Joshua Burnside and Laura Quirke – In the Half-Light
In the Half-Light is the first EP from the songwriting partnership of Joshua Burnside and Laura Quirke (Lemoncello). An exploratory, folk-inspired sound marks all four songs. ‘Pull in at the side of the road, there’s something you need to know,’ they sing on the opening track, the lyrics always evocative. ‘Far Away The Hills Are Green’, ‘Rena the Fortune’ and ‘In The Half-light’ also explore themes of longing for a better life and accepting the here and now. The latter was recorded on a mobile phone in the dancehall at Vault Artist Studios in Belfast. Quirke writes, ‘I wrote these words on my phone the morning after an inspiring conversation I’d had with Josh and his friends about grief … I feel there’s a special quality to this recording, full of mistakes, full of stops and starts… that makes sense given the sentiment…’. Purchase the album on Bandcamp: https://joshuaburnside.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-half-light 

Lucy Railton and Kit Downes – Down to the Plains
‘Down to the Plains’ is the first track from a new album by cellist Lucy Railton and jazz organist/pianist Kit Downes that will be released on the SN Variations label in August. The pair first crossed paths in London thirteen years ago and have explored their own paths since, Railton in the contemporary music world, Downes steeped in jazz and also collaborating on fiddle-player Aidan O’Rourke’s 365 project. For this album, recorded in the Skáholt Cathedral in Iceland, Railton and Downes created the music spontaneously, embracing the immediacy and unmediated rapport they’d developed over the years. Meditative and pensive, ‘Down to the Plains’ flirts with drone and free improv. Pre-order the album on Bandcamp: https://snvariations.bandcamp.com/album/subaerial 

Mila Maia – Across the Green Ocean
‘Across the Green Ocean’ is the debut single from Galway-based Brazilian flute player Mila Maia. Maia has been involved in the Irish traditional music scene in South America for the last ten years and has performed and toured around Brazil and Europe with multi-genre bands such as Oran, Sin a Deir Sí, Laguna, Al Andar Flamenco and the Galway Choro Ensemble. The lively, syncopated track ‘Across The Green Ocean’ was recorded in Yodel Studio in Galway city and features contributions from fiddle player Tara Dunne, concertina player Fionnuala Hannigan-Dunkley, Cesar Benzoni on guitar, Dan Bodwell on double bass, and Gustavo Lobão on percussion. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/milaflute/ 

Elephant – Nova Scotia
Dundalk-based multi-instrumentalist Shane Clarke, performing as Elephant, this week releases a new track ‘Nova Scotia’ on Pizza Pizza Records. The song is the second release since his 2018 album 88 and follows ‘Envy’ in May. ‘Nova Scotia’ sees Clarke work with long-term collaborator Joseph Edwards and features a rhythm section from Belfast-based group Robocobra Quartet. The song is about telling people from your past how well you are now doing in life. ‘I was thinking a lot about the people from my past. Friends I’d not seen in years, people I never got on with, old flings, ex-loves, teachers, relations,’ says Clarke, ‘all these people who, if put in the position, would probably all ask the same question: “Are you still at the music?” Yes. No, it doesn’t pay the bills. Because it makes me happy. It doesn’t have to make sense.’ The dark and moody track reflects the 80s synth inspiration from 88, incorporating influences of hip hop and trip hop. Purchase the track on Bandcamp: https://elephantofficial.bandcamp.com/track/nova-scotia 

Laytha – What Will I Gain
Emerging indie-folk duo Laytha – Niamh Carney and Philana Nolan – have this week released their debut single ‘What Will I Gain’. The pair previously performed together under the name Taobh Eile, releasing a self-titled EP in 2019. The release of ‘What Will I Gain’ marks a new project for the pair. ‘The idea for the song came from an interview with Laura Marling … where she talked about the idea of writing a song for your younger self,’ said the band. ‘“What Will I Gain” is a longing for the version of yourself you want to be, wondering if you can let go of or embrace and grow from the things that influenced you most growing up, from the people in your hometown to your family.’ The soft and dreamy sound of the track shows a clear influence of Laura Marling, and Irish contemporaries Saint Sister and Lemoncello, with a focus on vocals and strings. Visit: www.facebook.com/laythamusic/  

–

To submit your music for inclusion, visit: https://bit.ly/38vquCn