Spotlight Sounds; Episode Twenty Three with Washed Out

Welcome back to Spotlight Sounds, a series by Secrets Behind the Sound celebrating the vibrant world of Irish music. Dive into the blend of tradition and innovation that characterises Ireland's contemporary music scene, featuring both established and emerging artists. Explore the influences and experiences shaping Irish musicians and join us as we delve into their creative processes, stories, and journeys. Through in-depth discussions, Secrets Behind The Sound recognises the groundbreaking contributions of Irish artists to global creativity. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer, Spotlight Sounds invites you to explore the captivating realm of Irish music—a journey into the stories, sounds, and enigmas that make up Ireland's music scene.

In the heart of Waterford’s rising music scene, Washed Out is making waves with their genre-blending, jazz-tinged indie pop that feels both refreshingly modern and rooted in soulful grooves. This young six-piece outfit—fronted by the charismatic Heather Deely and backed by a powerhouse lineup of guitar, keys, bass, drums, and sax—has quickly built a name for themselves with infectious originals like Missed Your Cue and Oh My Love. Crowned WLR FM’s A New Local Hero in 2024, Washed Out represents a bold new generation of Irish musicians redefining what it means to be indie in Ireland today. In this edition of Spotlight Sounds, we dive into the sound, story, and spirit behind one of Waterford’s most exciting emerging bands.

Can you start by introducing the Band and your musical background?

We are Washed Out, a six-piece indie-pop and funk band from Waterford. The band consists of a drummer, a guitarist, a pianist, a bassist, one lead vocalist and a saxophonist! We have released two singles this year (available on Spotify) with some more to come very soon. Individually as musicians, we have all been playing our own instruments for many years, but only came together as a band in the last two years. Our music ranges from anything indie to funk and soul, allowing us to have a unique and vibrant sound.

How would you define the genre you as a band primarily identify with, and how do you incorporate other influences into your sound?

We would say we are a funk-pop band mostly, although it definitely varies. We take inspiration from the likes of Thee Sacred Souls and Couch, which is evident in our more soul-like tunes and covers, but we like to add our own funky-feel to our music. We try to make our sound unique by mixing together all of our favourite genres, but certainly take inspiration from a variety of artists and sounds that we like.

How do you see the current state of the music scene in Ireland? Are there any emerging trends or unique characteristics that stand out to you?

The music scene in Ireland seems to be thriving at the moment. Lately, there are a lot more independent Irish artists, which is something we love to see, and is particularly inspiring to us as younger musicians. There has also been a huge rise in the presence of Irish identity and culture in Irish music, which is refreshing and gives a nice revival to the history and language of our country.

Are there any Irish artists or bands that have inspired or influenced your music?

Definitely! We would take a lot of inspiration from Waterford band The Backroad Smokers Club. They have a really unique funk sound that is blended with a kind of pop vibe, which is

almost exactly what we are going for. We also would be influenced by another Waterford group called, Crome Yellow, and Toucan, who we all admire. It’s great to have bands like those to get some ideas from, but also to mess around with those ideas and make them our own.

Can you walk us through the creative process when writing and composing music?

For sure. It started off with one or two people bringing in the bones of a song, some chord progressions and lyric ideas, and presenting it to the band. From there, we all throw in our opinions and ideas, the fun part. Then we try to compose something that includes as many of those ideas as possible, the hard part! We like to go with the flow when we write music, and see where the process takes us. Being a six-piece gives us a chance to have many different ideas and perspectives, so there is always something for everyone in our music.

How do you feel the digital age and social media have impacted your music and career?

Well, it has had both positive and negative impacts on us as a band. Obviously, the positive is that it allows us to reach a larger audience, and is a fun and effective way of reaching out to other like minded musicians, or anyone who might have an interest in us. We would be quite active on social media as a group, which definitely has helped us in promoting our music and growing our audience. However, with that comes a lot of pressure. With social media, it’s like you’re expected to be your own manager, promoter, content creator, as well as being a musician. It can be stressful, especially when there are people who have much better social media training than us (our Insta stories tend to get a little unprofessional at times... we love a good laugh).

How do you see the future of the Irish music scene evolving?

We would hope to see much more of the Irish language in the music scene in the near future. As a group, we love to see the likes of Kneecap including some Gaeilge in their music, even if some of us don’t have a clue what they’re saying, (three of the six of us are gaeilgeoirs, the rest of us... not so much). We decided to release our debut EP under an Irish name, which we feel is important to us as Irish musicians. The EP is called ‘Tús’, which is the Irish for ‘start’.

As an Irish band, what advice have you got for other artists trying to navigate the industry and find their unique voice?

We would say to just play what you like. Don’t follow what everyone else is doing, write and perform music that you genuinely enjoy, despite the fact that it might not be the most popular or demanded kind of music. For example, we are one of the only funk bands in our area, which is difficult at times, but that’s what makes us stick out. People tend to enjoy something different and unique too, so it works in our favour!

What can listeners expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming releases, collabs or projects you’re excited about?

Well, on the 8th of August we’re going to be releasing our first EP which we are so excited about. We put a lot of time and hard work into it, so it is rewarding to finally put it

out and share our proudest achievement with the world. On the 9th of August we will then have our EP release gig in our local art gallery in Waterford city, GOMA. We have plans to continue writing and recording our own music after that, hopefully leading to something bigger a few years down the line, so do keep an eye on us!

I am going to finish off by asking you, if your music was a flavour of ice cream what flavour would it be and why?

After plenty of discussion, we agreed that our music would be mint chocolate chip flavour. We say this because we consider our music to be fresh, and maybe even a little bit bold. It probably isn’t a flavour many would be a die hard fan of, but when they try it they find it is actually the elite flavour. Washed is a little different, a little daring, but overall pretty good and interesting!