New To The Scene - Neon Wolf



Neon Wolf!


Our sights have been firmly focused on emerging acts from the Australian music scene for the past couple of months, so we're going to take a little bit of a vacation in this week's 'New To The Scene' and head on over to Ireland. Sure, we could go somewhere sunny in the Caribbean and sit on the beach with a mojito, but you probably don't want to know about the latest Calypso jazz sensation, De La Rhumba. Or maybe you do. In that case, you're out of luck because I just made them up. No, we're going to Ireland; the home of U2, The Cranberries, Van Morrison and... Westlife. No country is perfect when it comes to their collection of artists, so we'll forgive them for that. However, I'm not forgiving them for allowing Brian McFadden safe passage to Australia, leaving many of us scratching our heads at his continued annoying presence on TV and radio here. Before I end up ranting (again) about McFadden's numerous musical faux pas, let's talk about one Irish act that we can all enjoy; Neon Wolf.

Hailing from Thomastown and now settled in Kilkenny, Neon Wolf is a five-piece pop/rock/alternative/indie (why do we bother with genre labels anymore?) band who house some very catchy hooks in their limited, but expanding, repertoire. Their debut single, 'All of it's Yours,' came highly recommended to me and it only takes one listen to understand why. If you haven't figured out the why, it's because the song's awesome. That's why. Seriously though, there's a lot to like about the track and it slides easily into the current indie/pop-rock landscape occupied by acts Neon Wolf cite as their influences (The Naked and Famous, White Lies). The vocals have a light, 90s inspired distortion that charms the ears, the percussion/guitar intro automatically draws you in (despite an obvious need for more cowbell), the chorus has already worked its way into the back of my brain, refusing to budge and there's even a pretty sweet guitar solo. You must have noticed a distinct lack of awesome guitar solos lately. 'All of it's Yours' has one! Something for everybody. We liked it so much, it debuted on this week's Top 20 at #9.

Neon Wolf - The Good Life by barrygruff

The only other studio track I've been able to find is 'The Good Life,' itself an on-trend homage to 90s pop-rock with a modern twist. Other than that? Not much I can report I'm sorry to say. I do know that they have their debut EP, Love Lost in Design, out April 27 and I'll endeavor to keep you in the know if it's out on iTunes. Until then, you can follow their online movements via:


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Don't stress yourself too much though, you'll probably be hearing a lot more from them real soon.All I'm saying is, if Snow Patrol can make it big, Neon Wolf has a very good chance.