Irish band Pebbledash have released their debut EP Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House today. The record combines shoegaze, noise rock, dream pop and traditional Irish music and reflects on their time spent in Cork. I spoke to Fionnbharr (lead singer and writer) and Cormac (keys) about the Irish music scene, darkness and their special relationship to Cork.

Your 2025 began with a show at Whelan's. How does it feel to play all these festivals with titles like "Ones to Watch" and "The Next Big Thing"?
Fionnbharr: It's funny because, even though the festivals have these names you don't want to be overly confident. But it's nice to be asked to play these kinds of events. It shows that people are at least somewhat interested in what we're producing and performing. The ones in Ireland are especially cool because we're friends with a lot of the other bands, so it feels positive for us. It feels like we're moving in the right direction.
How long did it take for you to be taken seriously as a band?
Cormac: I wasn't aware, we were being taken seriously. This is great!
Fionbharr: It feels like it has taken a while, because releasing and recording music takes a long time. We’re just now starting to take ourselves seriously as a band. But maybe the goal is not to be taken too seriously. You see bands suddenly getting media attention in the UK, and you’ve never heard of them before. I feel like we’re not doing that at all. We’ve been building our presence quietly, and it’s nice to get some recognition, but it doesn’t feel like there will be this big explosion. I think we can just keep building it and making progress gradually.
You started the band with a different lineup and have been playing with a new one since January 2024. In an interview with Genuine Irish, you mentioned that this change has had a big impact. What exactly is it that has changed?
Fionnbharr: Since I've been in the band from the beginning, I think there's an openness to experiment more and we're a bit bolder with the arrangements. We no longer feel like we're just a post-punk band. We’ve transitioned away from that sound, which I think is great. There was a time when I considered starting a new band because it felt so different from what we were doing before. But then I thought about how hard it is to gain followers on Instagram, so I decided against it (laughs). It's hard to compare the two eras; there was something spiritually between us that shifted and opened up new creative possibilities.
Cormac, how did it feel to join the band during this transition?
Cormac: The influences we brought to it turned towards more diverse genres than the composition the band did before. Fionnbharrs' background is in traditional Irish music, and Asha is heavily influenced by that as well. We were able to incorporate that as soon as Asha joined. I come from a background in electronic and ambient music. Having the synth of the band introducing elements of that, that change was very noticeable. I wouldn’t say it sounds like a completely different band, but there’s definitely a significant gap between the past and current sound. Previously, you could easily identify our influences, but now it feels much more like our unique style.
The Irish music scene
You're the first Irish band featured on this blog, so I’d love to talk about the Irish music scene for a bit. Do you think Ireland is a good place to start a career?
Fionnbharr: I think so. There's a strong sense of camaraderie early on. One benefit of being in Ireland is that it's a bit easier to get noticed than, say, in London, where the pool of bands is larger. But, once you want to play gigs in Europe or the UK, it becomes more challenging. And as everyone's been saying for past years, Ireland's music scene is thriving at the moment. Even the generation just ahead of us, like Just Mustard and Lankum and Fontaines and all these huge bands, is super inspiring for everyone. They're paving the way for a lot of us to do our own thing and see how far we can get.
Cormac: When you look at the infrastructure in Ireland, there is a gravitational pull towards Dublin. That's probably the same in a lot of countries, just in terms that people from labels and stuff focus on bigger cities and venues. As someone from Cork, I'd love to see more opportunities arise for us here.
How would you compare the music scene in Cork to the one in Dublin?
Fionnbharr: Band-wise, a lot of my favourite bands are from Cork. Dublin has fantastic bands as well, but Cork has its own unique energy. I don't think we would get the same inspiration from Dublin. We've played a lot up there, but it doesn't give me the same buzz as Cork, even though the city is much smaller. Plus, when you’re just starting out, your first gigs probably won’t be great. You can get away with that in Cork, but in Dublin, a couple of bad gigs could be the end of you. In Cork, no one really cares about what you're doing.
That's why there's been loads of weird music coming out of Cork since forever and early. We’re on the more polished end of that spectrum, but bands like Nun Attax, Five Go Down to the Sea, and Stump were doing really wild and creative stuff.
Cormac: People from Cork are very proud of being from Cork. There’s also a certain competitiveness that comes with being from a "second city." You feel that drive to get these gigs in Dublin, and go further. Plugd, a record shop and venue here, is an amazing space for experimental and improvised music—you don’t really get that anywhere else in Ireland. It’s a really unique scene.
Your EP Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House reflects your time spent in Cork. How would you describe your connection to the city?
Fionnbharr: Yeah, it's been interesting. It's probably quite different for the two of us because I am a bit of an outsider as I only came here for college. Trying to get the city to be my home, which I think I've gotten to, that's what the songs document. But yeah, there's something spiritually weird going on. And it's a place where you meet the people you're supposed to meet. With everyone in the band – if I didn't go to Cork, I probably wouldn't have met them. I don't think it's a soulmate thing, but it's almost like the city guides you to where you're supposed to go.
Cormac: As somebody who's from Cork originally, I don't think there's the feeling of being an outsider that's quite as intense as yours. But I suppose even just as far as the city is such an important aspect in the imagery of our band that we try and put across.
Fionnbharr: Cork is in a valley and there were two breweries on either side. Mick Lynch from Stump once said that all the smoke and smug from the breweries would go up into the clouds, and then all that would rain down on the city, making everything a bit surreal and inspiring all this weird music. I love that idea. Our version of that is the river that starts in the mountains in Kerry, picks up everything along the way, and then slows down when it reaches Cork, depositing all of that. We’re just here to soak that up and turn it into something creative.
Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House
How would you say that each of the four songs connects to your experience in Cork?
Fionnbharr: The first single "Tell Me" is a cathartic song about questioning what I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to be. So it's a nice intro to how I was feeling when I first moved here. "Soak " is about when my girlfriend and I were getting to know each other and the adventures of that. It's like a compilation of memories. "Slowly, Slowly" is more about that feeling of needing to be accepted and finding my place in the city, especially in the music scene, seeing these other bands and wanting to be a part of that.
And then there's one more song, which is a cover of "Alone & Forsaken" by Hank Williams. It has that pining cowboy feel to it. But I think why we chose to do that is that it's just him and his guitar. With a full band, we could do something different. In the song, that whole – it's not anger – but confusion and sadness go along with some of the other songs thematically. And it opens the EP quite energetically which sets a nice tone for the rest of the album and allows us to show off what we're about. Cause it's quite experimental in its arrangement. We seem to not be able to write radio-friendly songs (laughs).
Talking about that song, Asha uses this traditional Irish style of singing, Sean-nós, in it. Which role does traditional Irish music play for you as a band?
Cormac: I suppose traditional Irish music would be something that especially Fionn and Asha would be very well-informed in their musical education. And I think on one level, it's something that we've been interested in incorporating into our music in a very clear and tangible way since Asha first joined the band. The first thing that we did was, start performing a Sean-nós song from West Cork called "Carraig Aonair". That was the B-side to our single that came out in August and it's something that we've been interested in pursuing more overtly. But I think it's also more subtly incorporated into the melody lines or the intricacies of the guitar. I think that's something that shines through.
Fionnbharr: And it informs us a lot thematically because there's that strong history of storytellers and poets. I think that's something that everyone is accustomed to. In every family, there's someone who's a really good storyteller or whatever. And I guess also everything to do from just the emotion from history and even the kind of theatre of old Irish dress and traditions informs what we sing and whatnot. But there are a lot of bands already in Ireland that are doing that well, like Lancombe and John Francis Flynn and a couple of others. And I think it's something that we would like to keep, but what would set us apart from that is that we can have that kind of traditions there to inform us and be part of music, but not necessarily be a Celtic rock band or whatever. But I do think it's important to the foundations of our creativity.
You recorded your single "Slowly, Slowly" in complete darkness. How did that idea come about?
Fionnbharr: The song just felt like it needed that atmosphere. Also, you can get quite self-conscious in the studio, especially when the lyrics are really personal. We hadn’t been in the band together for very long at that point, so there was definitely a bit of I can’t look you in the eye while I sing this.
Cormac: It was very important to conceal the hatred and rage that we have for one another so that was why it was necessary (laughs).
Fionnbharr: It was kind of a happy accident, but it felt right. The takes we recorded in darkness ended up being our favorites.
Speaking of darkness. The entire EP has a very apocalyptic, dystopic vibe to it. Is that something that just happened or was it intentional?
Fionnbharr: We're just very bleak people (laughs). I think sometimes it's nearly easier to be creative when you might not be feeling the best. That's when stuff starts flowing creatively sometimes. Maybe that's why it's led to the songs being a bit darker. But also, I guess I'm just a bit dramatic, a bit of a slap.
Now you've released your EP right at the beginning of the year. What's your outlook for the rest of 2025? What's next for you?
Fionnbharr: We have our first gigs in the UK coming up at the end of January and February. And then we want to do another body of work, preferably an album, but it's just about finding money to do that. Because we have a lot of material, we're quite proud of and playing a lot live that we want to get down. So that would be a big goal, but also Jack, our bassist, is finishing college, so he'll be kind of busy. So it will be a balancing act between our actual lives and our musical careers.
And lastly, I have to ask: Is there any chance you’ll play some shows in Germany in the future?
Fionnbharr: My girlfriend lived in Berlin last year, so I visited a lot, and the scene there is really cool. It reminds me of Cork in some ways – lots of outsiders, punk influences, and experimental music. Also, I feel like Germans get a bit of a buzz off of Irish trad music (laughs). So, that would be cool. I would love to.
Comments