Northern Irish band Red Eye Pariah have crafted a diverse rock sound that they’ve coined Amalgamation Rock, or Amalga-Rock, and describe as “authentic, energetic and experimental.”
The Antrim band started out in April 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic lockdown with Deano Kelly and Sammy Stevenson on guitars and vocals and Joe Dawson on drums. They added Alex Close on bass a year later, which solidified the lineup and brought everything together. They’ve since been making music that blends elements of indie rock and alternative with touches of reggae and rap while staying true to their Northern Irish roots.
Describing the sound they’ve honed, Alex told us: “It’s an amalgamation of what we feel are the best parts of what we listen to. Whether it’s a dance-based bassline, or a heavy guitar hook, we blend it together. We make high-energy instrumentals with plenty of changes accompanying melodies that get stuck in your head. Staying true to our roots while pushing boundaries and blending genres is our mission. If you’re into music that has both groove and punch, you’ll probably find something you like in our tracks.”
Our latest taste of this is their new double release, Draw Your Own Map and (I Won’t Ever) Let You Down, which came out last month. Draw Your Own Map opens up with drawn-out guitar chords that give way to a funky little guitar lick. Laid back vocals take over and flow into a chorus with repeats of “See where it takes us,” dropping back into another quick guitar lick that bridges into a mellow verse. Another lick comes in as the pace builds before a cool section of drawn-out vocals, which give way to a guitar solo that brings the track to a lively close.
(I Won’t Ever) Let You Down opens up with an effects-ridden guitar that leads into Sammy’s engaging vocals. That flows into big vocals in a singalong chorus, which drops into stabbing bass and guitars, which drop out as Sammy’s vocals return. It gradually picks up pace with a piercing guitar in the background that develops into a cool solo before ending with choral vocals.
On the tracks, Alex said: “The response has been exciting, and it’s been great hearing how people are reacting to it. For those that haven’t listened, Draw Your Own Map is all about personal growth and letting go of past burdens to move forward, while I Won’t Ever Let You Down is about the aspiration of never letting someone down like you may have been before. It offers a different side of us with Sammy taking lead vocals. Fans are really connecting with both tracks, and the DIY music video for Draw Your Own Map has been a fun addition too.”
As the amalgamation rock label suggests, the Red Eye Pariah sound has been influenced by a wide range of genres and artists. For example, Deano is big into The Maccabees, Joe loves post-hardcore and, especially, A Day To Remember, Sammy is Britpop through and through with love for the likes of Oasis and Stone Rosis, and Alex leans more towards alternative rock like Kings Of Leon. In short, they draw inspiration from everything from the classics to modern indie and alternative.
And on what influences them to write music, Alex told us: “We write about personal experiences and real-life themes like love, growth, and the struggles we face as individuals. Draw Your Own Map is a good example of that, as it’s all about the freedom to let go of things that hold you back and embracing change. We draw inspiration from everything and try to make our music as authentic as possible. We also love throwing in local slang and references that resonate with our home audience.”
Red Eye Pariah are currently in the midst of an eight-date UK tour that began in Belfast and continues at The Jacaranda in Liverpool tonight (7 May). They’ll then be playing at Castle Hotel in Manchester tomorrow (8 May) and Indie-go in Sheffield on Friday (9 May), before gigs at Billy Bootleggers in Nottingham on Sunday, The Dublin Castle in London next Thursday, Independent in Sunderland next Friday and The Garage (Attic) in Glasgow next Saturday. Tickets are available here, and they’ll have more news after the tour has completed.
And Alex added: “We’re incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received so far. The PRS Foundation’s Open Fund for Music Creators has been a huge help in making this tour happen. Touring is expensive, and we wouldn’t be able to keep up with all the rising costs without their support. We’re passionate about what we do, and we hope people feel that energy when they listen to our music or see us live. If you haven’t checked out Draw Your Own Map or I Won’t Ever Let You Down yet, give it a listen—we think you’ll enjoy it!”
You can follow Red Eye Pariah on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube.
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