There are albums where you can tell, almost immediately, that a band has decided to do things their own way. Cyber Celt is one of them.
Chasing Abbey takes the sounds of Irish music and drops them into a very different setting. Gaeilge, banjo, tin whistle and acoustic guitar sit alongside electronic beats, pop melodies and dance rhythms, and somehow it all holds together. It shouldn’t fit as comfortably as it does, but that’s part of the appeal.
Ronan Bell, Jonathan Byrne and Ted Conway, from Tullamore, have made an album that feels proud of where it comes from without spending too much time looking backwards. There’s tradition here, but this isn’t an attempt to recreate anything. It feels like three musicians taking something they know and love and seeing what happens when they push it somewhere new.
There’s plenty to get into. The songs touch on greed, war, freedom, colonialism, rural Ireland and identity, but Cyber Celt never feels like a lecture. Serious subjects, yes, but also plenty of moments where you can just turn it up and enjoy yourself.
Gorta opens quietly, traditional instruments circling a subtle electronic pulse before the tension gradually builds. An atmospheric start that sets the tone without giving too much away.
T.a.L changes the pace completely. The beat kicks in, the vocals sit comfortably over the rhythm and the traditional influences head straight for the dancefloor. Energetic, infectious and great fun.
One of the album’s strongest moments, Íorónta tackles oppression, colonialism and cultural history with real weight. Sung entirely in Irish, the language adds another layer to an already powerful song.
Mar Sin keeps things moving before Scartha slows the pace and gives the vocals more room. A welcome shift in mood that shows the band’s quieter side.
Greedy Pigs is one of my favourites. Inspired by Ted Conway’s experience as a butcher, it turns greed into a brilliantly catchy song built around house beats, banjo, guitar and electronic production. Hard not to sing along.
Meaning “watch out”, Seachain looks at our growing numbness towards war and violence. The mix of traditional instruments and electronic sounds gives it an uneasy quality that stays with you.
Culchie brings some much-needed humour and warmth. It reclaims a term associated with rural Ireland and does it with plenty of pride and personality. A fun change of direction.
Sean Tír leans further into the band’s traditional influences, giving the album an earthy feel. It quietly shows how naturally the old and new sounds can sit together.
Built around repetition, Arís Is Arís has a hypnotic quality. The Irish vocal and stripped-back arrangement let the rhythm do most of the work.
Saoirse Saoirse turns the idea of freedom into a communal singalong. Simple, direct and sounds like it could become a big live favourite.
Colonised Minds returns to the album’s themes of history, identity and colonialism, looking at their continuing effect on culture and language. Direct and thought-provoking.
The album closes quietly with Is Rud Crua. Rather than going for a big finale, Chasing Abbey let things settle, leaving some space to take in what came before.
What stands out most about Cyber Celt is that Chasing Abbey never comes across as a band simply layering traditional Irish instruments over electronic music for novelty’s sake. The banjo, whistle, guitar and Gaeilge feel completely at home here. They’re not ornamental. They’re woven into the music just as naturally as the beats and production.
That’s a big part of why the album works. Heavy themes run through it, yet there’s no shortage of wit and character along the way. Íorónta, Greedy Pigs and Seachain are the three tracks I keep returning to, each for different reasons. Íorónta draws me into the lyrics. Greedy Pigs makes me reach for the volume. Seachain lingers long after the song has ended. That’s a hard combination to argue with.
The album also never carries the weight of a band trying to make a point. Chasing Abbey clearly know their roots, yet they seem equally at ease pushing the music somewhere new.
Cyber Celt was on heavy rotation throughout the writing of this review. Early on I was listening with purpose, looking for things worth saying. At some point I noticed I was just putting it on because I wanted to. That’s the moment an album clicks.
Greedy Pigs is the obvious culprit pulling me back most often. Relentlessly catchy, and lodged in my head more than I’d like to admit. Íorónta is the track that makes me stop and pay proper attention. Seachain keeps humming quietly somewhere in the back of my mind long after the music has stopped.
There’s a lot happening across Cyber Celt, yet it never feels laboured or overthought. Chasing Abbey are taking the music they grew up with, folding in the sounds they love and following wherever that leads.
It feels honest. This is Irish music that isn’t looking over its shoulder. Traditional music is being breathed back to life by a band who see no contradiction in old and new existing side by side.
Cyber Celt sounds like Chasing Abbey finding their footing, finding their voice and, most importantly, having a thoroughly good time doing it.
Review by James Edmond
