Second albums (or in this case, second EPs) can be tricky. Sometimes bands lose what made them special in the first place. Cork's Pebbledash didn't have that problem. Their new EP "To Cast the Sea in Concrete" came out in November on Blowtorch Records, and it shows a band that knows what they're doing, they know their concept based in architecture and heritage.

If you know their first EP "Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House" (which is sold out, by the way), you'll notice this one sounds different. The first one felt like being stuck in winter. This new one? It's more like autumn - still cold, but with some light coming through.

The EP starts with "Sí Bheag Sí Mhór", a traditional Irish waltz. But don't think this is going to be a quiet folk record. The second track "Tiles and Moss" hits you with loud guitars and effects. This is what Pebbledash does well - mixing Irish traditional music with shoegaze and noise rock. It might sound strange on paper, but it works in the same way as their concept founded on ancient Irish architecture evolved in new contruction styles.

The band is five people: Fionnbharr Hickey and Asha Egan McCutcheon on vocals and guitar, Cormac Donovan O'Neill on synths, Eoin Schuch on drums, and Jack Cashman on bass. Together they create these thick layers of sound. Sometimes it's loud and chaotic (like on "An Fear Marbh"), sometimes it's quieter and more delicate (like "O, The Wind"). The production is really good - recorded by Cathal MacGabhann, mixed by Andy Killian, and mastered by Pete Maher (who worked with U2, Nick Cave, and The Pixies).

The label behind this release, Blowtorch Records, is based in Galway and was started by Richard Blowes in 2019. What began as a label working with bands from different countries became something focused on Irish music. Now they call themselves "The Future Sound Of Ireland" and they mean it. They work with bands playing punk, post-punk, shoegaze, and electronic music from all over Ireland.

Blowtorch cares about physical releases - vinyl & CD - when many labels only think about streaming. They also pay writers to review music and help promote their bands. For a small independent label, they're doing important work in the Irish music scene.

Pebbledash are part of something that is happening in Cork right now. Bands like The Altered Hours, Pôt-Pot, and Ana Palindrome are all making interesting music that doesn't sound like everything else. They respect Irish music traditions, but they're not trying to copy the past. They're doing something new with it.

The band has been getting attention. BBC Radio 6 Music and Radio X play them. So Young magazine likes them. They've played shows in Ireland and the UK, and people show up and is ordering us records. That doesn't happen by accident.

The Record 

Blowtorch only pressed 250 copies on red vinyl. You can stream it online of course, but the physical version is what you want if you're a collector. Here in Ireland, you can find it at our shop 33rpm in Cork and a few other independent record shops around the country. It makes sense - a record about Cork, available in Cork.

Is this EP perfect? No. But maybe that's the point. The band calls Cork "the Ugly House" - a term of love that recognizes beauty and imperfection together. The music has that same quality. It's ambitious, sometimes messy, always interesting.

Seven tracks, about 25 minutes. Some of it is beautiful, some of it is noise, some of it is both at the same time. If you like shoegaze, if you like Irish music, if you just like music that takes chances - this is worth your time.