Galway’s Slyrydes formed in 2013 and their raw, honest, uncompromising brand of post-punk immediately earned them a fiercely loyal following. Between 2018 and 2021, the 4-piece released six singles: ‘Mental Health’, ‘Point of View’, ‘Out Patience’, ‘Dangerous Animals’, ‘I Claim To Be Intelligent’ and ‘The Boy in the Debs Suit’. The latter two tracks were released by Rough Trade in November 2021 as a AA vinyl single, the only physical release by the band to date. Their music unapologetically explored themes of mental health, addiction, and the darker edges of modern life.
Sadly, like many, the pandemic hit the band hard and forced them apart. However this also gave them time to regroup, rebuild, and revisit what they had created. Now, after years of personal growth and collective survival, Slyrydes have released their debut album, What Happens If You Get Happy. It was recorded in 2020 at Daniel Doherty’s Darklands Studios in Dublin (Fontaines D.C., Munky, Damien Dempsey, Vulpynes, Scattered Ashes) and of the 12 tracks on the album, six have not been heard before.
“From the beginning, we said we wanted to make important music, the kind that mattered to people,” says Eoin Reilly.
“We really lived it. Now we are in a healthier place to put this music out and give it the platform it deserves.”
“We’ve bled for this record — literally and figuratively.” Mark Raftery
“It’s been a long road, but maybe we needed that time apart to figure out who we really are. This album is our story.” Mark Comer
There is only one Slyrydes track that could possibly open What Happens If You Get Happy. If there is a thread that runs through it it’s mental health in its various guises: the recognition of it, the services available to help with it, society’s perception of it and it’s impact on both the individual and those around them. ‘Mental Health’ is ferocious from the outset with the tension inducing guitar to the pained vocals exuding despair. Looking to the health services for help and being turned away, where else is there to go? ‘Mental Health’ is not an easy listen, and nor should it be. In just one track Slyrydes show their intent, not afraid to produce music that may not appeal to the masses, but states exactly what they see and feel.
“I was outside you threw me out for drinking
Present to A&E only when bleeding
You’re only sick, sick when you see it
You’re only sick, sick when you see it”
‘I Claim To Be Intelligent’ is intriguing as it begins with the narrator admitting a pretence to impress, but as the track progresses it turns onto their partners behaviour, and the pressure they feel while trying to fit in. The two appear to have an unhealthy reliance on each other for different reasons. The initial echoey, haunting instrumentation bursts into life mid-track, as if the pressure of the situation erupts. The stark repetition of “I’m on it” over and over is a mantra with multiple possible meanings.
“You try to talk to people but your head is out of whack
You’re suffering from depression and the boys think you’re no craic
Feeling so fucked up thinking of trying crack
Doing all you can not to have a panic attack”
‘The Boy In The Debs Suit’ was first released as a single in March 2021 and it’s an extraordinary track, no question. The Debs (short for debutante) is the end of school celebration in Ireland, a rite of passage for teenagers finishing school. It is with some poignancy that the lyrics are about a missing boy, who is dressed in his Debs suit in a photograph on a lamppost. The imagery is so vivid, we are used to seeing lost cats in such places, but this is a missing boy. The track’s opening gives a sense of drama with a reverberating guitar riff that is immediate in its impact before the pounding drums join in. The vocal of Marc Raftery is full of emotion which makes us believe in the story he is telling. There is uncertainty around the circumstances of his disappearance, and with reference to the boys parents, friends and brother all looking for him, it is heartfelt that the boy doesn’t seem to realise he is not alone.
“A picture his mates took
Drinkin outside
Weekend to remember
He was losing his mind”
These are thought-provoking lyrics, a weekend to remember yet losing his mind. Is this due to the alcohol consumed or is there a deeper issue? As the track progresses Marc’s vocals become more and more emotional, there’s almost a desperation to find this boy, and a guilt that he had been seen recently:
“I am in shock ‘cause I saw him last week.
We were in the same place…..we didn’t get to speak
I am in shock ‘cause I saw him last week
We were in the same place.”
Again the heartache of that last line: “We were in the same place” as in physically or mentally? The sonic backdrop continues to be full of electricity, ramping up the tension as the song progresses and the emotion builds. Finally there is a repetition of an appeal to share the post so the boy can be found. And simply a final crackle at the end, leaving the situation unresolved.
‘Procrastination Is A Fear of Failure’ calms things a little. It’s a compelling song with a title that will live long in the memory. The guitar here provides a more soothing layer, with the drums suppling a steady beat, perhaps allowing the listener to concentrate on the lyrics, which deserve the attention.
“Dreaming up failures
Concentrating on walls
Blaming the reasons
Procrastination is a fear of failure”
“What if you tried and fucked it up anyway
And if you like it you’d try it another way”.
What a heavy bass line opening ‘Ahern’ before the screeching guitar, crashing drums and cymbals jump in. This is a frenetically paced call out of corruption and dodgy practises undertaken by politicians. ‘Ahern’ refers to Bertie Ahern who was expelled from Fianna Fail, the party he led to three successive Irish general election victories, for “conduct unbecoming of a member of Fianna Fail.” The Mahon Report on political corruption in the Irish Republic found that Ahern had been “untruthful” in his accounts of how large amounts of monies were lodged into his bank account from wealthy supporters of Fianna Fail at the time he was Irish Finance Minister. The Mahon report was the product of a 15-year inquiry costing more than €250m (£210m) and running to more than 3,000 pages. During the inquiry into the connections between Fianna Fáil politicians and developers seeking to have land rezoned in Dublin, Ahern explained that several donations made by wealthy party supporters into his account were personal “dig-outs”; they were donations from friends to help him cover legal bills after his divorce rather than payments from developers who the party had helped out in controversial planning applications.
The report rejected Ahern’s explanation. A number of other senior Fianna Fáil politicians were criticised for accepting inappropriate payments from builders. Councillors in greater Dublin, including several from the Fine Gael party as well as Fianna Fáil, were also accused of corrupt practices in the report. No wonder there is such ferocity within ‘Ahern.’
“But your children are wealthy
On a nations blood
Do you give a fuck
I am not sure that you could”
The theme continues on ‘You Stutter’ which takes yet another sonic shift, with its clanging industrially laboured pacing. Lyrically ‘You Stutter’ points out those who backtrack on what they have said. The guitar riff grabs the ears, before the clanging and banging resumes, slightly chaotic in parts but never tipping over the edge. The vocal here is a little softer, more sung although the disappointment is palpable in its delivery.
“you know you said it you said it alright,
and now you hiding from the rum and disquiet.”
‘Dangerous Animals’ is a highlight with its pulverising energy, rollicking pace and lyrics which are spat out with such disdain. There is a feral intensity here which perfectly encapsulates the disquiet felt around the horrendous behaviour of those who are selfish, bigoted and ignorant in society. The relentless and abrasive instrumentation never lets up and the questions just keep on coming.
“How can I be rascist when some of my friends are black?“
“How can I be saving children when I’m anti-vax?”
“How can I be homophobic when I have gay mates?”
The electric guitar with its hint of tension is the core of ‘Crossing A River’, replicating the tension that hangs in the air as the vocalist walks around Galway at night. The lyrics brim with observations, highlighting the unsavoury characters witnessed. The dense static on the outro further exacerbates the sense of unease.
“the buzz is now taking hold. fuck this shit I’m too old
walking now across the river, christ its cold and you shiver
looking at the drivers faces, hearing rednecks being racist
tracksuit scar gives the eye, junky prick will never try”
‘Out Patience’ returns to the subject of mental health and the lack of provision to assist within the health service. Statements such as “it’s ok to not be ok” is simply not enough. The assumption that mental health issues always relate to drug addiction is infuriating and the searing guitar riff akin to nails scratching down a board perfectly reflect this.
“No I don’t want meds, no I don’t want meds
They don’t make me feel like me
No I am not a smack head, no Im not a smack head
Im a fucking human being
They wont see me today”
Slyrydes take us by surprise by following ‘Out Patience’ with ‘Point of View’. Who would have thought there would be “whoo hoo hoos” and “nah nah nahs” on a Slyrides track, but here it is! ‘Point of View’ is self-deprecating in its acknowledgement of attempting to hold a two-way conversation. Honest and humorous, there is a nod to the negative influence of alcohol and it all bobs along at a pace which I suspect the band need to take a moments breath.
“And I’m waiting for your problems
And I’m waiting for your views
But I’m sick of all your questions
Cause their not so fucking new
And I’m waiting for the things
you tried to make me say
I am sorry I was wasted
It was just a point of view”
‘Famous to Five Million’ takes a swipe at those who seek fame for the sake of it. Social media and multiple television channels loaded with reality TV programmes have created a culture of vanity. Does this track refer to one person in particular? Five million is the population of Ireland after all. No matter the vitriol explodes after a few seconds of quiet mid track, the fire and fury exuding through the electrifying guitar, the dark bass and the pounding drums.
“You’re Famous to five Million
Famous to five million, your picture on a wall
Famous to five million but we don’t care at all
Famous to five million but you don’t feel the weight
Famous to five million it was paid for by the state.”
‘Just for Show’ is an unexpected end to the album. It feels intensely personal and perhaps reflects those who supported the band but were not there for them as people when times were tough. As with opener ‘Mental Health’ it feels entirely appropriate that this is the final song of What Happens If You Get Happy. Instrumentally ‘Just for Show’ sits at the more indie end of spectrum, but it is the final half that hits hard. The suicide statistics for Ireland, of those who “died with their own hands”, read out during this song are truly heartbreaking. “Suicide is more than a statistic” is the final lyric on this album and again Slyrydes refuse to turn away from the difficult. They look it right in the eye and say it as it is.
“You’re looking at me smiling saying hey that’s great good show
But when that shit was happening you didn’t wanna know.”
This album was recorded around 4 years ago and yet it is just as vital and relevant today. Personal and political, observational and opinionated, What Happens If You Get Happy chooses to clearly state the issues and challenges of contemporary Ireland. This reviewer makes no apology for including lyrics, they are important – full stop.
With the promise of hard copies of What Happens If You Get Happy to follow and plans to return to playing live, it is thrilling to see Slyrydes back together. What a travesty if this album had not seen the light of day, however thankfully that is not the case. To see it performed live for the first time, well now THAT will be a night to remember.
For more information on Slyrydes please check their instagram and facebook.
Review: 9 out of 10