The Best Irish Releases of 2024 So Far
Words: Dylan Murphy
Image: Sloucho by George Voronov
Words: Dylan Murphy
Image: Sloucho by George Voronov
There’s been a landslide of incredible music dropping since the start of 2024. So, as we enter the second quarter of the year, we’re taking stock of the best releases coming out of Ireland so far. We’ve had Drill number ones, artists returning after a hiatus and new acts announcing themselves as next up, so in no particular order, here’s our favourite releases of the year so far.
ZACK & CODY
There’s few artists out of Ireland on the pulse of new music quite like Jordan Adetunji. Having been raised between Belfast and London, Jordan’s music possesses a unique world view. His debut EP ROCK ‘N’ RAVE did exactly what it said on the tin, blending elements of jersey club, hyperpop, emo and pop. On the other side of the Atlantic, Cash Cobain has been innovating and slowly changing the pervasive sound of New York, weaving elements of jersey club and drill with mazy after hours RnB. Jordan’s penchant for this kind of cross pollination comes through on ‘ZACK & CODY’. The drill adjacent melodic ode to a love interest is another in Jordan’s expanding world that spans rock, drill and everything in between.
The First Time
We had to wait two years for the follow up to Stella and the Dreaming’s debut single ‘You Are Here’, but it’s been worth it. ‘The First Time’ poses the kind of questions that expose one’s inner most feelings. The kind that leave you tense in anticipation of the response. Thankfully, Stella’s whispered delivery is a soft cloud cushioning the landing on an intimate and spellbinding return.
Blockbuster
Having become the first Irish rap act to secure a number one album on the Irish album charts, TraviS and Elzzz are on a strong trajectory. Back in January, they kicked off the rollout for their sophomore record DOGHOUSE with ‘Blockbuster’, a track they’ve been teasing from last year that earned co-signs from Blanco, Antslive and Corteiz founder Clint. Liam Harris executively produced the record and worked his magic across this explosive drill cut that had us in a headlock from the first listen.
100 Miles an Hour
‘100 Miles an Hour’ is a neat synopsis of Chubby Cat‘s range. Moving between skippy electronic to ripping guitars, its unpredictable tendencies are symptomatic of the vision of an artist that refuses to be categorised.
By The River
Tomike is really in her bag on ‘By The River’. The bouncy house single is a perfect example of the elasticity of her voice as it becomes almost like another instrument in the mix. This kind of intentional and playful approach to her music is why Tomike stays in our rotation. As an artist that initially shared more Pop/RnB cuts like ‘You Don’t Really Rate Me’, ‘By The River’ is just another example of her evolution as an artist and we’re here for it.
Photo: Tomike by Mia Sakai
Old Ways
Breaking free from a life that no longer serves her, ‘Old Ways’ features production from Zach Dawes (Lana Del Rey, Sharon Van Etten) and Taylor Locke and acts as a perfect showcase of a new era for Lucy McWilliams. It’s cinematic, big and a far cry from some of the more intimate whispers of her early work. Tap into the full EP Third Second Chance for more.
Photo: Lucy McWilliams by Luvi Crezia (IG @luhcrezia)
1942
It’s impossible to pin Plantain Papi down into any one genre or sound. Routinely bending melodies and switching up his flow at will, he’s an artist adept at catering his delivery to best showcase the emotions at the centre of his output. This year, he released his seven track project STILL HEALING, which saw him bring together the likes of Jafaris, Ama Millier, F3miii and B4bzy. However, it’s the solitude of ‘1942’ that shines through as the most arresting song on the project. The soft twinkles of the intro combined with the reflective lyricism is enough to have us feeling nostalgic for a relationship we never had. Get this man ghostwriting for Drake.
Lower Your Hopes
In an era of market-researched lyrics and trend forecasting, Curtisy’s music is a breath of fresh air. Sounding like it came straight off the dome with no rewrites, the Dublin rapper’s single ‘Lower Your Hopes’ epitomises the self-aware and abstract style that has has us counting down the days until his debut album. Shout out to owin on the beat too, the pitched down vocal sample scratches an itch we didn’t know we had.
Photo: Curtisy by @orla.neiland
LOSTWITHOUTMARIA
As we mentioned in our Future of Irish Music feature with F3miii, he’s got influences, but there’s not been any one quite like him in Ireland at this point. Blending classic 4×4 house, with 80s synths and Frank Ocean-esque vocals, ‘LOSTWITHOUTMARIA’ is a patchwork quilt of the Dublin singer and producer’s inspirations. On top of that, it absolutely goes. This is a track that works as well in sweaty clubs as it does on late night drives. It’s dynamic and catchy without diluting the parts that make it accessible. Here’s to more F3miii in 2024.
Truth☆Truth
EFÉ’s first release since 2022 is shattering any attempts to pigeon hole her into the bedroom pop realm. The 2000s inspired fuzzy guitars and blend of rock and pop has it feeling like the soundtrack to the closing credits of Malcolm in the middle. ‘Truth☆Truth‘ crashed into our headphones as a welcome reminder that EFÉ is still her.
Photo: EFÉ by @weepywoopy
Maybe Next Time
Landing alongside a cinematic short film, Jesse June’s debut single shares DNA with the angsty and cinematic coming of age hip hop and pop of Kevin Abstract.
daisy chains
London-based Irish singer and producer SPIDER’s evolution is a sight to behold. While the ethereal ‘water sign’ drew us in, it’s her pivot to rock that’s kept us hooked. ‘daisy chains’ is an uncompromising and unforgiving cut that takes back agency and makes it clear that she isn’t putting up with anymore shit.
Photo: SPIDER by @the_lizard__queen
Heavy
Landing on the eve of their debut album, Letter To Self, SPRINTS’ ‘Heavy’ is a tension headache you can dance to. It’s not hard to understand how a sharp change in mood and tempo can be a bit paralysing. However, while the vivid songwriting and unrelenting instrumentation on ‘Heavy’ amounts to a kind of sensory overload, it’s empowering call to arms rather than a stun gun to our nervous system. ‘Heavy’ is an anthem for feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
Photo: Sprints by Niamh Barry
dream like that
It’s hard to pick just one track from p o n d 20mg. The cryptic artist has shared five songs already this year that pull hyperpop, nitecore and other bitcrushed sounds into an inseparable soup of electronic goodness. ‘a dream like that’ shares dna with meatcomputer, yung lean and even the sugary sweet vocals of Jordan Ward.
Come Around
Sloucho’s forthcoming debut album NPC is one of our most anticipated releases of the year. His dubby team up with fellow Irish heavyweight Rory Sweeney ‘Come Around’ meanders between a plethora of UK sounds and plays with energy and pacing in a way that feels like an age old story is being told in the club.
Blindside
The word cerebral gets thrown around too easily in electronic music these days. However, when it feels like you have ten tabs open in your head, Belfast-based producer and vocalist HY:LY’s ‘Blindside’ is a welcome remedy. The DnB drums, ghostly vocals and hypnotic lyrics cushion fragile nervous systems.
Photo: HY:LY by by Luis Patton
I Think
Esmeralda Road (FKA Moonboot) won last year’s Single of the Year at the NI Music Prize for ‘To U’ and they’ve kept that same energy with the release of ‘I Think’. There’s sprinkles of King Krule, Bricknasty and BADBADNOTGOOD but plenty of originality in one of the most exciting new acts out of Belfast.
Two Cents
The cinematic americana motifs on Big Sleep’s ‘Two Cents’ mean it could soundtrack the closing scene in a romantic summer flick as easily as it could a road trip to the end of the earth. Either way, the bottom line is this is a track that invites imagination and is asking to be bound tightly with your favourite memories.
Photo: Big Sleep by Liam McCafferty
World of Paint
Papa Romeo’s ‘World of Paint’ only dropped at the tail end of March, but it’s already feeling like one of the best Irish releases of the year. With summer just round the corner, there’s an opportunity for nu-jazz-meets-indie cut to marinate for a while longer too.
Photo: Papa Romeo by @bits._
Birds
Saoirse Miller’s ‘Birds’ is six minutes of soul-cleansing ambient folk. Melding spoken word, field sounds of birds and production that stretches as far as the coastline, it’s a spiritual palette cleanser that’s a necessary addition to any self care routines.
Like A Lesson
Simmering fears of true closeness and intimacy surf across three minutes of Pillow Queen’s second single of 2024, ‘Like A Lesson’. Lines like “I don’t want to ruin my life but I want to go home with you” and “You treat me like a lesson” linger long in the mind well after the song finishes and land as an exciting precursor to their forthcoming third album Name Your Sorrow which is out April 19.
Photo: Pillow Queens by Rich Gilligan
Bliss
Chalk are masters of stretching sounds to their extremities. The Belfast trio have routinely melted the unrelenting shared qualities of post-punk and electronic into enthralling stream of claustrophobic cuts. While ‘Bliss’ certainly escalates quickly, there’s an ecstasy present that results in what is their most hedonistic track to date. Winged by ethereal vocals from fellow northern artist Fears, it’s the standout from Conditions II EP.
Photo: Chalk by Aaron Cunningham
HOW?
Often, being too on the nose with showcasing your skill in rap is perceived as corny. You know, the “Lyrical Miracle” type rap. However, Salamay comes through on ‘HOW?’ with the kind of flow and delivery that’d satisfy even the pickiest listener. This is music to have on repeat that has shades of J.I.D’s bouncy delivery, but is fuelled by Salamay’s own vision. Anyone who had him pinned as a more of a spoken word or vibes-led artist just had their lazy categorisations blown out the water – this guy can really rap.
Photo: Salamay by @kamdi.ok
Gold Star Baby
Equal parts comforting and empowering, ‘Gold Star Baby’ is an arm round the shoulder when things get a little overwhelming. The title track from anna leah’s debut EP is a standout from the project and a reminder for anyone who wasn’t aware, that she’s next up.
Photo: anna leah by @redzer.photography
Only You
Enigmatic artist pigbaby shared ‘Only You’ as part of a valentines day care package this year. The video, which was shot in an old love hotel in Japan, is self directed and follows December’s 10 minute odyssey ‘Texas Girl’ and continues his path as an unorthodox and exciting new force. It comes ahead of his debut album i dont care if anyone listens to this shit once you d which lands via Vegyn’s label plzmakeitruins on April 26.
NEXT2U
Amongst the bilingual songwriting, shrieks between verses, lullaby-esque melodies and shimmering production, there’s a lot of different ideas competing for your attention on Vaticanjail’s ‘NEXT2U‘. It’s not hard to understand how the track could quickly become muddy and overwhelming, but in reality, there’s never a moment that feels overcrowded or a concept that feels unfinished. If anything, the appeal is in the flawless execution on the Chilean-born, Irish-residing artist’s second official release. In a time where bedroom DnB is becoming a tired sound, Vaticanjail is throwing home-spun electronic music into exciting new realms.
Fire Me Up
Wicklow artist Cosha has been a favourite of ours from day dot. Her last album Mt. Pleasant marked a departure from her work under the Bonzai alias and an intro into a brand new world. Ahead of her next EP Murmurs, which lands on May 9, she shared ‘Fire Me Up’, a meandering track that features production from Zack Sekoff, Black Noi$e and Gabe Acheson.
Photo: Cosha by Vidar Logi
Ode to Best
Five minutes of unrelenting breaks in ode to one of the slickest dribblers this island has ever seen. Just waiting for that Paddy McCourt remix.
Photo: XXXX In Stereo by @muireann_delaney
Faded
Across nearly six minutes, vocals threaten to burst through the ominous production of Blimp and FAXE ON FAXE’s collaborative effort ‘Faded‘.
Fynch
Slaloming between thoughts of leaving for another land and the pipe dream of owning a gaff, D-Unit dweller Fynch picks apart modern living in Ireland on ‘The State’, the third track on his debut album. Another in a long line of whitty rap tracks that tackles the big problems without taking itself too seriously.
No Romeo
If 2023’s ‘bullshit‘ with Rory Sweeney showcased the uncompromising edge to ESSIRAY’s world, then ‘No Romeo’ is the upbeat and soft new year’s palette cleanser. Get yourself an artist that can do both.
Find all the songs and extras in the playlist below:
