This past week I received an email from a PR company in Ireland. After a handful of emails and a lovely Zoom call with Colm Slattery I've got a new source for indie music. Colm is part of a three person team at events and promotions company Fluttertone.com based in Dublin, Ireland. I appreciated the cooperative nature of the conversation.
I'm delighted to present to you our first four Irish indie artists.
ARTIST: NÍV
SONG:Moonlight
NOTES: Our first artist is Irish singer-songwriter Niamh Murray. She hails from Kildare, IE goes by the stage name NÍV.
NÍV's solo work comes after years of singing lead in bands, collecting experience, and playing gigs and festivals. She lists artists such as The Cranberries, Damien Rice, and Joni Mitchell as influences, as well as traditional Irish music and folk songs. Moonlight is beautiful and memorable.
"I think that this song really depicts a constant love. It is a story of love that doesn't ever really go away, even if the relationship does. I think there is always a specific moment or memory that people remember when reminiscing on past relationships and the song encapsulates that. We always seem to remember specific moments and in most cases, it's the happy ones that we remember over the not so happy ones. When writing this song, it was kind of a realisation for me that in any relationship, romantic or non romantic, we always remember the better times which to me is a really positive thing. That's what this song is all about."
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
NÍV'S LINKS
ARTIST: Craig Cooney
SONG: Better Than This
NOTES: Another artist who originated out of Kildare is Craig Cooney. He's a 26 year old rapper who now calls Dublin home. He's has been making music professionally for a relatively short time, around 2 and half years, but his uniqueness has helped him to attain a good level of success. Cooney lists Macklemore, Dermot Kennedy, and J. Cole as his influences. Better Than This is a positive, fun, energetic, cheerful, supportive track that's perfect for summer.
Craig Says "when things are going good, people will usually say "It won't get better than this" The reason I wrote this song is to show people that we don't have to settle for less, we have to keep pushing for what we all deserve , which is the best. Life should be enjoyed, we embrace the ups and downs and we grow and we learn, enjoying the journey that shapes us in to the people we are today".
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
CRAIG COONEY'S LINKS
ARTIST: Fintan McKaheyNOTES: The press kit describes this tune as lo-fi pop. That's a new one for me. His Facebook page lists the genre as Psychedelic Pop/Indie Folk/Alternative/Downtempo. Whatever we're calling it, I like it. It's chill and rich.
Goodbye offers up acoustic elements accompanied by downtempo beats, and ambient production. Fintan is joined by fellow Irish singer Ava Archbold who delivers a delicious, dreamy performance. The pairing is exquisite. Their voices complement each other perfectly.
"Goodbye is a love song, looking at things from the other side of the fence. It's an observation of the struggle at the end of a relationship, when both sides are clinging on in hope of salvation." - - fluttertone.com
The lyrics are honest and the chorus is spot on.
I WANNA CALL YOU AND I
FIND IT EASY TO ADORE YOU AND WHY?
DON'T SAY GOODBYE,
WE COULD TRY FOR THE LAST TIMEMAYBE I WAS WRONG BUT I
FOUND IT EASIER TO FALL FOR YOUR LIES
DON'T SAY GOODBYE,
WE COULD TRY FOR THE LAST TIME
We've all been there.
Fintan comes from a musical family and started playing at a young age. McKahey is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer who lists his influences as Ben Howard, Chet Faker, and Still Woozy.
Goodbye (Official Video)
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
FINTAN McKAHEY'S LINKS
ARTIST: Elina Filice
SONG: Thinking of you
NOTES: This Irish indie artist comes to us via Canada. Keep your eye on the video and you might recognize some familiar places. The video was shot in Toronto by Toronto-based filmmaker Phil Kim, and co-stars Ally Cantalini. The video follows Elina on an adventure from Kensington Market, to the Island Ferry, to Toronto Island, and then finally back home to the bedroom. I love this video. It's awash with positivity, warmth, and good feelings.
She says, "The song discusses themes of movement, travel, and adventure, so I wanted to capture that by shooting different scenes across the city." She goes on to say, "The song is verbose, rambling, and nostalgic, with thoughts and memories swirling and haunting. I wanted to capture that with the scenes cutting forward and back in time. I want viewers to wonder if the scenes with Ally are happening in real time or if they're memories and flashbacks, and the journey is really happening alone."
Elina says, "The video is pretty gay. It's a little nerve-wracking to be this gay on camera, but... this is my life, this is my friends' lives. Queer visibility is important, and as a creator, honest content like this is my way of fighting to normalize queerness and queer love. I think it's important to recognize that feeling safe enough to be openly out, let alone shooting a music video like this, isn't possible for a lot of queer people around the world. Queerness, especially between women, is usually blatantly oversexuallized, so I wanted the scenes between myself and Ally to be intimate and loving, and not at all sexual. There's enough of that on the internet."
Elina was born to Canadian parents, grew up in Singapore, and then moved to Canada to attend University. She made the move to Dublin in September 2017 to pursue music more seriously, and completed two diplomas at BIMM Dublin.
This multi-talented artist has previously released an EP and several singles, and she's toured extensively both on her own and with her band, the Kicks. She's also started a coaching and consulting service called Red Vine Music. It assists artists and creatives with social media, digital marketing, and content strategies. You can also catch Elina writing for music blog fruitsonic.com.
" Thinking of You has over 215k streams on Spotify, and enjoyed news coverage from dozens of outlets following its release including Earmilk, Hot Press, For The Love Of Bands, and The Last Mixed Tape. The song has spent over twelve weeks on Spotify Editorial Playlist, "Butter."
With funky guitar licks, an infectious beat, and a stuck-in-your-head chorus, Thinking of You is a genre-defying track that melds pop and funk influences with modern hip-hop sounds, while still full of Elina's signature thoughtful lyrics, catchy hooks, and strong storytelling." - fluttertone.com
Thinking of You (Official Video)
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
ELINA FILICE'S LINKS
