The Goo 1
FEB-MAR 24 guitar. It’s cleverly titled as its se
nsual and feels like its trying to describe a far off location that I can’t quite place. DC Kim Gordon - ‘BYE BYE’ Kim Gordon (Ex-Sonic Youth) is leaving, but its unplanned, “Buy suitcase”. She meticulously reads out a list of contents that feels calculated, menacing even. She says “Conditioner” the way one might say ‘Silencer’. Her words are placed over a vicious, distorted, hip hop bassline, occasionally punctuated by an aggressively affected guitar, channelling Tricky’s Maxinquaye. Her last utterance is “BYE BYE”, perhaps a warning that she is moving towards you with intention? Her new album out on March 8th may have the answers. DC TV People - ‘Rain’ ‘Rain’ is the latest release from London-based Dublin band TV People. Since their relocation, the postpunk duo explore their loneliness, isolation, and disconnect in the nonchalantly melancholy mid-tempo track. Embodying elements of slacker rock, the guitar’s simple riffs elevate the reflective nature of the lyricism as vocalist Paul Donohoe recalls the details of a phone call home. Rich vocals collide as the track blooms with urgent synths, lulling us to a simmering end as the lyrics “Are you lonely? Are you low?” reverberate. If you need a song to analyse your shoelaces to, this is the one for you! SD Robbie Stickland - ‘Waiting For You’ There’s that familiar summer sound. For anyone who still feels the odd nostalgic pang for Mac DeMarco’s 2 or Salad Days or perhaps even Ryan Pollie’s Stars Mr. Robbie Stickland has let some light in on the year’s dreariest month. There’s just enough of a hint of the 70s to ground the glimmering strings with a melancholic trepidation, a distrust of the hazy summer skies that stretch out above Waiting For You’s blissful instrumental. EG HAVVK - ‘You Say You Won’t’ In the lead up to the release of their third album, ‘To Fall Asleep’, due out March 15th, Dublin band HAVVK have dropped a series of singles, the latest being,’You Say You Won’t’ a song about “how easy it is to apologise, but how hard it is to actually change your habits”. With a slow head nodding beat it combines a rhythmic shoegaze arrangement, with an abrasive 90’s grunge sound, which lead singer Julie’s vocals drift across perfectly. Great song and on this evidence alone the new album will be well worth a listen. GB The Onion Boys - ‘Wine Melody’ With their latest single Dublin garage rock band The Onions Boys have slowed things down a bit compared to their regular output. ‘Wine Melody’ is reminiscent of USA cowboy ballads of the 1940’s and 50’s, think Hank Williams, think Ricky Nelson, think a cowboy balladeer roaming across the open western plain on his trusty steed, slowly plodding along, strumming guitar in hand, with the voice of Tom Waits sung through a tin can, you get the picture. I love this turn in direction in sound for the band, great song, well worth a listen and look forward to seeing it performed live soon. GB Jade Bird feat. Mura Masa – ‘Burn the Hard Drive’ Famous for blending punchy alt-rock anthems with piano ballads, 'Burn the Hard Drive' is Jade Bird’s first self-written song to drop since her second album in 2021. It features a potentially incongruous collab with the British electronic producer and musician Mura Masa, but it works, because while the beats are more digital than those found in Bird’s discography, they easily could translate into a live band scenario. The lyrics are rather simple and deal with moving on from a sour relationship, but Bird’s soulful delivery gives them added impact and reminds us why we loved her in the first place. AK Uragh - ‘The Widening Gyre’ In anticipation of the imminent ‘Maelstrom’, Dublin’s finest progressive metal quartet Uragh present their latest war cry. Opening with a jarring riff in three, the jagged deluge congeals into a movement recalling the finer points of early 2000’s metalcore, but skewed with contemporary tastes for dissonance and rhythmic intricacy. The following minutes are characterised by a considered aggression and painstaking attention to the finer points. Uragh have a penchant for detail oriented songwriting, in full flight here, and as an omen for things to come, assures us we are in for something to leave us enchanted and perplexed. Thoughtful heft. AOC Nerves - ‘Empty’ I am new to Nerves but I am immediately enraptured. This delightfully filthy, nasty, noisy little number is a rivesting slice of angular, dissonant noise punk that serves as a sterling example of a difficult sound to do well, done perfectly. Vicious, acerbic and borderline lethal, I am reminded of a formative record of my youth, ‘You Fail Me’ from Converge. The pre-remixed version with its irradiated, phosphorescent soundscapes. Hey, Nerves, send me ‘Glórach’. Let’s talk about this awesome thing you do. AOC PAGE 11