Comprised of Vincent Liu on guitar and vocals, Eoin Kinahan on bass, and James McCabe on drums, Raining in December are a trio that have been kicking around the Dublin music scene for the last year and a half, enjoying slots in most of the cityโs hottest clubs.
Mixing elements of metalcore, nu metal, and J-rock, the bandโs aim is to inject Dublinโs metal and rock scene with a dose of something strange and unexpected but fresh, enjoyable and memorable, like accidentally finding [Redacted] in your insulin.
This can be heard on the bandโs debut single, โrestart,โ which was released today. Last month, Post-Burnout spoke with a mostly hungover band via Zoom, where they discussed their background, music, hopes, goals, etc. Here it is:
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The first thing I was going to ask, quite simply, the band has been around, I think, since December โ22, according to the press release. I was wondering, how did the band start and how do you guys know each other?
Vincent: We know each other since the first year of college, I think? The first year of college?
Eoin: Pretty much. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Vincent: And I was originally in a band, in a metal band, for a bit, and that was slowly sizzling away, and, in the meantime, I was like, โEoin, do you want to start a band?โ and Eoin was just like, โAh, sure! Why not?โ I think Eoin was just trying to be in a band, as well, and he just was [like], โYeah, why not?โ And I was writing music at the time, as well, with my metal band at the time, and then the metal band faded away and I was like, โOK, well, I have some songs.โ I think I had, maybe, one song ready to go, and then I had two riffs there, or something like that. And I donโt think James joined until, like, maybe around February or March [2023], around that time. That was when we had the exams, and James was originally not meant to be in the band; he was meant to just be a session worker because he was so busy. He was already in a band at the time that was pretty decently popular at the time โ or, locally, anyway โ it was pretty decent. He was already around, doing gigs and stuff like that, really, so we were just like, โOh, heโs probably not going to join us, so letโs just take him for a session for now.โ And then, one rehearsal later, he was like, โYeah, can I be in the band now?โ, and I was like, โGreat! Itโs cheaper for me to pay you!โ So, I just took it. I just took it.
When you guys got together, what did you find was the common overlap in terms of musical taste, or what kind of binded youse together, I guess?
Vincent: I guess we all just liked metal music. Like, we were all influenced by some sort of different subculture of metal. Like, Iโm in that kind of Bring Me the Horizon, Bad Omens, kind of like LOATHE metalcore subculture, and stuff like that. I donโt know how Eoin and James would describe it, though. [To them] How would you describe your stuff, then? Like, the kind of metal you listen to?
James: I would say hard rock, sort of metal. Like, genres aren’t my thing, so I would listen to System of a Down, and Slipknot, Linkin Park, all that kind of stuff. So, nu metal was the stuff I kind of liked. And then I justโฆ[The rest of his sentence is mostly inaudible, but he mentions listening to and liking new music as a result of playing in bands]. Is my audio coming through, alright, by the way? [Everyone confirms] Cool. Iโm on Georgeโs Street, by the way, or Dame Street. [He moves his camera around to reveal that heโs in the cafรฉ of the Centra on Dame Street]
Vincent: Oh, Centra? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Youโre doxing yourself! [All laugh] Eoin, for yourself, then, what kind of music were you into?
Eoin: For me, Iโm on the heavier side, anyway. Alter Bridge and Mark Tremonti are sort of my rock. I donโt stop bringing up Mark Tremonti; heโs such a legend to me. Iโm mainly a guitar player – bass is my second instrument โ so, I got a ton of Tremonti stuff on the guitar, so that would be for my main stuff. Iโm into post-rock and synthwave, as well, so Iโve got quite a big umbrella of stuff that I take from.
Vincent: I think the main takeaway is that we all like breakdowns, because a lot of our songs have breakdowns, now that I think about it. [Laughs] Thatโs a common theme, actually. If you want a theme: Breakdowns. [Laughs] A lot of our songs have breakdowns in them!
Actually, when you were going to BIMM, did you find it accommodating for the sort of musicโฆ? Because this is something Iโm interested in, because I didnโt go to BIMM myself, but I interview a lot of people who have, and Iโm always interested to find if they found BIMM accommodating to the kind of music they wanted to make. How did you guys find that, I guess?
Vincent: Eh, sometimes. Sometimes BIMM accommodate hard rock. Sometimes.
Thatโs generous of them! [Laughs]
Vincent: Yeah. Sometimes! But I think, for BIMM, you have to be exceptionally good to do any rock stuff, like any hard stuff. I mean, if you do traditional rock โnโ roll or modern rock thatโs kind of popular nowadays, so maybe likeโฆThereโs a new band that was playing on [the BIMM showcase] Live & Lyrical, called Yes Chef!, that were really cool. Theyโre like that modern rock stuff thatโs absolutely fantastic. Thatโs absolutely the new wave of modern rock, I think, that theyโre doing. Theyโre really, really cool. Theyโre a very cool band. I donโt know how to describe them at the moment; no bands that I can think of. But itโs quite hard in BIMM, I think. Itโs quite hard. I think all of us here have tried to do our rock stuff before, but I think โ just going back to the point โ itโs really hard. You have to be really, really good. Like, your songs have to be perfect. But BIMM is very, very picky about who they choose to play at their gigs, anyways. Itโs very hard. Actually, saying that, we are playing a BIMM gig soon, arenโt we? [Laughs]
Eoin: We are, yeah!
Vincent: We are playing a BIMM gig! We are actually playing a BIMM gig soon! Yeah, weโre playing for our graduation, I think. Thatโs whatโs happening. Is that what that is, yeah?
James: Yes.
Vincent: Yeah, I forgot about that. Weโre playing that soon. So, maybe weโre not that bad! Maybe weโre not that bad of a band after all, lads!
Eoin: Awesome! Vinny, I think you should clarify what youโre drinking there!
Vincent: [Holding up a Japanese whiskey bottle with clear liquid inside] Oh, no, itโs just water; itโs not vodka, lads, donโt worry! Itโs actually just water! This used to be Japanese whiskey, right? But then I was just like, โThis is such a nice bottle; I donโt want to waste it,โ so I just have it. [Laughs] Itโs nice; Iโm just not going to waste it.
I wouldnโt mind if you were drinking whiskey; thatโs your prerogative!
Vincent: Oh, Jesus! Eleven oโclock in the morning! [Laughs] That would be horrible.
Iโm not one to judge! Yeah, Vincent, what I wanted to ask was, you were mentioning that this band was born as your previous band was fizzling out. I was wondering, I find, having been in bands, once they die and youโre kind of looking to start a new thing, thereโs a great sense of freedom in that, where youโre kind of like, โOh, shit! You know, I donโt have to be stuck to the parameters of this band.โ I was wondering, how did you approach writing music in this project versus your previous one, and what was the difference between that project and this one?
Vincent: I feel like, for my last project, I was more of a guitar player rather than a songwriter, and I had more of an engineering role in that band more than anything, so I didnโt do that much writing; I probably did more occasional lead stuff and maybe suggestions of what things should happen. I wouldnโt call myself a songwriter in that band yet, I would be more just suggesting stuff and seeing what the other songwriter liked at the time. Yeah, youโre absolutely right; when I started this band and I started being creatively free, it was really hard, because, obviously, I was writing songs and I didnโt have Eoin or James yet at the time, so I was like, โDoes this sound good?โ I had no one to bounce back at the time, so it was really, really weird until, obviously, now, [weโre] a band. But, yeah, I like this more, because that band was a lot more like Alice in Chains vibe, Korn, a bit of Slipknot, a little bit of Bring Me the Horizon – that was because of me; I love them too much. And, obviously, my main inspiration for Raining in December is way different. Weโre leaning more on that kind of post-hardcore, shoegaze, kind of Japanese/Asian kind of vibe. I think the band that really started this was a popular Japanese band โ well, kind of-ish โ called Ling Tosite Sigure. Theyโre very cool Japanese people that really inspired me when the band started. And then Iโve been trying to incorporate the metalcore sound to that, as well. That felt really cool, seeing how songs are working. It sounds good, finally. Like, back then, it didnโt sound good to me, but itโs happening now, so itโs very different from my previous band. It sounds good, lads!
Actually, could you talk about composing for metalcore music? Because, as I was listening to your debut song, โrestart,โ I really enjoyed it, but I was like, โHow the hell do you actually write a lot of the nontraditional instrumental parts?โ [Laughs] I donโt know how to describe it, but I think you know what I mean. The kind of synthy parts.
Vincent: Oh, the guitar. Yeah, the synthy bits; I absolutely know what you mean. Yeah, the synthy stuff was because, the band that I was just talking about there, he uses that same pedal that I use at the moment, and he has that really cool organ effect, and I was just like, โWhy not use it?โ, and it always sounded really intense.
Oh, shit! So, sorry, it was just an effects pedal, was it?
Vincent: It was just an effects pedal. That synthy stuff was an effects pedal.
Oh! I thought it was a postproduction thing! Sorry. [Laughs]
Vincent: Yeah, yeah, no, itโs just a pedal, and then I have overdrives on my boards as well, where it just stacks and makes it sound more aggressive. So, โrestart,โ was really…When I first played it, I was trying to come up with anything with that sound. I was like, โOK, this sounds really intense, so why not do a build-up to it, just strumming, and it just sounds crazy?โ So, I was like, โLetโs do that,โ and then that just kind of happened. So, that kind of intro/breakdown, with the strumming bit and then the double-time bit, I donโt know where I got that from. I think I probably got inspired from my old band, because we kind of had a long, suspended, intro chord thingy, and Iโm just like, โWhy not just go for it? Just strum it?โ, and then it just sounded cool and then it just happened. The main riff was inspired by a song called โHysteric phase show.โ Thatโs by the Japanese band, the Ling Tosite Sigur band. They have that very poppy kind of vibe, so I was like, โWhy not make it sound a little bit more emo-sounding?โ, to not make it a musical term. Like, how else can I say it? Like, โHarmonic minor-ish?โ But, like, Iโll just say, โMake it more mean!โ So, thatโs what I tried and it kind of worked out, and then I showed up when we were doing a rehearsal one time, and then James and Eoin were like, โOh, thatโs kind of cool!โ, and I was like, โYes, sir! And I donโt even have the effects on that yet, bro! Just you wait!โ And then the metalcore influence, I donโt know. I didnโt listen to any other genres until thirteen, so I was just a full-on metalhead. I was a full-on metalhead, didnโt listen to any genres but metal, until maybe fifteen/sixteen when I started listening to more poppy stuff. More likeโฆdo you know [the Irish electropop musician] EDEN, by any chance?
Um-hum.
Vincent: Yeah, so I started listening to him a lot, and thatโs when I got really interested in production and electronic stuff. And I guess, in the back of my head, I always wanted โ even if I did my pop stuff or I did my rock stuff; if I was going to do my pop stuff or rock stuff โ I wanted some sort of metalcore element, like heavy elements. So, like, it just kind of happened. I guess it was always just in me. Itโs weird to say that. The thing is, with that breakdown, is that the intro โ the break where itโs just the guitar and then it goes into the full band โ the intro thing, I came up with that, but then James was like, โOK, thatโs cool. Do you want to improve on it?โ, so then he added another beat to it on the upbeat, which made it more fun. So, thatโs where he got that System of a Down/Slipknot kind of vibe from that. So, itโs weird. Itโs weird because I have the metalcore thing, but the lads brought their own kind of vibe to it, as well. So, I donโt know. Itโs weird. I donโt know, Iโm just rambling! Iโm just waffling, lads!
And Eoin and James, for youโฆ โ Iโd like to get your opinion โ when it came to hearing the stuff that Vincent wanted to do, what was the entry point for you guys, where you were kind of like, โYeah, this is something I could work withโ?
Eoin: So, the first song Vinny ever brought to me was our song โdonโt forget about me.โ Itโs probably one of our slower songs, Vinny, isnโt it? Like, itโs pretty slow.
Vincent: It is slower. Yeah, yeah.
Eoin: But it starts off, itโs sort of like chill guitar, chill drums and chill bass, just sort of vibing, and then the chorus kicked in, and thatโฆI fully forget where I was going with this, but just the way it kicked into the chorus, for me, thatโs when I knew, โIโm joining this band! Whether Vinny actually wants me or not, Iโm getting in on it!โ Em, what was your original question again, there? Sorryโฆ
Yeah, I was just asking, for you guys, what was the draw for what Vinny was doing?
Eoin: OK, yeah, I suppose that kind of unfamiliarโฆlike, itโs not the most Western music. Like, you donโt hear the J-rock influence everywhere, especially in Dublin; like, thereโs a billion full-on shoegaze bands and people in that genre. So, I think doing that more unique stuff โ again, bringing in [influences] from Asia โ is something youโre not going to get everywhere. Itโs very unique and I think it makes us stand out, and I thinkโฆ[The background noise from Jamesโs audio cuts in] Oh. No, go on, James.
James: I was just going to say, basically, the same here on my end from what Eoin said. When Vinny sent the [Inaudible], I was like, โYeah, this is cool.โ And then, of course, when it hits the breakdown, it kind of reminded me of stuff from the late โ90s/early 2000s. Kind of like the style of, say, Resident Evilโs end credits kind of music. Have you ever played Silent Hill 2?
Yeah.
James: So, that was it, then. I was like, โI kind of like this a lot,โ so I was like, โYou know what? Iโll do it. Iโll join. This is going to be weird, man.โ
Thatโs cool. So, it was kind of the horror video gamesโฆthe survival horror video games from the late โ90s which resonated with you?
James: Yeah.
Eoin: We haveโฆ
Vincent: It wasnโt intentional; it just happened.
Eoin: I donโt know, Vinny, if weโre going to use them for actual shows, but for our performance exam coming up for our final year at BIMM, we have little interlude tracks, and I did one of them up thatโs pretty Resident Evil-inspired. Itโs like very close to the Save Room Themeโฆ
Oh, I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Eoin: …from the remake of the first Resident Evil. Itโs got that sort of washy, ambient synth going over it. But, I think we could fit it in a show, Vinny. I reckon we couldโฆ
Vincent: Oh, yeah, no. A hundred per cent. We definitely should, we definitely should. We definitely should, yeah.
I was going to say, I hope you donโt take any inspiration from the Directorโs Cut music, from the PS1 version. [All laugh]
James: Oh, Jesus! Oh, God!
Eoin: If we want to ruin our career, then maybe, yeah.
Vincent: Yeah, I donโt know about that one, boss. I donโt know about that, mate.
Just completely fuck your shit up! [All laugh] [Editorโs Note: For the uninformed who are wondering what weโre talking about, enjoy!]ย Also, I wanted to talk about โ with โrestartโ โ again, what I really loved about it was that itโs just high-octane energy throughout. It runs for two minutes, thirteen seconds. Just, in, out. Really keeps the energy going. Are your live shows like that, too โ just constantly keeping people energised โ or do you kind of – as you were mentioning, having the slower songs โ do you do the rollercoaster approach, where itโs like, go really fast, have a moment to build, and then go really fast again? How do you approach your music, in terms of a set?
Vincent: I think we try to tell a story with the band, or at least I try to tell a story with the band. Obviously, as every band [does], they start their show, they always play their heavier stuff first, like their fastest and most energetic stuff first. We normally play two fast songs then we go on to the song that Eoin and James were talking about – that Resident Evil kind of vibe, that slow, ambient stuff. We love to do that stuff, just to bring it down a little bit. And then, โrestart,โ weโll start playing, because we always love to do a slow song – because โdonโt forget about meโ ends in a big, huge, loud noise wall โ and then we just like to tune up to โrestart,โ and weโre like, โWeโre getting loud again, guys! Just get ready!โ [Laughs] So, we like thatโฆexactly what you said, we like that rollercoaster. I think itโs better as a show because I think all of us have been to a gig where itโs just screaming loud and youโre kind of bored. Like, itโs just the same thing, again and again. Youโre just bored, you want to move on. Itโs kind of boring. And I think we always knew that there needs to be some sort of downtime. Even in our songs, weโre like, โSome songs just need a bit of a down and are brought back up,โ but especially in our setlist, weโre like, โThis needs a break. We need a break. Just something different. We canโt just be screaming or [giving] high-octane energy all the time.โ We always had that in the back of our mind, being like, โOK, no, we canโt do this.โ Like, weโre always making sure that it tells a story and it flows well. I think how everything goes smoothly, how the sound goes smoothly, is very important to how I want us to sound, and I think we all kind of know thatโs a thing as well, subconsciously.
I also want to ask, as you were mentioning about the J-rock influence, I do think it adds a real sense of uniqueness in the Dublin music scene, in particular. Do you find people are receptive to it? Because you guys have played all over the city, like the big venues, like Fibbers, like Workmanโs, like Sound House, and The Grand Social, and stuff. I often find, in a lot of ways, that those venues used to be kind of segregated by genre, in a lot of ways. Like, you know, Fibbers was always known as the rock bar, and there were the indie clubs, and there were the hip-hop clubs and stuff, but I think those barriers are dying, thankfully. I think anyone can just play anywhere, and itโs not weird. Do you guys find when youโre doing stuff thatโs different or off-kilter, that people are like, โOh, wow! This is fresh! This is new!โ, and are receptive to that, or how do you find the crowd reception to what youโve been doing?
Eoin: I was surprised when we played our first gig, which was downstairs at Whelanโs, Iโm pretty sure.
Vincent: No, Workmanโs. Workmanโs. Workmanโs Cellar.
Eoin: Downstairs at Workmanโs. I was surprised by the reception of it because I think most of the bands there wouldโve been a bit of rock, but, you know, a lot of singer-songwriter kind of stuff, and I was like, โOh, no! Weโre way too heavy for this! Weโre not going to be perceived [well], at all!โ But people were moshing, they were vibing at that first show, and that gives you a lot of confidence, I think, to sort of really go all out in your performance.
Vincent: To add on that, I think all of us were not expecting to get paid or even see five people. That Cellar got filled up!
Eoin: Yeah!
Vincent: Like, it got full, and we were just like, [Pretending to sob] โWhat is happening? Itโs not normal! Whatโs happening?!โ It was crazy. That was brilliant.
I like the idea of all those different acts having one sound engineer that has to kind of [All laugh] figure it out!
Vincent: Oh, I bet the engineer was shitting himself! Like, โOh, my God! Everything is in the red! Oh, my God! What is happening?!โ [All laugh] Yeah, going back to the point of how you think people are going to react, I think at every single gig that weโve played, everyone has asked, โDo you have somewhere where we can listen to your songs?โ, and then weโre like, โ[Winces] No, not yet!โ
Eoin: [Laughs] โNo, not yet!โ
Vincent: Not until receโฆand now, obviously now, we have a single coming out now. Weโre going to be like, โYou can presave it! We have a QR code!โ It was just like, โLetโs go! We have a single, finally!โ So, people were like, โOK, easy,โ because weโd just be sending them a Spotify link and everything because it was so much easier. Because I genuinely do not thinkโฆLike, weโve played how many shows? Like, ten shows, maybe, around Dublin? How many shows have we played? Not ten, actually.
Eoin: I think just under ten. Maybe eight. [Editorโs Note: This interview was recorded in April. It may have changed since then]
Vincent: Yeah, it was something like that, and at every single one of them people have been asking about our Spotify. Seriously, every single one of them have been asking about our Spotify, and itโs not even just one person that we know, itโs actually strangers that walk up to us, like, โDโyouโve a single?โ, and weโre like, โNope! Itโs not ready yet!โ
I actually want to ask, so there obviously is an appetite to hear you guys. What made you choose โrestartโ as the debut?
Vincent: I think I chose โrestart,โ mainly because when I brought that song upโฆobviously, I wrote that entire song, but when I wrote that song, I was doing it section-by-section. They were just sections of songs. And then when I brought it to the lads in the rehearsal room, and they were bouncing back ideas to me, ย โOh, why donโt you do this and do that?โ, and then we were kind of like, โOK, that sounds really cool. Letโs just do that, letโs try that.โ And then, after that one rehearsal, when the song was โfinishedโ โ I didnโt write the finished lyrics yet โ that felt like a Raining in December song. Like, it felt like each one of us โ even though I was the โsongwriterโ – ย it felt like all of us tried something with it, and it sounded like a Raining in December song. Like, I donโt know howโฆitโs really clichรฉ to say that, โIt sounds like us,โ but thatโs all that I can say. I hate to say that, but it sounds like an โus song.โ Then, like I said, bringing it back to what we said earlier, we all have an aggressive vibe to it, and I think that really captures us being very, very aggressive, but also sounding very much like us, I think. I think we sound kind of good; I think we sound pretty OK-ish on that single. And, em, yeah, it just felt like a Raining in December song. I was like, โOh, thatโs so good,โ and I was like, โLads, letโs do โrestart.โ โrestartโ is just so good,โ and everyone was like, โYeah, true,โ and, also, itโs the most well-produced, as well, because [Laughs] I started adding things to it, and I was like, โLads, what about this? What about that? What about all this?โ, and they were like, โYeah, this is good.โ OK, you know originally, you know the claps in that song, right? Eoin and James didnโt actually like the claps originally, but when we went into the studio to record it, they were like, โOK, thatโs pretty good.โ [All laugh]
Eoin: We got the sleigh bells added in there, as well!
Vincent: We got the sleigh bells in there! Oh, it was so good! It was the most Christmassy hard rock song ever! Itโs so funny! But, yeah, I love that.
How many layers ended up in the final project?
Vincent: How many layers? Oh, Jesus! I donโt know. Umโฆthere must have been over twenty. Like, dude, over twenty. Like, there was a lot ofโฆbecause drums took up a lot, vocals not that much, but then guitars and ad-libs on guitars, and a lot of extra production stuff, like filters and stuff like that, and then different busses. There was just a lot. There was a lot of [Laughs] work thatโฆthere was a lot of preproduction, then a lot of postproduction after we were done recording it. It was a lot of work. It was fun, though. [Laughs]
Did you guys self-produce or did you work with an external producer on it?
Vincent: So, I did all the producing, myself, for โrestart,โ and then, afterwards, I got my friend – who actually taught me producing, mixing and mastering โ I sent them off to him to basically make it sound good, so that Iโd have an idea of the spirit of the song, of what I want, and he was like, โOK, Iโll just pretty it up for you.โ So, he did most of the heavy lifting on the sound of the drums, how intense the sounds of everything [are], but the tonality of it is kind of designed by me, because I have a vision of how that song should sound, and he, like I said, just prettied it up and mastered it. It sounds great, he did a great job. His name is Petr [ล ajgal], I call him Peter โ I forgot his Instagram, sorry โ but he’s great, heโs great. Heโs fantastic, heโs fantastic. Great friend, great everything, he did a great job on the single. Really, really happy with it.
Iโll put a link in when the article goes up.
Vincent: Yep! Thank you so much!
No worries. And I guess one final thing Iโll ask is, if you guys were thinking of doing aโฆI assume, at some point, an EP or an album? As you were mentioning earlier, with the live show you have a lot of consideration for how it moves, basically. How each song compliments the last, and the highs and the lows of how people feel throughout. How do you feel about making a larger body of work like that? Like, it wouldnโt just feel like a random compilation of songs, there would be consideration for that. Do you guys think about what a full-length release or even a four- or five-track EP would look like?
Vincent: Eoin, do you want to give it a go? I feel like you wanna say something.
Eoin: We spoke about this recently, actually, myself and Vinny. I think the plan is for โrestartโ to open the EP?
Vincent: Eh, yeah. Something like that, yeah. Because itโs the first single, thatโs what I was thinking. Thatโs why.
Eoin: Then we had two songs that work really well together, theyโre just sort of like the start and the end of some particular part of a story, I think. It might have been โdonโt forget about meโ and โbleeding hearts.โ โbleeding heartsโ was the end of it, anyway.
Vincent: Yeah, โsave meโ was in discussion.
Eoin: Oh, yeah! It was โsave me!โ
Vincent: It was โsave me,โ yeah.
Eoin: It was. And together, they gave an outline for a story ofโฆEh, where did we land on this, Vinny? It was like someone just slowly getting really depressed and fuckinโ giving up on life, was basically the gist of it.
Vincent: [Laughing] That was basically it!
Eoin: But very post-hardcore of us, I suppose, andโฆ
Vincent: Depressing.
Eoin: Yeah, depressing and all that kind of stuff. But I think we need to discuss it a bit more thoroughly, but we have a general guideline for what weโre looking for.
I guess also just one other thing I thought of – so now that you guys are a band, youโre establishing, youโre going to be having your first single released soon, things will start moving from there โ when it comes to actually what youโre listening to, in terms of trying to have influences, trying to have reference points, do you guys find yourself expanding your musical horizons just to have a wider range of knowledge, or are you just sticking to what you want to listen to without feeling the need to study or educate yourself? How do you approach music now, as a band?
Vincent: Um, Iโve always been really interested in listening to new music. I think you know this band, Nerves, in Dublin. Class band. Iโve been listening to their EP a lot, lately. I think theyโre really cool. Obviously, theyโre kind of in the same genre โ not really, -ish โ but, like, noise rock. But theyโre really such a cool-sounding band. So refined and so different. Theyโre definitely up there. Iโve been listening to a lot of โ I donโt know if you know this โ but do you know what Eurobeat is?
Yeah, yeah!
Vincent: Yeah, yeah! Iโve been listening to a lot of Eurobeat and having a bit of craic, like, โThis sounds kind of cool!โ Iโm just trying to get into more production and stuff like that. So, yeah, Iโm trying to find new things, experiment a bit more, because I did get burnt out while writing music for this band for a bit, so I was like, โOK, Iโm going to take a break.โย And then I was listening to a very popular song, Iโm not going to say what song, which led to me writing โsave meโ andโฆ[Laughs] Oh, youโll know what this song is! Youโll know the song when we release the song, hopefully. But we canโt say it, for copyright reasons. [Laughs]ย
No oneโs going to accuse you of plagiarism, hopefully! [All laugh]
Vincent: No! But, basically, that song was just meant to be a solo project song. It was going to be sent off to someone, just for singing and stuff like that, and I was like, โLads, what do you think of this? Iโm just trying to come up with stuff, Iโm just kind of burnt out, Iโm just trying new things,โ and they were like, โThis could be a Raining in December song!โ, I was like, โOh! Nice!โ So, I am experimenting. So, yeah. The lads can go now. I talk too much.
Eoin: Me, I just stick on Spotify Weekly. Like, Iโve got a long journey up to Dublin – like an hour and a half on the bus โ soโฆ
Where are you based?
Eoin: In Westmeath, just outside of Kinnegad. So, itโs a good trek to get up there; weโre rehearsing in Dublin City. Itโs an hour and a half for me to get up, so every Monday, Iโll stick on the Spotify Discover Weekly, and that gives me, whatever, thirty new songs to listen to and pull things from. But Iโd say, in general, my music has stayed probably the same. Like, I donโt actively seek out music just to sort of kind of copy/paste parts from other artists; itโs just like sort of if I like a song, Iโll add it to the playlist and then it becomes part of my taste, do you know what I mean?
Yep. And for yourself, James?
James: Em, it depends. Like, I listen to the same stuff and then just slowly add songs to the pool. Like, Iโve been listening to โTom Sawyerโ by Rush recently, because Iโve been having to learn it, and itโs not something that I ever would have purposely learnt, based on the past, but Iโve got into it now and itโs like, โWhoa! Thereโs a lot of stuff in this song!โ Itโs challenging and it makes me want to get better, you know? Like, take ideas from that and rework them and see what happens, but Iโll just find a song somewhere and, if I like it, Iโm like, โYeah, Iโll listen to this,โ then just create this ever-expanding list of songs.
Trying to emulate Neil Peart. I canโt imagine what thatโs like. [Laughs]
James: [Laughs] Impossible!
Yeah! Well, thanks very much, guys! Iโll just ask one final thing. Obviously, the singleโs coming out next month [at the time of this interview]. Beyond that, what do you have planned for the rest of 2024?
Vincent: Weโre going national, hopefully! Hopefully, weโre going national. Weโre just trying to get out of Dublin, now. Trying to proper go national, now. Eoin, please get us a gig. Thank you. Love you.
Eoin: Yeah, Iโm trying to get us down to Mullingar!
Vincent: Yeah, weโre trying to get out of IrelandโฆโGet out of Irelandโ? Get out of Dublin. Maybe get out of Ireland. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully. And then we might be working on another single, although thereโs nothing confirmed yet.
Actually, Iโve been talking to a few bands who have been playing domestically, and it is interesting how manyโฆ โ just kind of all over the place โ how many interesting, weird venues there are for bands to play. It seems like if you had the notoriety, you could make a good week- or even two-week-long tour of Ireland, just playing different places each night. It would be kind of cool to see just how obscure [Laughs] you could get with the music youโre doing. Just, like, playing some old man pub, somewhere! [Laughs]
Eoin: So, Mullingar, basically!
Mullingarโs not too obscure! Iโve heard of it! Thanks very much for your time, guys. It was really nice talking with you, and is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up, orโฆ?
Vincent: Ehโฆpresave โrestart.โ [Laughs] Even though itโs just us four [on the Zoom call], but I donโt know! But thank you very much for having us. Really appreciate it
Sorry, was that directed at me, to presave it?
Vincent: Yes, yes!
OK, Iโll do it after this! [Laughs]
Vincent: Genuinely, ย thank you. Genuinely, when I shot you that email, I didnโt expect anyone to reply, but you did, and Iโm very grateful for that.
No, of course!
Vincent: Weโre such a small band, and Iโm pretty sure you didnโt hear about us until we shot you that email, and youโve been very nice to us. So, just genuinely, thank you so much for having us.
Yeah, no worries. I try not to be mean to people! [All laugh]
Vincent: We were joking, like, โHeโs just going to talk shit about how bad the song is, lads!โ
Raining in Decemberโs not-shit debut single, โrestart,โ is available on all streaming platforms now. The band will headline Sin ร in Dublin next Friday, May 31st, with special guests Orchid Feeder and Shallo. Tickets are available from Eventbrite. You can keep up with the bandโs music, live dates, and social media accounts here.
Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO,ย Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRDย and more.