Pressed on 180g vinyl

Cult musician Paddy Hanna announces his forthcoming album Oylegate with the release of his new song ‘Oylegate Station’, out Wednesday, 29th January via Strange Brew Records. 

After his fourth album, Imagine I’m Hoping, arrived to critical acclaim but not the mainstream success needed for him to continue on as a musician, Hanna found himself at a personal and artistic low point. However, thanks to support from the Arts Council and the encouragement of his family, ‘Oylegate Station’ sees Hanna returning as the intrepid captain of his own ship; he may not know the destination, but he’ll see us along the journey with his graceful pop sensibilities.

Speaking about the new track, Hanna’s cryptic explanation could be confused for a missive from a lonely cosmonaut: “Low rent fuel, caffeine of all shapes, the midpoint of hope and despair, engine still running at Oylegate Station.”

Elation and exhaustion. Love and terror. The weight of responsibility and the strange, disorienting beauty of watching life unfold before your eyes. OLYEGATE, the latest album from Paddy Hanna, is a journey through the euphoric highs and crushing lows of parenthood, delivered with his signature blend of melancholic wit and lush, off-kilter charm.

Determined to sidestep the usual sentimental trappings of writing about having a child, Hanna found an unlikely creative companion in grim Soviet-era cinema. As he wrote, films like Solaris flickered in the background—bleak, meditative landscapes that mirrored the depths of sleep deprivation and the existential wonder of bringing a new life into the world. This contrast of warmth and detachment, of intimate revelation and surreal detour, courses through the album’s DNA.

Despite its moments of cold introspection, OLYEGATE is sonically rich and enveloping—an effect captured in a single request to producer Daniel Fox: "sweet, sweet caramel." Hanna wanted the music to feel like satin lining the listener’s ears, wrapping them in warmth even when the themes tilt towards darkness.

True to form, OLYEGATE marks yet another creative leap for an artist who refuses to be boxed in. "One advantage of being an ‘artist’s artist’ is that you never have to worry about being creatively different between albums. There's real freedom in doing whatever you want and not being judged for it. And even if you are judged, who gives a shit?"

That spirit of fearless exploration—of finding joy in the unknown, the absurd, and the deeply personal—defines OLYEGATE. An odyssey of tenderness and turbulence, it’s the sound of an artist embracing life’s messiest, most beautiful contradictions.

Paddy Hanna will release a rendition of beloved Burt Bacharach single ‘The Look of

Love’ on Friday, July 24th via Strange Brew.

The single comes with the announcement of a full-length Bacharach homage

album, titled Paddy Hanna’s Bacharach Show Vol.1, releasing Friday, November

20th.

Paddy Hanna performs at Galway International Arts Festival on Sunday, 26th July.

Tickets are available from giaf.ie

‘The Look of Love’ follows May’s double A-Side single ‘Walk on By’ with ‘What’s New

Pussycat’

, which earned praise from RTÉ Radio 1, Nialler9, Hot Press and more as a

refreshed rendition that warmly honoured Hanna’s musical hero.

In 2019, Hanna supported Bacharach for two nights at the Galway International Arts

Festival, where the six-time GRAMMY award winner was so impressed with Hanna’s

opening performance, that he invited him onstage for an ecstatic encore on the

second night, performing ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ (watch here).

During a difficult period of his life, Bacharach’s act of kindness transformed Paddy’s

outlook, where today the memory continues to fuel his determination, love and his

mission to share irresistible songs with the world.

Hanna makes his eager return to the Galway International Arts Festival on July 26th

to perform his Bacharach show.

On his version of ‘Walk on By’

, most famously performed by Dusty Springfield, Hanna

says:

“I discovered that when you pitch Dusty Springfields range down an octave or

two, it sits very comfortably with my voice. She also had such an impressive

ability to go big while somehow remaining intimate. I tend to be rather

manic in my approach, so to slip into her shoes proved a very comfortable

experience.

”On the arrangement of the song, he adds:

“We planned to have a trumpet solo, but we loved the space and feel that the

room created, a big ‘ol trumpet solo would have drowned it all out. Let me

put that in culinary terms: Lets say you make a perfect bowl of pasta with the

freshest tomatoes, perfect al dente pasta and extra virgin olive oil, and then

you put loads of ketchup on it. You haven't destroyed the meal but you've

drowned out the most important flavors.

”

Recorded in only three days with producer (and bassist) Chris Barry, Paddy Hanna’s

Bacharach Show Vol.1, is a joyous tribute album to Bacharach’s timeless sound,

brought to life by Hanna’s signature wit, charm and infectious energy. The album

also features Daniel Fitzpatrick (Badhands, Chuck Squires) and Brendan Doherty

(Villagers, Van Morrison), with Daniel Fox (Gilla Band) on mixing duties.

Following swiftly after the release of his acclaimed fifth album Oylegate in 2025 (4

stars, The Irish Times), Hanna embraces one of his most ambitious creative

undertakings yet: A homage album celebrating positivity, gratitude and the

transformative power of kindness.

Limited edition 7" single

Galway garage rockers Shark School ‘Choose Life’ with their raucous new single, out on Wednesday, 25th September via Strange Brew. The four-piece release the track just before taking Dublin by storm with their Ireland Music Week show on Friday, 4th October in the Workman’s Cellar at 11:10pm. 

Tongue-in-cheek yet cathartic, Shark School jolt themselves out of the doldrums with head-banging guitar on ‘Choose Life’ and order anyone within earshot to “Stop wasting away on your mind numbing shit.” 

The band tell listeners: “Hey there, are you looking to make a decision? Well boy does Shark School have the answer for you! ‘Choose Life’ is a journey through the depths of space and time and into the realm of girl garage. Designed to make you laugh, cry and go, ‘Hmmmm that was lovely,’ this song will have you nodding your head in approval so hard that you'll wake up with whiplash.”

Nora Staunton (guitar, vocals), Peggy Ford (bass), Meg Bruce (percussion, backing vocals) and Cathal Curran (drums) formed Shark School in June of 2023 and have quickly made a name for themselves playing with celebrated Irish acts, including NewDad, The Love Buzz, Elaine Malone and many more. The group have played at the festivals Beyond The Pale, All Together Now, Electric Picnic, Whelan's Ones to Watch and Fall Right Into Place, as well as touring all over Ireland and in the UK. They are known for their energetic sets, punctuated by their sarcastic wit. 

12" version of the album, complete with lyrics sheet

Dublin-born, London-based artist/producer Michael Orange, better known as Feather Beds, shares his jangly post-punk single ‘Sport of Boxing’, on Wednesday, 5 April, 2023, the second off his upcoming album Softer Measures. The immersive new LP will be released on Friday, 26 May, 2023 on 12" vinyl and digitally via Strange Brew.

‘Sport of Boxing’ kicks off the second half of the album with New Wave-esque immediacy. The influence of The Cure, Cleaners From Venus, and more contemporary artists like Women bleed through as reverb washes over the listener.

“Lyrically, it's about trying to figure out who and what is good for you in your life,” Orange says of ‘Sport of Boxing’.

The new song follows lead single ‘Really Disney’, which received an enthusiastic reception from music fans in Ireland. ‘Really Disney’ enjoyed a first play from Dan Hegarty on RTÉ 2fm and a rave review in the March edition of The GOO, which called the track “deliciously off-kilter” and noted that it “augurs brilliantly for the album release.” Feather Beds also shared Neil Tolliday’s (of Bent and Champyun Clouds) dreamy remix of ‘Really Disney’ on 23 March, 2023.

Having been based in Montreal for a few years and then back to Dublin, the new LP sees Orange in London full-time and adopting a more austere approach to songwriting by incorporating elements of noise and drone alongside a backdrop of jangly guitars, homemade samples, and washed-out harmonies. Orange takes inspiration from math and prog rock, with unconventional time signatures hidden under the melodic surface of his music. Taking on production duties himself and working again with long-time collaborator Stephen Shannon (Mount Alaska, Strands) on mixing duties, Orange is due to make a triumphant return with Softer Measures.

Out now

Limited Edition Vinyl.

Not Squares have been busy weaving a pop sensibility into a stream of danceable grooves ready for release at the end of April 2015. Their new album 'Bolts' features ten tracks that dip into a rich pool of keys, bass, vocals and drums designed to be heard as a seamless mix from start to finish. The record deliberately echoes and references itself throughout, punctuated by disco chorusses, garagey basslines and reminders of early House-music’s four to the floor jams. 

‘Bolts’ is released on Galway’s Strange Brew Rekkids on limited edition vinyl alongside an Irish tour. Their live set is still as visceral as ever with staples such as 'Asylum' and 'Release the Bees' sitting alongside new live favourites 'Beat Below', 'Fall Far' and their current single 'Oops Said Hi’. 

“Belfast trio Not Squares clearly know the power of a spoken refrain in amongst relentless trance synths and electronic thumps…And boy does it work! This’ll keep Not Squares going for some time.” - Loud and Quiet

“Not Squares are currently getting music critic’s collective undercrackers in a bunch and from a quick listen it’s easy to see why this mob are making all the right moves.” – NME

12” Vinyl with deluxe gatefold sleeve.

‘You’ is the debut album from Irish band Meltybrains?. It has been years in the making - an exploration of the journey of five young men, trying to get from one end of their 20s to the other. Much like the making of the album, this journey was trickier than any of them thought it would be.

This record is for you, from you and of you. It’s an absolute beginner’s guide to the microcosm, the macrocosm and everything in between.

It’s also a bit of fun and a pretty good record, combining influences from footwork, drone and j-pop with krautrock, psychedelia and prog.

12” Vinyl special edition with Mirror Card outer sleeve & deluxe gatefold sleeve.

‘You’ is the debut album from Irish band Meltybrains?. It has been years in the making - an exploration of the journey of five young men, trying to get from one end of their 20s to the other. Much like the making of the album, this journey was trickier than any of them thought it would be.

This record is for you, from you and of you. It’s an absolute beginner’s guide to the microcosm, the macrocosm and everything in between.

It’s also a bit of fun and a pretty good record, combining influences from footwork, drone and j-pop with krautrock, psychedelia and prog.

Transparent vinyl with gatefold sleeve and digital download

Includes free digital download.

A very limited run of 10" Vinyl of the new Double Single by Slow Place Like Home. Pressed with a custom pocket jacket by DMS.