Some Remain the alternative indie punk band from Sligo, Ireland, initially formed from busking on the streets of Sligo. Having now played all over the country delivering chaotic noise in their high energy live sets they now release their debut EP Feel Low on Galway’s independent label Blowtorch Records. In the late summer of 2024 just after tracking had been finished, the band were in touch with Jamie Hyland (M(h)aol) and note:
“We were aware of her connection to Gilla Band and similar noisy punk acts and so were thrilled to work together. Jamie mixed the title track ‘Feel Low,’ which we were nearly afraid to mix ourselves due to the ambitious nature of the song. She also mastered the entire EP.”
The EP begins with‘Marvellous Medicine’ a two and a half minute deadpan punk track, loaded with edgy static, crashing drums and a drawling vocal by Jamie Conway. It’s raw exuberance immediately hooks the listener, who wants to hear more. ‘On Tap’ doesn’t so much lean into punk but throws itself in head first for the intro. It calms slightly with a guitar riff which is perfectly accompanied by cowbells before the mayhem builds again. The pace is rough and ready and the crashing cymbals (Matthew Mooney – drums) divine. There is a hint of Gilla Band in sections, the briefest of nods.
‘Death Defying Stunts’ is a highlight on Feel Low. This is rambunctious rock n roll, with punks vocals a la John Lydon. But it is also so much more than that. The vocal range of Jamie Conway shines here: clear, impassioned, just impossible to ignore. The instrumentation is allowed to rule the roost on this track, raw and alive. The electric guitar (Colm Mahon) is so playful, dancing up and down, in conjunction with those pounding drums at the end . Good old fashioned punk rock n roll of the highest quality. Thank the lord this isn’t two minutes but an exhilarating four and a half minutes of pure adrenaline.
‘Henri’ has an off-kilter energy and shouty vocals, but be warned “it just won’t work” is going to be an earworm for days. As the track progresses the listener thinks “where is the heck is this going?”.
There is utter chaos midway through and that crisp percussion work is to die for. The smashing drums and feral guitars all collide, but will it hang together before the end? The band share the following on the track:
“Our friend Kamil contributed some freakout saxophone parts to the recording. The song got its name from a scary ventriloquist puppet that overlooked our favourite cafe in Galway. His devious appearance matched with the energy we were trying to create with the song.”
The final and title track‘Feel Now’ then comes crashing into view, and it becomes clear Some Remain are not constrained by the “two and half minute” punk track. ‘Feel Now’ is almost seven minutes, and although it sets off down the punk route it quickly softens and takes us on a winding journey elsewhere, embracing shoegaze, indie and post-punk soundscapes. Some Remain quite rightly give it all the time in the world, the guitar (Colm Mahon) and bass (Leo Mullaney) in particular grabbing the ears as it sees out the EP. The band further expand on the track:
“‘Feel Low’ is the oldest song on the EP. It’s one of the first songs we worked on when we first came together. We always knew we wanted it to be a single but we never thought we could get the whole range of sounds, from chaotic noise to quiet moments to shoegaze, sounding exactly how we wanted it to until Jamie Hyland got in touch.”
For more information on Some Remain please check their facebook instagram and Blowtorch Records website.
