Lankum

Though rooted in Irish traditional music and folk instrumentation, Dublin group Lankum infuse their music with an experimental, almost punk energy using drone music, psychedelia, and thrilling four-part harmonies. After making several albums in the 2000s and early 2010s under the name Lynched, the band signed with Rough Trade and released 2017's Between the Earth & Sky, their first record as Lankum. A strong critical reception helped 2019's The Livelong Day achieve wider breakout success and win that year's RTÉ Choice Prize. Returning in 2023, their next outing, False Lankum, continued to mix traditional fare and original songwriting with a palpable intensity usually reserved for louder bands. Brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch formed the first incarnation of the band in the early 2000s, performing a mix of traditional songs alongside their own compositions with a distinctly folk-punk style. Nodding to their surname, they called the band Lynched and, after adding members Cormac Mac Diarmada and Radie Peat, released their debut album, Where Did It All Go Wrong, in 2013. Although they continued to incorporate elements of punk, Krautrock, psychedelia, and even drone into their music, as the band progressed they further embraced the traditional music of their own country. Sophomore record Cold Old Fire was released in 2014 and illustrated their core sound, which was based on four-part harmonies with the inclusion of instrumentation like Uilleann pipes, fiddle, concertina, and guitar. Signing with veteran U.K. indie Rough Trade, the band changed their name to Lankum -- which they lifted from the John Reilly, Jr. song "False Lankim" -- and released 2017's Between the Earth & Sky. Recorded and mixed in Dublin by notable engineers Julie McLarnon and John "Spud" Murphy, it was widely praised by the U.K. press, elevating Lankum to a new level of visibility. Released two years later, The Livelong Day continued to explore traditional Irish roots elements as filtered through psychedelia and experimental folk. Amid the album's original fare, Lankum offered an eerie and exploratory take on the classic folk song "The Wild Rover" and went on to win Ireland's 2019 RTÉ Choice Prize. It would take the band another four years to follow up their breakout release. Arriving in March 2023, False Lankum reinforced the band's reputation as modern innovators of traditional fare. Though played on classic folk instrumentation, Lankum's mixture of stark Watersons-style vocal harmonies and brooding intensity felt more aligned with punk and avant-garde. ~ Bekki Bemrose & Timothy Monger