Winter has arrived and it’s not just some of the weather that is bleak unfortunately, as the music industry continues to stumble to address the use of A.I.

A.I.

It’s not only country music number 1’s being ridiculed but also the BBC’s “Introducing”, who didn’t do their credibility any favours by championing a song that was completely AI-generated.

Bloomberg just recently reported that “the world’s largest music companies have licensed their works to a music startup called Klay, which is building a streaming service that will allow users to remake songs using AI tools”.

Other A. I. news stories circulating at the moment, include where “Warner Music Group (WMG) will begin an artificial intelligence (AI) music venture with technology start-up Suno - a year after it sued the firm in a landmark case.” This makes for deflating reading, a company who trained their data on other artist’s music without permission are now being rewarded with a major label deal!

In previous newsletter emails I mentioned about the Deezer CEO who was interviewed in The Times back in April who said they had found that roughly 70,000 new songs a week were entirely generated by AI. In their latest newsroom update, the company explained how this has since increased to 50,000 per day!!!

But despite of all this, even with all the music I listen to everyday, it’s impossible to keep up with the newly human created independent music releases 😅.

A special shout out to Adiós Cometa from Costa Rica who released their single "Luminosa" ahead of their upcoming third album ‘A Flash of Light’, which will be released on January 29th, 2026 on Spanish indie label Spinda Records.( I interviewed their drummer Pablo a few months back, that conversation is available here on mixcloud )

Other new releases to note include London-based Irish duo TV People who are back with a new single "Seasons" after a 12 month hiatus and it's a doozie via Blowtorch Records.

Also via Blowtorch Records is a stellar debut album from Cork’s Ash Red. Using football as its frame, the album title The Foreign Game draws on the history of ‘Rule 27’, which the GAA used to forbid its members from playing so-called ‘foreign games’ until 1971. It’s a dark, but highly engaging post punk themed record and there is a vinyl release available. Ash Red are playing Galway this weekend and I’m looking forward to hearing those songs live.

Another Cork act with new music out are indie veterans The Altered Hours who are also playing here, with a December gig in Saint Nicholas' Collegiate Church which should prove to have amazing acoustics. I have been playing their new self-titled album A LOT! It is one of the best Irish records this year and available via Pizza Pizza Records. (My Interview with Nora and Elaine from the band is up on @mixcloud ).

Other notable new singles include Dublin's band DREAM BOY with "purple" and Florence Road's "Storm Warnings".

One of my favourite acts, London based band Whitelands dropped another new single 🤩 from their forthcoming album 'Sunlight Echoes' which is due out in January on the iconic record label Sonic Cathedral.

Writing assignments

In more positive news I have started writing for the online music journal ‘the tonearm’, here is a recent interview for them with Saintseneca and their wonderful album:

https://www.thetonearm.com/two-moons-over-columbus-saintseneca-world-of-song/

I’m hoping to have other reviews and interviews in some publications closer to home, next month!

Interviews

I had the opportunity to chat with Billie Riley from Ribbon Skirt, a Montreal based post punk band whose debut album ‘Bite Down’ received critical acclaim.

And a small milestone I reached this week, was hosting podcast interview number 50 which features independent Ottawa band Lives Like Skyscrapers. Their name was inspired by a quote from the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’

Live Shows

I traveled to Leeds to catch Mild Orange, who are a great bunch of kiwis.

Formed in Dunedin in 2017, Mild Orange have built an international following on the back of their independently released debut album, 'Foreplay' which reached every corner of the globe on YouTube with the singles ‘Some Feeling’ and ‘My sight’. They have since become known for their alternative blend of sun-drenched dream pop and psychedelic rock sounds all while remaining fiercely independent.
After releasing their third album 'Looking For Space' the band relocated to London where they began working on their fourth album THE//GLOW which was released back in August.

I interviewed the band a few months back about that record ‘THE//GLOW’ which I highly recommend. (Here is a link to my review of their album). Go catch them live, if you get a chance!

Over the years, I have been to many cities across the U.K. but it was my first time to visit Yorkshire and to Leeds. The Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen venue was outstanding, it is spread over three floors with two bars, two kitchens, and a 300 capacity event space. I didn’t get a chance to check out the roof terrace but I will be definitely keeping a eye on future gigs there.

Back in Dublin, the Tokyo, Japan-based band Mono were just amazing live at the Button Factory. They were building layers upon layers of sonic textures with their ambient post rock music. The band was founded in 1999 and they have been touring the world since, this was my first time catching them live, they were mesmerizing!

One other thing, recorded for the live from the basement youtube channel NYC’s Geese performed their terrific album ‘Getting Killed’ which makes for great viewing.

Music Discovery

According to Deloitte’s Digital Media Trends study, “82% of Gen Zs and 70% of millennials find out about new artists or music through social media or User Generated Content video sites.”

But maybe you care to celebrate music discovery through human curation?

The Human Recommendation weekly radio show is on FlirtFM on Mondays at 8pm on 101.3 FM in Galway city and streaming via the web at flirtfm.ie! 

There are just three shows left in the year with the last installment airing on Dec 15th where I’ll be counting down my albums of the year. Hopefully you can join me and listen back to the best of 2025.

#TeamHuman