Tuesday 14 July 2015

The Emerald Armada - This House


Folk rock quintet The Emerald Armada have spent the past few years cementing their reputation as Northern Ireland's best live bands, with their raucious gigs becoming the stuff of legends. One problem with bands with such a great live reputation is how to transfer that live sound over to record, with previous releases doing so with somewhat mixed results.

Which is why their latest single, "This House", is quite interesting. Produced by Rocky O'Reilly (previous releases were produced by the band), the song sounds more studio-orientated than previous recordings, and sees a slight adjustment to their style. Whilst the verses still retain the Irish folk-rock sound that they're known for, the choruses take on powerful, alt-rock vibes, reminiscent of Foals or The 1975, and although at first the difference between the two styles may seen a bit jarring, it works surprisingly well after a few listens.

"This House" is perhaps the most realised recording that The Emerald Armada have made to date. I'm not too sure how well it's going to fit into their live set, but if there's one band that can make it sound fantastic on stage, it's them.

"This House" is out now.


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