Arriving in 2022, Irish artist Meryl Streek was unaware of the impact his clash of experimental electronica and explosive punk would have on the music scene around him. Armed with just a microphone and a laptop, in less than a year the Dublin based producer went from playing his first show in a local squat to performing live at Kentish Town Forum, London, supporting post-punk legends Public Image Ltd.
Meryl Streek’s debut album ‘796’ (2022) cemented itself as one of the most visceral, important political records of the decade so far, with one critic praising it as “the most incendiary and important punk rock album of the year” (Paul Brannigan/Louder). Though rooted in Irish socio-political commentary, the album’s themes resonated with people around the world, leading to live performances across Europe and as far as Gran Canaria.
‘Songs For The Deceased’ once again saw the Irish artist enter Darklands Audio with producer Dan Doherty (Fontaines D.C.). The outcome is a kaleidoscopic fusion of news samples, distorted guitars, electronic beats, and traditional Irish music, all laying the foundation for Streek’s impassioned spoken word performance.
To push the music into new spaces, Meryl Streek invited guest musicians to collaborate. Benefits’ Kingsley Hall provides spoken word to the album’s ‘Interlude’, Cal Graham from UK punks The Chisel appears on ‘Dogs’ and influential guitarist Oliver Ackermann (A Place to Bury Strangers) delivers a feedback soaked outro for the song ‘Murder’.
Lyrically the songs veer from the deeply personal (‘Paddy’ is a tribute to his uncle Paddy, a unique individual who chose to live life by his own terms) to historic tragedies (‘Stardust’ remembers the victims of the fire that took place at the Stardust venue Feb 14th 1981, killing 48 people and leaving families begging for answers as to why the disaster happened in the first place). “This is a collection of stories about Betrayal, Murder, Injustice, and Corruption around my hometown of Dublin.” explains Meryl Streek. “It’s not just happening in Ireland, it’s happening around the world and we’re supposed to just take it lying down?”. Politically charged and sonically vibrant, ‘Songs For The Deceased’ isn’t just a statement about Ireland, it’s a call to arms around the world.
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