The debut solo album from Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten, Chaos For The Fly, is released on Partisan Records tomorrow (30 June) and features previously released tracks ‘The Score’, ‘Fairlies’, and ‘All of the People’. The record mirrors Chatten’s poetic and considered style of songwriting seen with Fontaines D.C. but appears here in a more stripped-back expression, with finger-picked guitar textures and piano melodies. 

Composer Ailís Ní Ríain has released her first full-length solo album, The Last Time I Died, on NMC Recordings. The album of chamber and small-scale works features a range of musicians including the Manchester ensemble Psappha, solo percussionist Evelyn Glennie, violinist Darragh Morgan, and Xenia Pestova Bennett playing toy piano, as well as Ní Ríain on piano. The album explores in particular the ideas of communication through her own experience as a deaf/hard of hearing musician. 

Dream From the Deep Well is the fourth album from Galway singer-songwriter Brigid Mae Power and is released tomorrow (30 June) on Fire Records. Following previous album Head Above the Water (2020) and previously released singles ‘Counting Down’ and ‘The Waterford Song’, the album of dreamy, folk-inspired music explores personal tales of family, grandparents and children and features Mae Power’s serene vocals against a wash of strings, steel guitar, horns and mellotron. 

Also recently released is cellist and composer Ailbhe McDonagh’s Irish Isles Suite featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and conductor David Brophy; composer Garrett Scholdice’s The Blue Light, reviewed in the Journal of Music here; and Louise McMahon’s Nora Ephron’s Soul for the Sleepless – a collection of solo piano works. Moss Music is the new 12-track album from folk singer-songwriter Cairi Jacks from Wales; Rainy is the new EP from indie-pop singer-songwriter Seba Safe, out tomorrow (30 June); and Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly have shared a new single, ‘Níl Aon Easpa Orm’, along with the news that their second album The Beautiful Road will be released on Claddagh Records on 28 July. 

The harp, banjo and uilleann pipes folk trio Alfi (Fiachra Meek, Ryan McAuley and Alannah Thornburgh) have announced that their debut album Say Old Man will be released on 21 July and single ‘Jubilee’ – sourced from the work of Appalachian folk singer Jean Ritchie – will be released tomorrow (and is available now on Bandcamp). Dream-pop band NewDad have shared new single ‘Break In’; fiddle player Clare Sands has released ‘Dealán Dé’ with flute and whistle player Brian Finnegan; singer-songwriter Ultan Conlon has shared new single ‘Paradise Lane’ and new experimental doom folk project ØXN – comprising Radie Peat, John ‘Spud’ Murphy, Katie Kim and Eleanor Myler – are the first new signing to Claddagh Records in 18 years, and tomorrow they will release their first track ‘Love Henry’. 

Other recently released singles include Mick Flannery’s ‘Goodtime Charlie’; ‘Treehouse’ by pop singer-songwriter (and member of Wyvern Lingo) Caoi de Barra; Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s first new music in over 10 years ‘The Answer is Yes’; while ‘Secret Chord’ by jazzy hip-hop seven-piece Cooks But We’re Chefs releases tomorrow. 

Listen to a playlist of all recent releases below. To submit your release, email newreleases [at] journalofmusic.com.

Subscribe to our newsletter here.