For a band with as much live presence as Thumper, it was always going to be difficult to capture that on a record. ‘Pop! Goes The Weasel’ succeeds in showing off a broad spectrum of just what you can expect from the band.

London based Irish duo Bicep - aka Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson - have PhDs in making people move whether they want to or not. 'Glue' could easily be their dissertation on timeless, chilled-out Ibiza rollover vibes, such is the aplomb with which the three courses of morning, noon, and night electro are effortlessly assembled here.

Younger sister Fehdah may have made waves with 'Like No Other' but Loah has a lot to say as well. Slightly more stripped back, 'This Heart' is predominantly piano-led which makes it the perfect complement to the Sierra-Leonan-Irish's powerfully elegiac voice. Fans of Loah will already be familiar with The Bailey, which showcases her penchant for an explosive chorus. But there are also moments of quietude, like on the rather Celtic-sounding  Unveiled. In fact, Loah boasts a lot of the qualities of her co-nationality's traditional origins while also pushing things in an interesting new direction. The future is bright for the Garnetts.

Few Irish artists are as daring and ambitious when it comes to mixing styles as Jafaris. His four track EP is a dazzling blend of hip-hop, soul, RnB, funk and pop that somehow all mixes together seamlessly. Like Drugs and If You Love Me are the standouts as both sit on the different side of the spectrum when it comes to tone and mood. Overall, the 'Velvet Cake EP' give us a tantalising taste of what Jafaris is capable of.

Galway singer-songwriter Laoise is one of the most promising acts to emerge from the BIMM scene recently, piquing the interest of UK blogs with debut single You. And all this before she even graduated. Her sound, which she aptly describes as “Electro pop and sad stories", evolved slowly from acoustic into electronica, but at its core it’s still pop. It’s not your standard pop sound however - aesthetically it’s much darker and atmospheric than anything you're likely to hear on the radio. Laoise’s sound has struck a chord with people outside of Ireland. You went to No. 4 in the Viral 50 UK and No. 17 in Norway. Her vocal is pitch-perfect throughout, displaying physical and emotional dexterity without ever over-egging her delivery with showy gymnastics. This suits Laosie’s sparse, airy brand of electro pop perfectly.