It takes a distinct kind of exhaustion to write a gorgeous tune about feeling entirely helpless, which is exactly the bruised nerve Maicín strike with their new single, "Fear The War". The five-piece Irish band formed by architects Matt Hurley and Aidan Kelleher as an escape from corporate burnout gained rapid momentum in 2025 by winning university battles of the bands and extensively touring...

Some songs arrive with a chorus built for the group chat. Shannon Darcy’s ‘Treasures and Gold’ comes in closer. This alternative pop rock single centres on a far less tidy feeling: caring about somebody who has repeatedly made you feel unwanted, then realising that their behaviour cannot keep writing your value for you. ‘Treasures and Gold’ shifts Darcy from the defiant heat of "Control Freak" into...