The Goo 1
Reviews ETHAN GOLDING / CRAIG MCCOMISH / NIKKI RA
YMOND / GARRY BAYLON / CONOR FARRELL Singles BEAUTY PAGEANT - BORN TO STAY Is that a play on Born To Run? I think so. Beauty Pageant’s debut single is a tender hug. Those classic feelings of wanting to break out of the day to day are but instead of celebrating the act of ditching town and running free, Beauty Pageant splash about in the turmoil when running may not be an option. Bright guitars and sickly sweet synths remind me of early 2000s dreamy alt rock. ‘Born To Stay’ FIRST CLASS & COACH - SURE ‘Sure’ is the third single, from the highly anticipated second album, from the West Cork alt-rockers and it doesn’t disappoint. Swirling guitars and layered sonic textures, along with Geraldines vocals, make this an intense, yet catchy tune and only furthers the anticipation of the soon to be released album, NEON HIP. PRETTY HAPPY - BOOTS New music at last from Cork’s most outlandish and exciting art punk band. Ahead of the release of the band’s debut EP Echo Boy, ‘Boots’ summises so much of what Pretty Happy are. Witty, ferocious and inventive and yet it is just a glimpse of what a band like this has to offer. ULY - KEITH, I WANT TO BE EVERYTHING THUMPER - SUMMER ASSAULT THE CRAYON SET - LOVE IS A REAL PLACE The Crayon Set are back with their first release in almost 4 years. Produced by Daithi, ‘Love is a Real’ Place is an evocative song about yearning for those early connections of the heart. Their trademark dual boy/girl vocals are barely a whisper here, floating over a gorgeous string arrangement on this very well written tune. This marks a welcome return from one of Ireland’s finest Indie Pop bands. Following the bands’ debut album Delusions of Grandeur released in march this year, ‘Summer Assault’ features a new direction in production for Thumper boldly stating how ready they are for as many national stadiums as you’ve got. Opening with a guitar riff reminiscent of late 90s garage rock, we’re suddenly hit with the layers of production all at once, processed vocals, distorted bass, drums as you like.‘Summer Assault’ repeatedly allows the arrangement to build before being flung against the concrete and allowed to pick itself back up. PAGE 10 LAURA MULCAHY - NATURAL DISASTER ‘Natural Disaster’ is performance artist Laura Mulcahy’s lamenting story piece of multiple acts. There are multiple crossover genres at play here from Laura’s almost choral vocal quality and the adventurous instrumentation which builds from solo vocals and a bright and intimate acoustic guitar to include both church bells and orchestral percussion and drums, guitars, and piano in later sections. Natural Disaster’s almost surrealist lyrics implore the listener to derive our own meaning of what ‘fatal sport’ we’re partaking in. The soul/indie pop single from Uly features a breezy groove, and meticulously curated sections that draw the listener in so much that it feels like each is 30 seconds too short. The song opens on the repeated chorus that immediately channels Theo Katzman, ‘Men I Trust’ and even ‘Dayglow’ characteristics. The B section features this gorgeous halftime break with melodic doubling on the vocals and guitars and a smooth countermelodic figure on the Bass. With hugely complimentary horn arranging and stunning multitracking on the vocals, the song cuts short on an unfinished hook which leaves the listener spamming the rewind button. MELTYBRAINS? - WORTH Meltybrains? second release this year feels like an open-ended question forcing the listener to consider the concept of value or ‘Worth’ in contemporary society. The track opens with a reverse reverb swelling soft piano accompanied