Annie Tierney has long been a staple in the Irish music scene. She’s been involved in funk-rock collective, Republic of Loose (led by her brother, Mick), as well as fronting many bands with particularly blunt names (The Radio, The Chicks, Yeh Deadlies).
Tieranniesaur is a little more inventive in name, as in sound. Tierney clearly sees music as a family affair, with her husband Padraig O‘Reilly featuring among album contributors such as Ian McFarlane of Squarehead, and Irish Indo-dubbed ‘local rapper’; No Monster Club’s Bobby Aherne.
Instantly catchy, we’re thrown into the deep end with a thumping intro of ‘Rock Blocker’, a largely mellow disco anthem that will stay in your head long after the first listen. Tierney’s turn of phrase sounds as if plucked directly from ‘Grease’s hazy 50s dialogue’ but that’s the fun of it. It’s a little childish, who wants to be a grown-up, anyway? Even the arrangements are giddy and juvenile, but in effect, gives the lo-fi production a fuzzy enhancement.
‘Sketch!’ was the first release for Tieranniesaur. It’s a fun, almost nursery-rhyme of a song, but delivers in an instantly recognisable and catchy tune.
‘Azure Island’ opens with a funky riff, eventually giving way to hectic pace slowing down and speeding up, giving a feeling of hallucinatory distortion. Aherne first appears with what sounds a bit like a simon-says audiotape, bursting into a high-speed ‘rap’ of sorts that’s about as sincere as the next track. ‘I Tink Ur Strange’, she says. “You’re stupid, you’re weird!” a taunt delivered like a snide child. It’s good fun, if perhaps lingering on for a little too long.
‘In The Sargasso’ has a galloping beat, back-dropping a slower and meandering effort from Tierney. It’s not as memorable as the rest, but nothing to skip-over all the same. Bass-heavy ‘Here Be Monsters’ drips in a haunting allure, while ‘I Don’t Stop’ carries Blondie-esque vocals as they’re showered in stomping electro beats. Repetitive? Boring? Not here.
However, the closer ‘Remember My Name’ is a disappointment, finishing off a great listen with the redundant indulgence of shouting names followed by calls to remember said name. There’s no need to ask us, it’s happening.