Words: Andrea Naess

It’s recently been St. Patrick’s Day, and LDN is still in a mood for some good Irish tunes this week to celebrate the special day, as well as music from other countries… Stay tuned for SPRINTS, The Scratch, YUNGBLUD, Yours Truly and Archive. 

1. SPRINTS – Delia Smith

“Who wants to be special anyway? Me!” sings lead singer Karla Chubb from SPRINTS. And it’s safe to say the four-piece is special, and well worth checking out this week with their latest single ‘Delia Smith’. The Dublin-based band’s style is punk, raw, raucous, and very cool. Formed in 2019, the band has already received tributes from BBC Radio 6 and Radio 1, among others. LDN thinks ‘Delia Smith’ is a breath of fresh air, has very catchy riffs and engaging lyrics. Out via Nice Swan Records.

2. The Scratch – Another Round

What’s more typically Irish than their world-famous Irish pubs? Dublin’s The Scratch really highlight this part of the Irish culture in their latest track ‘Another Round’. The song is folky, lively and has a brilliant video to complete it where we see a loop of the pub life. The band was born through a shared love of acoustic guitar, metal, and traditional Irish music. Quite the fusion, and LDN thinks ‘Another Round’ is a great representation of what the band stands for. 

3. YUNGBLUD – The Funeral

Dominic Richard Harrison, better known as YUNGBLUD never seems to disappoint. The 24-year-old singer’s latest single ‘The Funeral’, brings up topics like death (like the title suggests), and it’s nice to see the more serious side of him. “Nobody came, what a shame” is a fear I think most people have about their own funeral, but YUNGBLUD sings about this in a beautiful way. This song is a bit different from his previous singles and it’s giving 80s and Billy Idol vibes, and we definitely love it. 

4. Yours Truly – Lights on

From the land down under, Sydney quartet Yours Truly arises with their latest single ‘Lights On’. The song is very catchy and has that archetypal 2000s edgy emo feeling to it which we are here for. The song is about challenging the way you view yourself and unpacking who you are, and we have all had more time to reflect on this during the pandemic, so ‘Lights On’ really summaries this feeling. The video is very great as well, it’s like watching a movie that takes place in a hotel dominated by retro colours. Zak Pinchin, the director, has done other arthouse music videos with distinctive colour-use and artsy film locations. If you enjoy them (and we know you will), and are keen to see them live, they will return to the UK June 3, in Leeds.  

5. Archive – We Are the Same 

Great, hypnotic and deeply moving describes our last song for this week ‘We Are the Same’, and it’s presented by the south London collective Archive. Vocalist Holly Martin has this to say about the song: “We Are the Same represents how we’re trapped in a societal divide, seeing the things we hate in others and being unable to recognise them in ourselves… we’re all different, but we’re all the same when we conform”. Words that really make you think, and you can reflect on this over the weekend with a cup of tea. For those of you who want to see Archive live too, they will visit EartH in East London November 26, so make sure to grab your tickets.