Chosen by Monk
We first came across this Irish alt/math-rock combo back in February and have been looking forward to hearing more from them ever since, which is why were delighted to find that they most definitely, and defiantly, shooting straight from the hip (sic) with their latest offering.
Formed in 2018 from the ashes of a previous outfit, Race The Flux, and borne out of a time mired by personal struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues, Bannered Mare became a vehicle for founding member and frontman Joe Padfield (lead vocals/guitar) to explore the complex emotions around these issues and in doing so transmute negatives into a positive.
Following a number of early EPs and a short hiatus, the band returned, releasing singles ‘Synapses’, ‘Liminal Space’ and ‘Pet Particular’ in 2024. Following the aforementioned Irish tour when they first crossed our path, the band are now exploring a darker, tense sound than on previous efforts.
Completed by Alan Kilcullen (drums/vocals), Paul Higgins (guitar/vocals), Derek Ellard (guitar/vocals) and Kyle Dee (bass/vocals), the band describe their music as “a reflection of the human experience, full of passion, emotion, and energy”.
The writing process for the track started from what Joe describes as a ‘late night confession’. Lying in bed unable to sleep with a jangly guitar line playing endlessly in his head, he eventually relented and got up at 3am to record the music. One riff led to another and by sunrise Joe had penned the core of the song.
Lyrically, the track details the frustration of hitting walls in your personal life, in relationships, and within yourself, explains Padfield.
A reflection on the internal tug-of-war between wanting to connect and feeling completely isolated. There is a yearning imbued in the song, along with a quiet desperation to belong somewhere, to someone, to something.
Like their previous singles, ‘Hip Shot’ was recorded and mixed by the band. Fully adopting a DIY approach to the process, they set about sound proofing a steel garage where they would record drums during a three-day heatwave, filling a daughter’s bedroom with various cabs, heads and combos and invading parent’s large sitting rooms to record vocals.