Sorcha Richardson - First Prize Bravery

With a glut of artists touting safe synth-addled folk in recent years, it’s tempting to dismiss the sub-genre as an obsolete, at best derivative, blip. Sorcha Richardson goes some way in bucking the trend; pairing perky electro-pop songcraft with plucky acoustic antics, avoiding beige in favour of colourful traction. Tapped from recent transatlantic travels, a spell in Brooklyn and subsequent return to the Irish capital, the Dublin singer-songwriter flaunts confessional, coming-of-age spirit with a sense of pure unspoilt vitality.

Sorcha flits between wistful and the playful with ease; dealing tight melodies that fizzle in a sugar-coated mix. ‘First Prize Bravery’ excels in this; lead single ‘Don’t Talk About It’ is rendered with punchy polish, while the bubblegum bliss of ‘Oh Oscillator’, along with ‘Red Lion’, bask in collective kinetic glitz, “an endless vacation / a movie scene” that keeps on rolling. Sorcha scores heaps of charm and charisma on this full-length debut - kicking out the jams, without a doubt.