Tony Clayton-Lea reviews some of the new releases in Ireland
IRISH MUSIC fans with long memories might remember a Dublin band called Swim. Back in the late ‘80s, Swim caused quite a fuss by not only signing a major label deal (this is when signing to a major label actually meant something) but also with the news that their debut album, Sundrive Road, was to be produced by regular Steely Dan producer, Gary Katz – a perfect fit for Swim’s classy if somewhat against-the-tide music. As can happen all too often, whatever hopes Swim had for commercial success didn’t appear. They toured with the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Cher, but that was it for them – until now. Over thirty years later, Nightstock (Self-Released) features the songwriting talents of original members Joe Reilly and John McCrea, and it’s no surprise to say that second time around, more than several bullseyes have been hit with layered, lengthy songs such as Daria, Il Babbo, The Train, and the especially gorgeous Intruder. For fans of luxurious, unhurried music redolent of The Blue Nile and Talk Talk (and with graceful hints of Erik Satie), Nightstock is essential listening.
Cian DucrotA NEW-ISH KID on the block, Cian Ducrot and his second album, Little Dreaming (Polydor Records), looks set to further progress his already assured slide up to the stars. In addition to scoring a number one debut album, Victory (released 2023), he has also amassed over 1.4 billion streams, and earlier this year won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song as the co-writer of SZA’s global hit, Saturn. In other words, he’s a long way off from studying classical flute at London’s Royal Academy of Music, busking, and playing pub gigs in his native Cork. Ducrot’s new album might suffer from an ordinariness that not even a tsunami of choruses can make better, but there’s no denying the passion the songs have been invested with.
SOMETHING altogether more authentic and visceral can be found on the second album from For Those I Love – Carving the Stone (September Recordings). David Balfe’s self-titled 2023 debut album caught many unawares with its intensely reflective suite of (spoken word) songs about his friendship with fellow Dublin rapper/poet Paul Curran. That album blended electronica, beats, samples, voice recordings and much more, but Balfe’s follow-up is more widescreen, the songs and words more in line with the love of a broader community than one person. That said, the laser-sharp focus remains, as does the polemic, which in the overall context of the album concentrates on how Irish capitalism continues to damage working-class neighbourhoods.
CMATIF YOU’RE looking for sly digs and some of the best pop songs of 2025, then the third album from CMAT should do the trick. Euro-Country (AWAL Recordings) arrives at a time when the County Meath songwriter has achieved what few people thought she ever would: significant commercial success, widespread critical acclaim, and a media profile that has seen her grace magazine covers from Ireland and the UK to Europe and the US. Let there be no doubt: CMAT is Ireland’s next huge success pop music story, and based on the songs here, no one should be surprised. The likes of the title track, When a Good Man Cries, The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station, Iceberg, Coronation St, and Lord, Let That Tesla Crash display shards of wicked humour, sensible criticism, and a rounded sense of self that is rare. Album of the Year, surely?
KingfishrLAST MONTH, we had Amble’s debut album, Reverie, a collection of songs that are the sonic equivalent of a bunch of folk musicians circling a warm pub fire on a stormy night, performing songs both friendly and unoffensive, just like the old dog flaked out on the rug in front of the coal bucket. This month, we have Kingfishr, whose debut album, Halcyon (B-Unique/Atlantic), is the sonic equivalent of a bunch of folk musicians circling a warm pub fire on a stormy night, performing songs both friendly and unoffensive, just like the old dog flaked out on the rug in front of the coal bucket. Yes, we are detecting a theme within Irish music that draws perhaps too much on the simplicity of folk songs and how, sometimes, the old ways are the best. There is a difference, however slight, with Kingfishr – overall, they give it far more welly than their contemporaries, akin to an indie rock sensibility infused with thistle, wild mountain thyme, and traditional values.
See More: Albums, Irish Music, Music, Rock Music
