‘Paper Crown’ is the first release from Cavan-based artist Aine Cahill, and as such it is shockingly polished and assured. The tunes are catchy, her voice is huge and lyrically there’s a lot to hold on to. Cavan has been going through something of a renaissance recently, with the swift rise of another local act, The Strypes, providing inspiration for a range of talented songwriters in the area to shoot for the stars. Cahill certainly has the talent to follow in their footsteps and is quickly making headway in that direction.

A lot of the talk has been caught up in comparisons with Lana Del Rey. It’s an audacious link to make, but if you think about their equal occupation with the romance of old cinematic metaphors, of a time out of mind only related through fantabulous mythic stories then it all makes sense.

First track on the album, The Pictures, can sometimes seem silly in that there are mentions of “Lights, Camera, Action” and “the cutting room floor” but these things serve a purpose in that they paint a picture quite relevant to modern culture. We are all caught up in the romances we see on TV screens, and at the same time what’s so ridiculous about putting your own story on the same kind of pedestal?

Paper Crown on the other hand trades in the story of a young woman caught up in neurosis as Cahill sings “When the world was looking up she was always looking down.” She sings for a certain audience, a certain age. This isolated lack of assurance is a hallmark we can all remember from those awkward teenage years and should certainly provide an appeal to this specific age group.

Obviously this is a youthful composition, containing the essentials of pop music – melodrama, catchy tunes and a really strong voice at the forefront. The production is surprisingly clean and slick given the nature of the release and, really, none of the songs would be out of place on the radio or in the charts. Cahill is just beginning to assert herself on the Irish music scene. A fantastically successful summer has secured a spot at Electric Picnic and, considering the confidence she exudes on stage, her performance there should catch a few eyes.