10 Irish albums you may... - Summit Wealth Investment Education Foundation

End-of-year lists are a convenient way of summarising the last twelve months; the only problem is that there are always some gems that are brushed over or forgotten about in the Top 10s, especially in the midst of a creative boom such as the one Irish culture is experiencing.

With that in mind, here are ten brilliant Irish albums that you might have missed this year...

Bricknasty - XONGZ አስቀያሚ ጡብ

What began as a lockdown project just four years ago has blossomed into an incredibly interesting band. Dublin's Bricknasty blend neo-soul, hip-hop and r&b with an offbeat, jazz-inflected vibe that is utterly compelling. Their debut mixtape showcased their eclectic taste superbly, from the NERD-esque Gas to the two-step-influenced Joyrider and the loose soul clatter of Boyfriend, never losing sight of their working class roots and marking them out as a band to watch in 2025.

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Danny Carroll - I Am the Cheese

A young bearded man with an acoustic guitar: we’ve been here before. In Danny Carroll’s hands, however, nothing is quite as it seems. The Dublin-based musician - who previously performed under his 'Shrug Life’ guise - made his mark on the Irish indie scene this year with an utterly charming solo debut. Musical touchpoints included Wilco, Jonathan Richman and Belle & Sebastian, while Carroll’s wry lyric sheet hits the sweet spot between wisdom and whimsy.

Chequerboard - Souvenir

John Lambert has been a fixture on the Irish music scene for quite some time now; his first album was 2002’s Gothica, in fact, while 2008’s Penny Black was shortlisted for the Choice Music Prize. After a gap of 11 years, Lambert returned in 2024 with his beautiful fourth record; an instrumental meditation on time and memory, with evocative arrangements and superbly played fingerpicked acoustic guitar. A jubilant exercise in understatement.

Brian Deady - Welcome to Big Wow

He remains one of Ireland’s most underrated musicians, and as the years pass, it seems more and more unlikely that Brian Deady will shake that unwarranted tag. No matter. The Corkman, now based in Spain, continues to release excellent albums. Plundering from genres including electronica, new wave, soul and art rock on songs like The Fear and De Universe, his succinct sixth record is a real pleasure from beginning to end.

Gemma Hayes - Blind Faith

She’s been away for quite a while, but it sounds as though Gemma Hayes has learned a few things about herself in the intervening period. It’s been a decade since the Tipperary native’s last record, during which time she embraced motherhood but self-admittedly lost something of her creative self. Blind Faith is an exploration of regaining confidence and accepting the risk of pursuing something that you love, making for some of Hayes’ best lyrics yet - but its gorgeous ‘wee hours’ ambience is what will draw you in, best heard on songs like the hushed beauty of High & Low and Another Love, featuring Bell X1’s Paul Noonan.

David Hedderman - Pulling at the Briars

If the name rings a bell, perhaps you were a fan of The Immediate back in the day - the Dublin band who really ought to have conquered the world. Following the art-rock quartet’s premature split in 2007, Conor O’Brien went on to form Villagers and his bandmate David Hedderman moved to Berlin to become a visual artist. Music eventually proved an irresistible force, however, and his solo debut is a tender, full-hearted collection of gorgeous folk songs infused with sumptuous tones of soul and jazz.

The High Llamas - Hey Panda

It’s been eight years since the last High Llamas album, but Sean O’Hagan is clearly not prepared to go quietly into the night. And why should he? The former Microdisney man and Stereolab collaborator clearly has plenty left in his creative tank, as evidenced by the 11th High Llamas record. Packed with the musical idiosyncrasies long-time listeners have come to expect of the ‘avant-pop’ troupe, Hey Panda leans into unconventionality and relishes in throwing curveballs - and even if not all of them hit the mark, it makes for an enjoyable ride.

Ciaran Lavery - Light Entertainment

He clocked up many comparisons to Bruce Springsteen’s more ruminative fare in the early part of his career, but over the course of his last few albums it’s safe to say that Ciaran Lavery has found his niche. The Antrim man’s latest album is an ambitious endeavour that went on to encompass a short film and a immersive live theatre experience, all rooted in themes of dystopia that seem to bleed into reality day by day. It sounds like a lofty concept, but Laverty never loses sight of the song in the midst of it all, from the stoic pop groove of Oh My God (No, Your God) to the woozy scuffle of We’re Looking for a Hit.

Bantum - Bantum

Ruairi Lynch’s third album under the Bantum moniker is as wide-ranging as his previous work - the Corkman has a knack for stitching together a multitude of genres and sounds in a seamless manner. This collection of instrumental electronic-led tracks is an immersive odyssey that never meanders into self-indulgence or outstays its welcome. Highlights include the shimmying hip-hop beat of Tiny Groove and the house-inspired Carousel and Roulette - but really, there’s not a bad track on this compact album.

Yenkee - Night Golf

Slacker-indiepop has been kind of a big deal in 2024, thanks to the likes of MJ Lenderman, Clairo and Soccer Mommy. Happily, the genre has a homegrown hero to root for in Cork’s Graham Cooney, aka Yenkee. The bedroom pop artist’s second album is a quirky, infectiously slick collection of understated songs that tread a line between ‘toe-tappy’ (Southside, The Bayou) and ‘languid’ (Tired All the Time). Amid some droll lyrics and the occasional bout of lovely orchestration, there’s plenty to return to for repeat listens.

And there's more - discover Lauren Murphy's 10 best Irish albums of 2024 here.

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