NEW TRACK: Montauk Hotel – ‘Dive’ (Come Afloat)

A bittersweet reflection on the conflicting feelings that come with returning to your hometown, Dublin-based trio Montauk Hotel have shared their latest single ‘Dive (Come Afloat)’. Marking the indie-pop band’s first release since 2019, the new track is laced with shimmering guitar sounds and soft vocal harmonies, which soften the feelings of discontent and disappointment that are explored in the lyrics.

“‘Dive (Come Afloat)’ reflects on the uncertain border that separates present from future, hesitation from release, uneasiness from comfort and deceit from honesty,” the band comment about their new single. “The song discusses friendship, insecurity and feelings of homecoming in a motionless town.” Montauk Hotel capture this feeling of sinking and re-surfacing through their use of crystalline 80s inspired guitar lines, gentle beats and buoyant, lullaby-esque vocals.

Montauk Hotel released their self-titled EP in March 2017, and their 2019 singles ‘Stains’ and ‘White Billboards’ were playlisted on Spotify New Music Friday, as well as receiving support from Nialler9, RTE, 2fm, The Thin Air, The Last Mixed Tape and BBC Radio. Now, with more new music on the horizon, the band are looking forward to returning to the live scene again, after previously headlining shows at Whelans, The Workman’s Club, The Sound House, Bello Bar and Roisin Dubh.

The band have also previously supported international acts such as Goat Girl, PINS and Beauty Sleep, and have appeared at festivals such as Electric Picnic, Other Voices, Groove Festival, Sea Sessions, Vantastival and Sunflower Festival.

Listen to their latest single ‘Dive (Come Afloat)’ below.

Follow Montauk Hotel on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Wise Up – ‘Conjure The Feeling’

Fueled by their desire to make music that’s fun to play and that connects with their listeners, Dublin-based trio Wise Up have shared their debut single ‘Conjure The Feeling’. Full of grungy riffs, snaking bass lines and clear vocals, the track is an infectious offering of alternative noise, encouraging listeners to “embrace it all”, let go and stop sweating the small stuff.

Formed of Aoife from Dublin on drums, Garry from Cork on guitar and vocals, and Courtney from Canada on vocals and bass, Wise Up have been jamming and recording together since March 2022. After performing together at Gary & Courtney’s wedding reception, the trio decided to take Wise Up’s sound out into the “dodgy clubs” of Ireland, impressing their crowds of “drunk lads who who stay out late on a Wednesday night.”

Citing Pixies, Pavement, Yard Act, Chastity Belt, Courtney Barnett and Big Thief as their main musical influences, the band are motivated by the need to cut loose and enjoy the songs they’re performing, rather than agonising over being cool or counting the number of heads in the room. Wise Up are busy working on new recordings at Camelot Studios in Dublin, and will be booking more gigs around the city in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for more info from them soon.

Listen to ‘Conjure The Feeling’ below.

 

Follow Wise Up on Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: @paulmaxwellphotography

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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Track Of The Day: Sprints – ‘Literary Mind’

A charged, euphoric rush of gritty guitars and cathartic vocals, Dublin four piece Sprints have shared their latest single ‘Literary Mind’. Released via Nice Swan Records and produced by Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), the track is a joyful, raucous ode to falling in love and fully submitting to the feeling, full of urgent riffs and heartfelt lyrics.

Fuelled by their need to create music which “matters and that means something,” Sprints have firmly established themselves as a compelling voice in the rock and alternative underground scenes since their inception in 2019, offering a refreshingly candid perspective on life, love and the politics that mar our experiences of both. The band’s new single ‘Literary Mind’ is a poignant and powerful anthem about overcoming unconscious bias, explicitly championing queer love and embracing the freedom that comes with this acceptance.

“‘Literary Mind’ is probably one of our most light-hearted songs in terms of subject matter, while still exploring something quite close to heart,” explains vocalist Karla Chubb. “It’s a real deep dive and exploration into the feeling of falling in love, particularly queer love, in which you feel like you’ve been conditioned to believe a heteronormative way of life is the only ‘right’ way to live, which leads to incredible difficulty and emotional oppression.

You push these feelings down, ignoring them, praying them away even but eventually with acceptance comes a rush of emotion that you never thought you’d feel. You unlock, finally, what it means to be happy and with it comes the rollercoaster of emotions, hot sweats, fever dreams, happiness, giddiness and excitement that we’ve tried to capture in the energy and pace of the song.”

Sprints will play a headline show at The Dome in Tufnell Park on 13th October. Grab your tickets here.

Watch the video for ‘Literary Mind’ below.

Follow Sprints on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Niamh Barry

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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VIDEO PREMIERE: Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – ‘Empty Envelope’

A disarming reflection on the emotional resilience that’s required in the wake of a bad decision, Dublin-based trio Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra shared their single ‘Empty Envelope’ via Anon Records in September last year. The brooding, shoegazey lament was inspired by a dream that vocalist & guitarist Sarah Deegan had about receiving an empty letter in the post, and today (12th Jan) the band have shared an accompanying video, shot & edited by Irish artist Hollie Gilson, further exploring the song’s narrative of unsaid things.

We caught up with Sarah to talk about creating the new video, how Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra first came to meet and what we can expect from the band in 2022…

Can you remember who or what inspired you to start making your own music?

I remember CDs. I loved the tactile nature of it; putting the CD on and flicking through the lyric booklet while listening, finding your own meaning in the songs. I remember listening to the whole album and not just one song. I remember the music channels on TV, the emo ones of course. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the music video for Evanescence ‘Bring Me To Life’ or Paramore’s ‘Misery Business’.

Neither will we, that’s some iconic 00s imagery. For anyone who doesn’t know, can you explain how Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra first met?

The band has changed about 9 times since its original conception, so it’s kind of hard to say, but I first met Danni about 5 years ago through being friends with her brother. I was in their house and mentioned needing a drummer for some college performance thing I was doing. He said it to her at the kitchen table, and she said that she was up for it. About 20 minutes later I could hear Danni out in the shed playing the song. She’s just a legend. On bass, we’ve recently enlisted Sarah Michelle, who is well known for her guitar playing skills. She’s amazing at bass too.

You’ve teamed up with artist Hollie Gilson (who directed the video for your previous single ‘I didn’t love you when I said I did and I don’t now”) to create the video for ‘Empty Envelope’. Talk us through some of the highlights of working with Hollie again…

Me and Hollie are really good friends, so that makes the process a lot easier. We always do 4 or 5 drafts before a video is final. We spend time watching it, we show others, and consider their feedback. It’s important to have people around us that we can bounce off. This video is a lot more abstract than the last one, there’s no clear timeline in it. We focused more on letting the imagery tell the story.

When you released the single back in 2021, you said that the image of the ‘Empty Envelope’ was inspired by a dream you had, and the lyrics to the track are based around the “cyclical nature of bad decisions.” Talk us through how you chose to reflect these things in the accompanying video…

The start of the video is pretty much exactly like the dream. In the dream, I got a letter in the post. The envelope was painted with swirls of blue and pink. It was the most beautiful envelope I had ever seen. It was from my ex, I could see their name and return address in the corner. I opened it and it was completely blank. Just a really nice looking envelope with absolutely nothing inside. I thought that was a good metaphor for the relationship.

We used wringing hands in the video to portray anxiety and nervous energy. The protagonist attempts to write a response to the empty letter, but this only leads to more frustration. Frustrated and alone, they take their piles of paper and burn them, along with the letter.

The track is an ode to moving on, and this is reflected with the imagery of the train. But moving yourself physically doesn’t change anything, in a new place the cycle of bad decisions continues. It takes something a bit more dramatic (like burning everything) to really break a pattern.

PCRO are working on a debut album at the moment. What details can you tell us about the record?

We’ve been working on this album for the last 2 years with Sean Montgomery Dietz, who is an insanely talented producer/engineer/musician. We’re recording mainly in Crossroads, a studio owned by Shane Tobler in Kilkenny. Parts of the album were also recorded in Dublin, at the Annesley House, and in Clare and Drogheda. We teamed up with some really talented musicians who played orchestral instruments on a couple of tracks, Ali Comerford on violin and Karima Dillon El-Toukhy on flute. A combination which I can only describe as majestic.

Most of the songs were written in Mayo, where I’m from. The album takes you on a journey through growing up, the confrontation of idealism and the real world, asserting your independence and getting your heart broken. It’s an honest reflection on the confusion of youth, and talks openly with both sensitivity and cynicism.

We’re really taking our time with this, and I can tell you that, unlike a lot of new albums, every song is a proper song. Long songs, with long titles, that don’t really care for the modern lack of attention span. There has been some debate about whether or not the album will be uploaded to Spotify.

That sounds great, we can’t wait to hear it. Aside from releasing the album, what are your hopes and ambitions for PCRO for 2022?

To play as many shows as the pandemic permits, to just keep doing what we’re doing.

Finally, are there any bands or artists you’re listening to who you’d like to recommend we check out?

Another Anon Records artist to watch this year is OG CNT & the 1240. OG CNT is a WhatsApp famous counter-cultural anti-hero. Tracks like ‘HATE’ and ‘Everybody that I know’ are unforgettable. His album, The Memoirs of OG CNT, will be out this year too.

Thanks to Sarah for answering our questions!
Watch the new video for ‘Empty Envelope’ below.

Follow Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit/Video Still: Hollie Gilson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment