18/04/2023
Well Done to the Corner Boy lads. Zero corners cut on cutting this record. Proud of the lads.
Thank you to Hot Press Magazine for reviewing our album in their latest edition. We have been reading the magazine since we were kids, incredible to see it amongst the pages 🙏
'With the inestimable Gavin Glass in the producer’s chair, plus a shopful of musical instruments and all six members on vocal duties, Wexford’s Corner Boy have spiced their guitar-rock sound with Americana and Irish folk, creating a unique indie-trad style.
After a stunning opening comprising solemn harmonies, pipes and pounding drums, ‘Blackstairs Winter Snow’ accelerates, with Mick D’Arcy’s careworn vocals underpinned by throbbing bass. Conor Foran’s banjo kickstarts ‘Kingdom Come And Go’, a U2-style effort with soaring harmonies.
Cian McGovern’s harmonica helps ‘Ghost Town City’ out of the traps onto a country-rock base, with D’Arcy’s voice at its most joyous, and James O’Sullivan’s fiddle flurries stirring the pot. ‘Go Soft Into The Night’ has a plaintive quality evoking celebrated poet Dylan Thomas, with Michael Sutherland’s staccato drums adding real drama.
Admitting a little light, to contrast with the shade, might have made this a perfect debut. But Corner Boy still come on like a band hacking their way through the indie jungle, cutting down swathes of tamer opposition. As a lyricist and vocalist, D’Arcy deserves special attention, while the CB Collective could be the delinquent offspring of The Pogues and The Killers. Tremendous stuff'
8.5/10
Jackie Hayden
Hot Press Magazine
https://www.hotpress.com/music/album-review-corner-boy-corner-boy-22962921