Dublin based lo-fi artist Uly (like Ulysses) released his debut music video yesterday. "cold water" is a beautiful ode to Dublin, following the singer-songwriter around the Irish County's familiar haunts, as he takes a trip to the seaside to swim. The track's video mimics the sonic undertones of the song: it's dusty and vintage, with a laconic, jazz-tinged phrasing, and almost annoyingly unaware of how beautiful it is.
"cold water" itself was kind of born in the water – Uly's second love (after music, of course) is being in the sea, an activity he found as he was struggling with a bout of writer's block. "Instead of writing on Sundays like I’d normally do, I tried to do something else, and got back into sea swimming. Around the same time, a few old friends of mine brought me out west for a surf trip. Before I knew it I was hooked," he says of the experience. "[cold water] is like a little thank you to the sea…for sorting me out."
The reality is that Uly has been making waves (pardon the pun) in the Irish music scene for about a year now. He's talented in a way that inspires jealousy – the good kind, the kind that makes you try harder. He's new to EARMILK, but we have a feeling he's here to stay. In addition to consistently incredible releases, he has also just launched a new independent label called andfriends records.
- Right now, more than ever, it's important to support artists. So many of them have been thrown into uncertainty by the Coronavirus crisis. If you like what you hear, please consider purchasing this song on Bandcamp.