Following the success of 2016’s Gentle Kind Of Lies and last year’s Optimus Prime, Dublin band BARQ are back with a brand new double A-side release. Sassy Mouth / Earthquakes is out now.

Inspired by the courage and resilience of the Repeal The Eighth movement and the perils of online debate, Sassy Mouth is a call to arms for the emerging voices that are searching for change. Propelled by the soaring power of front-woman Jess Kav’s vocals, whirring hooks float alongside funk-fuelled beats as it builds to a fiery climax of intent.

Alongside Sassy Mouth, BARQ will also be releasing Earthquakes – a thoughtful reflection on the breakdown of relationships. As the smooth allure of Kav’s rich vocals and a deep, soulful groove provide the backdrop to heartfelt lyricism, it’s an impassioned and empowering post-breakup anthem with shades of the likes of Hiatus Kiayote.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with BARQ about motivations, the new project, challenges and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

Well BARQ actually begin its existence as a hip hop covers band! We were playing lots of 90s stuff; Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Warren G etc, and accurately recreating the soundscape for this style of music using just voice, guitar, bass, and drums led us to create a quite distinctive sound as a group. After a year or so of playing these songs we decided we should really be writing our own!

·How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?

It’s been almost exactly two years since our debut single! We’re not quite sure if that feels very recent or absolutely ages ago….there’s been a lot of work crammed into those two years!

Who or what influences your playing and/or writing?

Musically we’d be hugely influenced by a lot of the fantastic music that’s being released at the moment by artists like Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote, Radiohead, The Internet, etc. The ridiculously high quality of music being created by Irish acts is also a constant source of inspiration. For so many of our contemporaries to be regularly producing amazing work is definitely something that keeps us grounded as well as working hard!

JESS – Lyrically, I tend to get a lot of inspiration from dreams and personal experiences. I have a notebook by my bed, I take the legible bits and transfer them to my lyrics-book and bring them into the rehearsal room. Many of my subconscious mutterings end up in our songs. Our new single “Sassy Mouth” was influenced by the cultural sea-change in Irish society. People are becoming more vocal about political and social change, it’s an incredibly exciting and inspiring time to be young in Ireland. This is naturally seeping into our own music.

Also what motivates you to keep going?

Caffeine! I think we all have an inbuilt compulsion to create music and are motivated to keep going by a determination that’s difficult to define. Also, we love music!

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

The reason we decided to release these two singles at the same time is that we felt we could really show two distinct sides to our “agrosoul” style, “Sassy Mouth” is an aggressive call to arms inspired by Ireland’s Repeal The 8th movement, while “Earthquakes” is a soulful reflection on the difficulties faced when a platonic relationship breaks down.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CD’s? MP3’s?

JESS – We are slowly becoming vinyl addicts in my house. There’s a warmth to the sound that I love. At the moment I have “Nat King Cole” and “GoGo Penguin” on repeat, it really grounds me in the morning or when I get home.

STEPHEN – I’m all about streaming, you just can’t argue with having pretty much every music you could ever think of instantly available to you!

NEIL – Vinyls for at home but mp3s on the go! Different platforms for different occasions.

TOMMY – mp3s. I have limited shelf space!

How about this one… Do you prefer Spotify? Apple music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Spotify is brilliant for connecting with other acts and to see what everyone is listening to. You can get a little obsessed with your stream numbers though! But I have been using Spotify for years, so it knows me well and my personal playlists are awesome.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?

JESS – Consistent content on social media is something that I find challenging, putting up images of myself with inspirational quotes makes me want to cringe my face off. Yet I understand there is a demand to see creatives as multifaceted humans and social media provides that. Mentally I think it’s important to take a break from our virtual avatars and go connect with fleshy humans, face to face. In regards to releasing music, I think quality does rise to the top, if you have a strong product, a stellar live show and great music you’re going to do well. If you still face challenges try not to blame your tools and see what needs tweaking.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?

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Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?

Check out the Irish music scene! There really is something amazing happening here at the moment, such an abundance of talent and fantastic music. Go on, you won’t regret it!