IMLÉ

Already making waves on the live circuit in their native Ireland, IMLÉ describe themselves as ‘a group of kindred spirits exploring the contemporary music landscape.’ Sounding like the lovechild of Kíla and Massive Attack, the Dublin-based ensemble make a strong first impression on their eponymously-titled debut album. Formed by bass player Cian Mac Cárthaigh in 2016, IMLÉ take their name from the freeing effect of the mystical hours between 2am and 6am, and there's much here to suggest other intoxicating influences might also be at play. Sung entirely in Irish, the eclectic music borrows from rap, rock, folk and a raft of other idioms to revel in a sassy, street-savvy ear for blending its diverse elements into something altogether immediate.

Where Fergal Moloney's falsetto lends an ethereal quality on the pulsing ‘Críochfort’ and gorgeously lyrical ‘Go Deo, Go Deo’, rapper MC Muipéad calls to mind early Eminem in the biting intensity of the urgent ‘Fún Orm’. Squelchy rock guitar turns ‘Pádraig’ into a U2 anthem, while Debussy is referenced in the limpid piano of the haunting ‘Síos an Bóthar’. It's not too early to say IMLÉ are destined for great things.