Anemoia
Anemoia began on a bedroom floor in 2019, started by 16-year-old Gerald Higgins in Co. Mayo. Taking early inspiration from artists like A.R Kane, My Bloody Valentine & Current Joys, The band released their debut album ‘Driving Songs’, a necessary Shoegaze portfolio of Roland TR-505 loops & ethereal looped guitar pieces; all created between 2019-2021. An amateur approach of scaling their sound and stamping a presence before developing further.
After garnering a niche success on Soundcloud the soundscape developed as it turned into a 4-Piece band in October of 2022, residing in Dublin. Selling out their debut show in the Workman’s Cellar that very month, they have gone on to support many reputable Dublin acts and have had the honour of headlining venues across the city, featuring at ‘2024 Whelan’s One to Watch’ and selling out their previous show at the same location. With their latest single ‘crutch’ released in November of 2023, Anemoia has more planned for 2024, redirecting their Wall-of-Sound, integrating Slacker & Noise Rock qualities, with lyrical inspiration from film, poetry, tales of grief and the human condition.
They are gutting a body of water - Texas Instruments
I remember I first heard this song while entering this weird fugue state, just after the first COVID lockdown. I don’t think I had ever heard something that made me feel this hazy, dirty and decaying within 2 minutes. My view on how music can be made was just completely messed up after this, from how inspired but unconventional it is. I think this music sounds like the west of Ireland also; rotten
- Ger
Automatic Stop - The Strokes
I wouldn’t call myself a Strokes fan, but the sincerity and simplicity of Room on Fire was one of the reasons ‘anemoia’ started as a bedroom project. There’s such a strange dissonance on this song that expanded my view on Indie Rock while my taste was developing. Automatic Stop’ contains such an intimacy that I haven’t really heard elsewhere; it’s just so beautiful. Casablanca’s vocals on this one just evoke so much pain and confusion. I hate the cliche of personifying a guitar, but Albert Hammond Jr.’s playing on the chorus truly does make it sound really upset
- Ger
Dark - Blue Smiley
There’s like this interwoven path of instrumentation alongside the panning of the drums on ‘dark’ that made me want to attempt to have my future mixes slightly more bearable. I tried months to get the tone of the guitar before realising it is just reems of chorus. And that taught me to keep things simple and unfeigned. One of the best songs of all time - Ger
Take This Longing - Leonard Cohen
I think this song subverted my expectations with the title that made me take it for granted. Relating ‘longing’ to his ‘tongue’, is so profound and the way he writes about the body is beautiful. I took lyrical writing for granted before hearing this song (and album) as just having a bit of feedback and noise was just a bit of a shallow priority. Also the fact his voice is imperfect made me feel less insecure about my own vocals - Ger
Fear and Joy - Charlie Megira, The Hefker Girl
It was impossible to pick a Megira song for this but if I had to pick one that ‘shaped my musical journey’ it would be this one. Beautiful looped post-punk guitar, punchy drum machine and a recording that sounds like it was mixed through a microwave. It paints such a unique picture, and all of his songs made me feel like this. Lo-fi, intimate. Every year I have to delete a song because it sounds like this - Ger
A forest - The Cure
My first time hearing this was in my friends shed at at night. We had been playing music and throwing on songs and I remember just perking up when I heard a forest. The simplicity of playing drew me in and that riff style solo had me replaying it over and over in my head. At the time I wasn’t playing as much guitar as I used to and it made me pick it back up quicker than ever. It also drove me to buy my first chorus pedal to try emulate their sound throughout the 80s - Robert
One Armed Scissor - At The Drive In
This song opened my eyes to true chaos as a musical element. Every guitar line, drum part and strained scream seemingly comes from a different song, then smashed to pieces and held together with super glue. The result is a glorious mess that leaves you in awe of its creation. - Isaak
PDA - Interpol
As a bassist, learning this bassline showed me the possibility of composition within a song. Every note, rest, and minor fill is perfectly calculated, to the point of pushing the song along perfectly without infringing. The emotion that is felt simply within notes of the bassline is nothing short of brilliant. - Isaak
Into me - Glare
Into me is a song that shaped my playing of shoegaze by taking a rock approach. Using open hi hats and leaving silence where I feel it is needed. Not overplaying and allowing the soundscape to tell the story of the song. The beautiful chord sequence is what drew me to the song, and just being able to sit back and enjoy a peaceful at the start while also having a kick to it halfway through really grabbed my ear. - Matt
Poor Aileen- Superheaven
Poor Aileen is a huge factor that shaped my approach to grooves. Allowing the half time feel to make a fast song feel slow and allow everyone to headbang and dance. The build sections caught my attention at first and this allowed me to make some pretty cool grooves that allow the other instruments to shine. - Matt
