some time ago kleio reached out to me to hear a single they’d just released, and have done the same each time they put out a new song. i kept adding those songs to my regular rotation playlist, and kept failing to give the band the attention i should have. while i wasn’t paying attention, each one of their songs got under my skin, in the best way.
and now: their debut ep is called the avenue and it’s a beaut. turns out I’ve been a fan all along and just didn’t connect the dots.
here’s the first single they put on my radar back in may. it’s called “four”. it’s sunny-day indie pop rock, with a chorus that i have gotten stuck in my head so. many. times. the jangly guitar, the whoa-oh-oh section, the little distorted mic at the end, it’s the perfect earworm, ideal road trip music:
kleio isn’t a fan of title case, so i’m playing by their rules. they’re four guys from ireland who’ve been playing together since 2021, and assumed the name this year (from their faq: clio is the goddess of lyre-playing, apparently). they’ve been touring pretty regularly in 2024.
in july they released “mercury”, which is along the same lines — super charismatic, poppy vocal, jangly guitar, and a chorus that won’t be forgotten easily:
it’s even more catchy than “four”. i didn’t think that was possible.
the new single that shares the name of the ep is a bit of a different beast; it’s more subdued and pensive, but equally melodic and memorable. in interviews and on their website, they talk about influences like the killers and u2, and those are most audible on this track. get the lighters out:
they seem to be playing a lot and have a headlining show coming up this week in dublin. and they tell me they are preparing to release a bunch more music in the new year.
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