Best New Irish Music: 10 Singles You Need To Hear From September 2026
September has been another seriously busy month for new Irish music.
From indie-folk singalongs and emotional acoustic slow-burners to funky alternative rock, soulful pop and some gloriously noisy guitars, Irish artists have given us plenty to add to the playlist over the past few weeks.
Some familiar names are back with new music, while a few emerging artists are continuing to make increasingly convincing cases for our attention.
So, headphones on and volume up. Here are 10 new Irish singles released in September 2026 that deserve a listen.
Dave Lofts – Whistling On A Bottle
Dave Lofts has been building some serious momentum throughout 2026, and Whistling On A Bottle sounds like an artist increasingly comfortable making a bit of noise. Beginning with Lofts’ distinctive vocal over gently picked acoustic guitar, the track gradually picks up speed as rhythmic strumming and understated percussion push it towards a proper indie-folk singalong. There’s a gritty, slightly unruly quality to the whole thing that suits Lofts perfectly; rather than sanding off the edges, he leans into them.
Following the success of his Holy EP
, which reached number one on the Independent Irish Chart, Whistling On A Bottle
feels built for packed rooms, raised voices and audiences singing every word back at him.
Mr Pink – Cry Wolf
Belfast four-piece Mr Pink return with plenty of swagger on Cry Wolf, mixing alternative rock muscle with a surprisingly funky backbone. The guitars bounce between clean, groove-heavy tones and distorted riffs, while the rhythm section gives the whole track a thick, infectious pulse. Frontman Adam Mullan completes the picture by switching between melodic vocals and considerably heavier screams.
Lyrically, the track tackles the frustration of feeling trapped in a relationship that has stopped moving forward, and that tension comes through in the music. Funk, alternative rock and metal shouldn't necessarily fit together this neatly, but Mr Pink make it sound remarkably natural.
BILLYD3VINE – Not Fair
Following his debut single Baby Blue
earlier this summer, BILLYD3VINE takes things somewhere darker with Not Fair. It starts quietly enough, with softly picked acoustic guitar and an intimate vocal, but don't get too comfortable. Piano begins adding weight, the guitars grow increasingly restless and eventually the chorus arrives with considerably more force. At the centre of it all is a song about losing yourself and realising that the people around you haven't necessarily noticed what you're going through.
That contrast between the restrained opening and the emotional release of the chorus gives Not Fair
its real punch. It's indie-folk at heart, but there's a raw alternative streak beginning to emerge around the edges.
Robert Grace – Where Does It Grow?
Anyone expecting another burst of Robert Grace's trademark happy sad pop
might be surprised by Where Does It Grow? Instead, the Irish singer-songwriter strips things right back, allowing acoustic instrumentation and an exposed vocal performance to carry much of the emotional weight. His wife Corrine joins him on the track, adding another layer to what is already a deeply personal recording.
The single is another preview of Grace's forthcoming album My Father's Son
, due in November, a record that places family right at the centre of the story. After building an enormous online following and hundreds of millions of streams and views, it's refreshing to hear Grace deliberately go smaller and more intimate. Sometimes whispering hits harder than shouting.
The Gentle Reckoning – Burning Away The Dawn
There's nothing particularly gentle about Burning Away The Dawn. The Gentle Reckoning, the project centred around songwriter Jamie Wells, turns the amps firmly upwards this time around, swapping some of the project's familiar singer-songwriter restraint for distorted guitars, crashing drums and a genuinely powerful chorus. What makes the track work is the contrast. Wells keeps the verses relatively subdued vocally while the instrumentation churns away underneath him, before finally letting everything loose when the chorus arrives.
Originally written back in 2021 and later recorded at Manor Park with Neal Calderwood, Burning Away The Dawn
retains the emotional songwriting at the heart of The Gentle Reckoning while wrapping it in considerably more distortion. We approve.
Kingfishr – How Lonely
At this stage, Kingfishr know their way around a massive chorus, and How Lonely gives them another one. The song begins with familiar acoustic folk foundations before Celtic-flavoured touches and atmospheric layers gradually expand the arrangement into the kind of soaring indie-folk anthem that seems designed for thousands of people to sing together.
Interestingly, fans who caught Kingfishr live during 2026 may already know this one, with the trio road-testing the track before its official release. The subject is unrequited love, but rather than disappearing into misery, Kingfishr turn that loneliness into something strangely uplifting and communal. Heartbreak you can belt out with your mates? That's pretty much their sweet spot.
Sadhbh Keane – Signals
Dublin singer-songwriter Sadhbh Keane heads into considerably darker territory with Signals. Opening around a sparse acoustic guitar, the track slowly gathers weight as Keane and her band Na Reálta allow the tension to build rather than rushing towards the payoff. The really interesting part, though, is the songwriting.
Signals
explores addiction through the language of a toxic relationship, addressing the drug almost as though it were another person. That gives the song a wider emotional reach, touching on the destructive cycles that can exist in addiction, unhealthy relationships and habits we know are hurting us but struggle to leave behind.
Produced by Ber Quinn, Signals
arrives ahead of Keane's Anam EP in October and suggests there's plenty more emotional weight to come.
Nadia Desree – Thinking Of You
After some of the heavier emotional territory elsewhere on this month's playlist, Nadia Desree provides a welcome dose of warmth with Thinking Of You. The Dublin-based singer-songwriter settles into a relaxed, R&B-influenced groove built around rhythmic guitar, understated beats and atmospheric production, leaving plenty of space for her soulful vocal to take centre stage.
At heart, this is an unapologetically romantic song about that stage of falling for someone when they seem to occupy every spare corner of your brain. Crucially, it never becomes overly sugary. Desree's smooth delivery and the laid-back arrangement keep everything grounded, while the chorus supplies the instant pop hook. Easygoing, soulful and very easy to stick on repeat.
Diveboy – Regatta
Cork trio Diveboy turn a very specific Cobh memory into something much more universal on Regatta. Inspired by the annual regatta in vocalist Tony O'Donovan's hometown, the song captures the strange melancholy that can arrive at the end of summer-even when everything around you is supposed to feel celebratory. Musically, Diveboy wrap that nostalgia in bright, melodic indie rock, pairing jangly guitars and a driving rhythm with an underlying sense of wistfulness.
Regatta
was released on September 4th and serves as the final single ahead of the band's album In Orbit
, due October 2nd. If you've ever felt unexpectedly sad watching the last fireworks of summer disappear, this one will probably make immediate sense.
Baz Harnett – Ready When You Need Us
Dublin alternative rock artist Baz Harnett closes out our September selection with Ready When You Need Us, a track that pairs hazy, shoegaze-influenced guitars with a much more direct message about compassion and solidarity. Layers of electric guitar create the atmosphere while bass and drums settle into a hypnotic pulse underneath Harnett's understated vocal. Then, towards the end, the title becomes a repeated group refrain and suddenly the track feels considerably bigger.
Harnett originally began writing the song on Spanish guitar before developing it with his band and recording at Devoy Studios in County Wexford. The finished version sits somewhere between reflective alternative rock and an understated anthem: atmospheric enough to disappear into, but with something meaningful underneath the noise.
Irish Music Continues To Deliver In 2026
If September tells us anything, it's that new Irish music in 2026 isn't short on variety.
Dave Lofts and Kingfishr continue to show just how much life there is in Ireland's current indie-folk wave, while artists including BILLYD3VINE and Sadhbh Keane are taking acoustic songwriting into darker and more personal territory. Mr Pink and The Gentle Reckoning are keeping the guitars loud, Nadia Desree brings some smooth R&B-flavoured pop into the mix, and Diveboy's Regatta
might just be one of the month's most perfectly timed end-of-summer songs.
And with plenty more Irish singles, EPs and albums still to come before the year is out, there should be no shortage of new music to keep those playlists moving.
What was your favourite Irish release of September 2026?
Photo Credit: Ciara O'Toole
