henry’ made its official debut on July 8th, 2022, at the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine. The album launch event was graciously introduced by the renowned TV presenter Joe Mahon. It was also presented live on Raidio Failte as part of the Belfast TradFest 2022 and received airplay on BBC Radio Ulster. Notably, ‘The Songs of Sam Henry’ earned a nomination for the NI Music Prize in 2022. Here’s to hoping we hear plenty more from Eve in the not-too-distant future.

Stream Maid of Culmore on Spotify and find out more about the exemplary artist and aural academic by visiting her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dora Gola – The Last Tear (Ostatnia Lza): Electronic Folklore Has a New Eloquent Author

For her latest single, The Last Tear (Ostatnia Lza), the electronic folk artist Dora Gola tapped into the divinity of her femininity to create an innately spiritual Clannad-esque score of pure beguile.

With her ethereal vocal timbre scintillating the orchestration of awakening Eastern beats and the reverb-swathed synth lines which give the release an ambiently explorative energy, the Polish Ireland-residing singer-songwriter and dancer reached the pinnacle of transcendent folktronica soul.

After her debut single, Dark Sand, saw her revered by Hot Press and The Irish Times Magazine as one of the most exciting acts to emerge from Ireland in recent years, expectations on the rhythmic seamstress were set high; with each new release, she’s surpassed all expectations.

Stream the official music video for The Last Tear by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sinéad Ann has released her spiritually spectral alt-indie-folk single, Four Walls

If any Irish folk artist has what it takes to surpass the fame of Glen Hansard in 2023, it is Sinéad Ann with her spectrally spiritual single, Four Walls, which haunts the middle ground between indie rock and alt-folk.

With vocals that command in the same celestially raw vein as Dolores O’Riordan and chamber strings aiding the depiction of the clash between our mortality and spirit, Four Walls makes no apology as it visualises the maleficence of our shadow selves.

Rather than painting the picture of incandescent innocence, Sinéad Ann elevated the murder-folk subgenre with her confession of nightmarish visions before taking her listeners to a place of enlightenment following the vanquishment of her demons. You couldn’t ask for a more scintillating narration of the triumph of good over evil. It definitively proves that nothing concerning the soul is ever black and white, crimson always has a part to play; it runs in our veins and has a role to play in redemption, whether that plays out in our shadow minds or in reality.

With more music in the baroque pipelines, any folk fans partial to expositions of the darker sides of the human condition will want to be part of the breakthrough artist’s ascent.

Stream Four Walls on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rossa Murray & the blowin’ winds will warmly render your heartstrings raw with ‘Who Really Wants to Get Clean’

Rossa Murray & the blowin' winds

The hype around the Irish alt-folk/rock outfit, Rossa Murray & the blowin’ winds, may be louder than the melancholic quiescence in the title single from their latest EP, but the accolades are far from hyperbolic.

Who Really Wants to Get Clean is a cutting- with razor-sharp precision – exposition on society’s issues around addiction; so much pressure is put upon the people numbing themselves by any means necessary to change, while the societal issues that make it a necessity for so many get ambivalently swept under the rug.

I can’t even remember the last time a track hit me this hard. The evocative delivery, the desperation in the vignette, the agony that lingers in the tempo of the minor keys, the profoundness in the strings, it all synthesises into a tear-jerking performance that leaves you in a sombre state of contemplation.

Fans of Bill Ryder-Jones and Frightened Rabbit won’t be able to tear themselves away from the Rossa Murray & the blowin’ winds’ discography after Who Really Wants to Get Clean has warmly rendered their hearts raw.

The Who Really Wants to Get Clean – Part 2 EP will officially release on September 29th. Stream it on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sahara CyberStars illuminated the airwaves with their alt-folk-rock score, Light Shines into a Space

After unveiling six LPs and six singles to date, the Dublin-forged, Australia-residing duo Sahara CyberStars, comprising the award-winning singer-songwriters Dave and Trish Long, exhibited how honed their synergistic sound has become in their latest single, Light Shines into a Space.

The duo may have gone down under, but their arcane Irish folk roots still linger at the epicentre of their theatrically inviting sound in Light Shines into a Space, which allows you to imagine how New Model Army’s post-punk musings would unravel with more ornate and orchestral instrumentals infused into their atmospheric stylings.

The deeply original score’s authenticity is only matched by the evocative pull of the release; from the first verse, you’ll be inseparably combined with the celestially scintillating experimentalism, which bends genres with the grace of an Olympian contortionist.

Light Shines into a Space is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

It is ‘All About You’ in Cristina Movileanu’s summer folk-pop serenade

If you noticed it got a little hotter on the 16th of June, that may have been due to the scorching hot summer folk-pop single, All About You, from the vibrantly vivacious singer-songwriter Cristina Movileanu.

Each year, artists compete against each other to orchestrate the hit that will become their audience’s upbeat soundtrack to the summer. Never one to make pedestrian or predictable moves, the Emerald Isle-haling originator created a gateway to a parallel world brimmed with positive energy and joyful moments.

The jangly upbeat indie folk guitar melodies will be your main mode of transport, while Movileanu’s soulful vocal timbre will take you the rest of the way. There really is no overstating how captivating All About You is. For your own sake, don’t hang around in delving into the carresive Elysian chemistry in All About You.

Check out the official music video for All About You on YouTube, or add the sun-bleached hit to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marlais looks ‘Out of the Window’ in his quiescently beguiling folk tale

Stream Of Forms by Marlais

Stuttgart, Germany-residing folk artist Marlais takes inspiration from the deep roots of English and Irish folk for his quiescently beguiling aural tales that transcend the commercialisation of Folk to outpour intimately uninhibited emotion.

His latest hymnal single, Out of the Window, is an arresting invitation to lose yourself in the narrative, which unfolds to the minimalist folk instruments and harmonically ethereal electronic motifs. It’s gospel for the impious, a triumph in connectivity through the ambient relay of sincere emotion that carries as much through the vulnerable vocal timbre as it does through the celestially sombre instrumentation.

Out of the Window, taken from his forthcoming LP, Stream of Forms, is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast