As has been stated in some of the recent posts on this website, Irish bands are in a very strong place at the moment. Various groups of ambitious and talented musicians are starting to come together to fulfil their visions for creating music. Another one of these bands that will be worth paying attention to are the Dublin four-piece, Munky.

Consisting of Conor Lawlor (guitar), Zachary Stephenson (guitar), Niall Donnelly (bass), and Sam Russell (drums), the band have developed a reputation for energetic live shows and music that is difficult to tie down to a certain genre. The name comes from a random drive around town when Sam and Zachary were listening to a band called Issues, who band who traded in a type of metal funk, hence giving birth to the adjective “Munky” – which would later be adopted as the band name.

Since their inception, the band have played numerous festivals across Ireland, including Electric Picnic and Longitude. They have also supported some of the biggest names in Irish music and have filled the stage of some of Dublin’s most esteemed live music venues. The band have also been releasing music for the past few years, including the Un, Deux, Trois, Cat EP in 2019, and they have recently returned with another single.

If you were looking for an introduction to the music of the band, Closed Door Policy is the perfect starting point. This is an excellent track that demonstrates the strong level of musicianship that the band have become known for since their start. The song is driven by stunning bass and drums from Donnelly and Russell, which is complimented by guitar riffs and solos by Lawlor and Stephenson. The vocals, performed by Stephenson, are assertive and the sense of subtle distortion put over them helps to add to the sense of loss and confusion that is at the core of the song. Excellent.

The release of the song was brought forward due to the current global pandemic, and the empty streets of Dublin provided the band with the perfect music video to match the message of the song. The song addresses a sense of desperation and loneliness that comes when we lose someone that we gave up all of ourselves for, and the eerie and quiet streets of Covid Dublin act as the ideal visual metaphor for this sentiment.

It’s all starting to feel a bit munky.

MK