Stefan Murphy (formerly of Dublin band The Mighty Stef) may have moved to Athens, Georgia, but there’s no doubting where his heart still resides.
Dublin is all over Murphy's first album as Count Vaseline – he reminisces about "living in Marino" on Kids Goin' Round the Moon, sings about Black Irish post-war boxer in Billy Cyclone Warren, and closes with North Circular Road, a seven-minute, distortion-blasted hymn to the Northside.
There's plenty of introspection, too – there are references to his father and daughter, and some serious soul-searching on Evil in your Eyes – but this is far from a self-indulgent record; it's much more fun than that.
Raw garage rock and crooning fuzz-pop with nods to Bowie, Hawley and Jesus and Mary Chain among many others, these 13 songs fizz with energy and are full of heart.
