It's already been a belter of a year for Irish music, and we’re only just over halfway through the year.
Here are ten albums that we reckon are among the best released by Irish artists so far in 2023.
Lankum - False Lankum
Recently nominated for the Mercury Prize (and rightly so), the Dublin band's fourth album was their most visceral to date. The four-piece plundered the guttural, grimy depths of the folk canon with songs like Go Dig My Grave, but tempered it with the likes of affecting murder ballad Lord Abore and Mary Flynn. A superb album by a band at the top of their game.
Ailbhe Reddy - Endless Affair
Ailbhe Reddy's 2019 debut set her apart from many of her peers as a songwriter with bags of promise. The Dubliner came good on that potential with an excellent second record, encompassing wry lyrics, deft melodies and often moving personal recollections that sum up her twentysomething life.
Lisa O'Neill - All of This is Chance
Lisa O'Neill has been releasing great albums for years now, but this album cemented the Cavan woman as an important musician. From the elegiac Old Note to the banjo-led twang of Silver Seed, her idiosyncratic style was particularly mesmerising on her fifth album.
M(H)AOL - Attachment Styles
A whirlwind of chaotic sound, Attachment Styles is not like most albums you’ll have heard this year. A squally, nervy debut by the Dublin band that borrows from krautrock, punk and post-punk, and with songs about everything from sexuality to the patriarchy, it is an unapologetically brash calling card.
Grian Chatten - Chaos for the Fly
He has already conquered the indie world with Fontaines DC, but frontman Grian Chatten clearly still has plenty to say - albeit in a somewhat scaled-back manner to his 9 to 5. Chatten's solo debut was a different prospect entirely, showcasing the ruminative underbelly of his songwriting oeuvre. Even without the firepower of his band, this was an album packed with charisma and determined storytelling.
Bell X1 - Merciful Hour
After 25 years in the business, Bell X1 are still capable of surprises. The Dublin trio's eighth studio album drew influence from electropop, acoustic folk and the sumptuous arrangements of their erstwhile collaborators Dowry Strings for an eclectic record that plumbed enjoyable new depths.
The Bonk - Greater Than or Equal to the Bonk
There are occasionally great independent albums that often get bulldozed by the juggernaut that is the music industry, or overlooked for any number of factors. The Bonk's second album (the new project by former O Emperor man Phil Christie) should be on the tip of every tastemaker’s tongue; this record takes you on a freewheeling adventure through jazz, indie, pop and krautrock with a sense of poise and purpose. Thrilling stuff.
The Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery
Second albums can be a tricky business, but not if you're The Murder Capital. The Dublin-based band built upon the gripping post-punk framework of their debut by adding an electronic burble to Gigi’s Recovery, doubling down on dour melodrama and making an excellent sequel in the process.
King Cedar - Everything More, and Other Stories
You can easily pinpoint Northern Irish songwriter Stephen Maccartney's influences (Ryan Adams, Father John Misty, The Beatles) but that is not necessarily a bad thing on his incredibly assured debut. The former Farriers frontman went solo on these tracks, infusing the folky tilt of his homeland with a retro-dappled Californian hue, where the album was recorded. It gets better with every listen.
Stephen Shannon - Fathoms
He is known as a producer of note as well as a member of various eclectic musical projects, but Stephen Shannon's solo debut was a revelation. Supplemented by musicians from Dublin’s Crash Ensemble, its marriage of orchestration and electronica made for a record where every note contained multitudes.
Read our lists of Best Irish Books and Best Film & TV of the year (so far)
