Aoife Connolly, Wez King, and Trueman & the Indoor League
Dublin, Ireland’s Aoife Connolly has just released her second single, entitled “Hold On My Friend,” a track about mental health. This track comes just a few short months after “Move On.” Connolly was inspired to write this one “after a phone call with one of my friends who I knew was struggling. I've went through tough times too and I wrote it as a reminder that everything passes.” It’s true that many of us could use the reminder and it helps that it comes to us via Aoife’s soulful voice, which can go from soft and sweet to off-the-rails and overdriven at the drop of a hat. This fact is made very clear at the 1:43 mark, when her voice erupts with the chorus as if some desperate urge for whoever’s listening to take notice that it will soon be safe to feel again. It is at this point that she really shines and we hope that she plans to push her vocals this hard in all of her future releases.
After receiving two consecutive radio premieres from John Kennedy on Radio X, some of you may already know of Wez King. For those of you still out of the loop, let us fill you in by filling your ears with his latest cut, “Take It Or Leave It,” a new anthem for those of us who live for the weekend. King adds, “This track is all about the idea of being stuck in that vicious circle going off the rails every weekend and taking the party a little too far. Realising while that’s your first priority you might find you lose the important things and people around you in the process.” It’s catchy, well produced, and bound to “resonate with every drinker who's ever played the fool.”
For those of you interested in hearing the Wez King track that caused such a ruckus on Radio X, it’s called “We Were Young” and we’ve embedded it here for your convenience (and for your listening pleasure, because it’s really quite good):
Trueman & the Indoor League almost missed out on being featured on the blog because the file attached to their email was corrupted. However, since we are good detectives, we tracked down an alternate version of their newest release, “Flares,” and are very glad that we did. If you are the kind of music connoisseur who likes a dash of Lou Reed and some sprinkles of Pavement in their musical submarine sandwich, then this is the jam for you! “Flares” showcases lead singer and songwriter Sam Trueman’s irreverent take on modern love and lust, backed by lively, saxophone-driven indie rock. Drawing inspiration from the aforementioned Pavement, as well as from Pulp, “Trueman & the Indoor League’s power-pop anthem is already a fan favourite at live shows.”
-TM