The Goo 1
JUNE/JULY '25 plus guitar wig out that is this ce
nturies Marquee Moon. Yes, it’s that good. ‘Girl From Miki City’ and ‘Rise Up’ have unmistakable TPE traces in their DNA while the dreamy psyche tinged ‘Heartbeat Still’ is a mesmeric closer. Superb stuff. M(h)aol - Something Soft - David Carr On their debut Attachment Styles, their brilliant opening track Asking For It was visceral and confrontational. The same can be said of the equally powerful, ‘Pursuit’ on Something Soft. It deals with the grim reality of the perilous journey many women have to make, simply retuning home late at night. “Keys clutched in my hand…If I run really fast will I make it to my bed.” The pacy beats echo the quickening of the footsteps and the racing of the heart. It will also resonate with anyone who’s seen the first episode of Netflix Adolescence, and given it was released last year, M(h)aol still feel like they’re leading the battle cry. ‘You Are Temporary, The Internet is Forever’ draws on a methodology of coping, the other side of a period of being acutely suicidal, merging it with the experience of being ghosted. The whispered backing vocals and the repeated mantra “I didn’t know I died” make for a deliberate duality in the theme. In truth every song has an arresting story. They remain angry and untamed. Jamie’s sonic textures are irresistible, the drums are as driven as the band and through adversity they have eclipsed their remarkable debut. life. The Dundalk-based quartet - Ken Clarke, Shane O’Hanrahan, Stefano Rossi, and Stephen Ludlow - craft songs that feel like faded photographs: soft, grainy, and emotionally saturated. The album opens with single ‘I Am Not a Talker’, a sparse, fingerpicked lament about the inarticulacy of loss. Clarke’s voice barely rises above a whisper, and the arrangement -skeletal guitar, brushed drums, and a few ghostly piano notes - leaves space for the silences to speak. The song sets the tone for an album that is less about narrative and more about atmosphere. Throughout the record, Norabelle lean into restraint. ‘Foreclosed’ and ’The House Remembers’ are built on delicate guitar figures and subtle harmonic shifts, evoking the influence of artists like Red House Painters and Elliott Smith. The production is unadorned, allowing the emotional weight of the songs to come through without distraction. There are moments of lightness, too. ‘Cherry Blossom Tree’ introduces a gentle melodic lift, while ‘The Mountain Blinks’ adds a touch of warmth with its layered harmonies. The Mountain Blinks doesn’t seek to dazzle; instead, it invites the listener into a quiet, introspective space. It’s an album that rewards patience and close listening, offering a deeply felt exploration of the complexities of memory and loss. Norabelle – The Mountain Blinks - Christian Wethered Norabelle’s second album, The Mountain Blinks, released on April 11th, 2025, is a hushed, slow-burning meditation on memory, grief, and the quiet ache of rural Paddy Hanna - Oylegate - Eliora Abramson With listening feeling like a journey through the soul, Paddy Hanna’s fifth studio album, Oylegate is a feat in the exploration of parenthood, identity, life, and love. Written and recorded in the wake of his daughter’s birth, Hanna masterfully delivers a deeply atmospheric, sweeping, and sonically consuming voyage. With glimpses of grim realities as a thread throughout Oylegate, it is unsurprising that the album has inspirational roots in Soviet-era cinema. Rather than follow the thematic normality of writing about parenthood, Hanna’s album stands out from the canon, reflecting the terror, contradictions, exhaustion and yes, ultimate joys of parenthood. The layered vocals delivering clear, deliberate lyricism are a particular achievement of the album. Combined with the sonic hope of Hanna’s to have the album feel like satin lining the listener’s ears, it comes as a natural progression to his discography with overwhelming catharsis, not just in the final track, but throughout. 13