Forget your tedious posturing and virtue signalling; New York-based melodic punk outfit O’Laochra is back to deliver a much-needed shot of chaotic catharsis with their new EP, ‘Foclóir’. Founded in 2024 by Irish songwriter Michael Leahy, this is a band that genuinely sounds frustrated with the way things are, both in music and society at large.
The title itself, a sly nod to the Irish word for 'dictionary', sets the tone—it’s tongue-in-cheek while firmly rooted in the band's heritage, pulling together old-school punk influences like The Clash with the vocal fire of Irish legends Luke Kelly and Sinéad O’ Connor. Add a dash of today’s hardcore energy from bands such as Turnstile and Sprints, and you’ve got a sonic melting pot ready to boil over.
If the cover art—evoking the innocence of school days—suggests a theme of lost youth, the music certainly hammers it home. The tracks on ‘Foclóir’ dig deep into the sheer materialism of modern life and the anxiety of an uncertain future. As the band themselves put it, this is "sarcastic music for sincere people," and it’s a perfect description.
You can already hear the anthemic quality of these tracks on the seminal single, ‘Drown a Goddess’. It’s an absolute powerhouse of scuzzy distortion, with a chorus built for a mosh pit. The anti-capitalistic themes woven into the lyricism are clever, avoiding being preachy and instead focusing on an accessible angst towards the class divide. They use mythology to frame this dissatisfaction, giving the usual punk rage a cerebral edge.
The tracks are carried by Leahy's reluctant vocals and grounded by the tight rhythm section of drummer Chad Hoffmann and guitarist Egor Meshin. The result is a sound that feels both nostalgic for 90s/Y2K alt-punk anthems and completely relevant today. The band’s raw, iconic NYC energy, honed in venues like Arlene's Grocery and Connolly's KClub, is palpable, giving the music that authentic 'seen-it-all' grime. ‘Foclóir’ is a defiant refusal to conform, serving up what the band calls "some old-school feeling songs grounded in today's culture and zeitgeist."
Available now, the new EP is a vital re-introduction to the band. For more, be sure to connect today on Facebook and Instagram.
