Readers of Covert Music Club will be well aware that we’ve been a fan of the music of Dublin singer/songwriter Niamh Keane for a long time now, and last year we even wrote a post to raise awareness of one of the most thoughtful songwriters on the Irish music scene at the moment.

Last week, the talented musician released their debut single, Nightsong, which would act as a precursor to her upcoming debut EP, Lake Michigan. It serves as a wonderful introduction to the music of Keane.

The first thing that strikes you about this song is the haunting nature of Keane’s vocals. There is something ethereal and otherworldly about the texture and tone of the songwriters voice as she introduces us to an idea of uncertainty and confusion that runs throughout the song. Keane has described this song as a response to feeling unsure of the next steps to take in your life and career, a very powerful sentiment that everyone listening to this song will be able to relate to.

The instrumentation throughout is also the ideal accompaniment to the vocals, and helps to further generate a sense of mystery and uncertainty. Throughout the piece we are greeted with a beautiful piano line that almost acts as a representation for the footsteps of our protagonist as they walk into the uncertainty in the distance which is played by distant and consistent drumming rhythms. This acts a wonderful display of the the certainty that Niamh Keane has in the sound that she is trying to create and the level of musicianship here is excellent as we are painted a vivid picture of the uncertainty that comes at different parts of our lives.

Nightsong is a wonderful first step for the Dublin artist, and anyone who is familiar with her work up to this point knows that this is only the beginning. Something to look forward to next year already.

MK