Mid-January and it already feel like 2025 is shaping up quite nicely for Irish music. Following last week’s albums from rising hip hop star Travy and no-wave upstart Skinner, this week’s big release is a far more sedate affair courtesy of folk star Sophie Jamieson’s second album ‘I Still Want To Share’.

Bicep lead this week’s single releases with ‘Chroma 008 Tangz’ featuring Eliza, while notable acts such as Biig Piig, Inhaler, Somebody’s build towards their respective new albums with ‘One Way Ticket’, ‘A Question of You’ and ‘Last Night I Held Your Hand’.

It’s great to have Vii0Let back with her effervescent new track ‘Wide Awake’, Belfast’s Chalk introduce us to their ‘Conditions III’ EP with the bombastic new single ‘Afraid’, while Cruel Sister aka Faith Nico brings the noise as only she can on her truth bombing new single ‘XOXO’.

As ever, there’s plenty of collaborations on the playlist and this week’s highlights include the vibey retro beats of ‘Freedom We’re Needed’ from Close Counters and Shiv, Tessa Rose Jackson and Caoilian Sherlock cover us in ‘Sad Dust’ and Wildes and St Francis Hotel deliver their latest collab ‘In The Floodlight’.

Grammy nominated songwriter Cian Ducrot returns with ‘Who’s Making You Feel It’ which he debuted at his New Year’s concert at Dublin Castle, other crooners on this week’s playlist include Darren Kiely with ‘Weight’ and Isaac Butler with ‘Everything Changed’. If the folk end of the songwriting field is more your thing, then we’ve got you covered new music from The Ocelots, Joshua Burnside, Etaoin and Ellen O’Meara.

Alongside Chalk’s ‘Afraid’, there are notable additions in the indie rock arena with ‘On The Brink’ from Hotgirl, ‘Hard2Sleep’ from Speakers and Belfast’s Madams Last Discovery who are catching our attention for the first time with ‘Work of Art’.

There’s also new tunes from the likes of Ria Rua, Good Skin, Miranda Faul, Teddy is Offline and more beside to sink your ears into. To be considered for this playlist fill in the form here

Sophie Jamieson

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