Sea Pinks – Dream Happening
Chris: “A great song from one of my favourite albums this year. Just came out just recently and I did buy it on lovely pink vinyl… but it is genuinely beautiful.”
Swords - Glock
Chris: “This is lovely… This stood out absolutely immediately. I just love how minimal and restrained it is. She’s just got such a stunningly beautiful voice. It’s not an overdone or overwrought vocal, it’s just beautiful. ”
The DM’s - Echoes
Rigsy: Two things… Definitely a grower, and each track stands out in its own way. I think this is quite a raw recording… this sounds like they’ve sort of gone for a low-fi feel.
Chris: “There’s a real sort of live energy to it. I could be wrong here, but it sounds like they’ve gone in with the mic set up and just rocked out as if they’re on stage – and that definitely comes across well in their recording.”
Therapy? – Screamager
Chris: “Therapy? are going to be playing Troublegum the album that this is from in full at the Northern Ireland Music Prize, which is the main event of the sound of Belfast week.”
Women’s Christmas – Figure Father
Rigsy: “Lovely jangly indie music... You can tell they’re a band under no pressure, just having fun. Short and sweet songs a little like Sea Pinks”
Chris: “This is good, I do like a bit of raucous, raucous yet tuneful indie rock - and that’s it done very well.”
Skymas – Build (Schmutz Remix)
Rigsy: “It’s dark and nasty for sure.”
Chris: “This is probably the toughest track I’ve heard from them. Basically whatever they turn their hand to they do it incredibly well. I think they’re really, really talented producers.”
Box Cutter & Defcon – Phonetic Flex
Chris: “Boxcutter a well-established electronic producer from Lurgan… the kind of stuff he does, really jazzy electronica with lots of bass…. Really lush detailed production”
Rigsy: “Yeah it’s beautiful... That’s probably arguably about as accessible as they get, quite broad appeal.”
We Like The Echo – Keep A Secret
Rigsy: “Maybe not geographically but certainly musically there is a bit of a connection there to Therapy?. This has got quite a big sheen to the production. Sounds like they’ve gone in to really get in to the detail of it as much as you would with rock music.”
Chris: “It’s really epic. The Muse comparison kind of makes sense… They’ve definitely got ambitions to play big stages in front of thousands of people I would say listening to this.”
