Dirtsharks, the ultimate underground duo, compile indie rock, shoegaze and heavy surf rock all into one irresistible sound.
Aidan and Brendan Moran, from Cornwall now based in Brighton, caught the eyes of the Cornish music scene from their release of their ‘Strangers’ EP in 2019. The brothers have been playing music for years, leading them to both play a variety of instruments on their songs. Though predominantly, Aidan takes lead guitar, drums, vocals and the songwriting aspect of their music and Brendan takes rhythm guitar, bass, keyboard and the producing/ mixing aspects. In saying this they mentioned that they ultimately develop the sound of their songs together, with an aim of creating a feeling through their music.
Influenced by the likes of Biffy Clyro, The National and Foals, their music explores a variety of themes like: change, the feeling of uncertainty, mental health and a sense of redemption. All topics of which are based on the challenges and complications that life throws at us. Aidan’s lyrical craftsmanship addresses these ideas both poetically and in such a way that is relatable for any listener. We recently chatted about their current releases and, in particular, what their two EPs delve into. Aidan explained that ‘Strangers’ is about uncertainty in a place where progress seems so out of reach and the inability to control things that occur throughout life. The tracks follow a clear shoegaze base layer, some more than others, with some tracks like ‘Never Enough’ picking up the more rocky side to their music. The ‘Live Well’ EP (2020) is matched with a morbidly ironic album cover and named perfectly with the time of release being not long after the first lockdown. The duo described the EP to tap into a few different messages like the sense of change, coming after such an oppressive few months in lockdown, “to issues surrounding mental health and dealing with loss as a society”. Their most recent music video for ‘Split Tongue’, edited by younger brother Finlay Moran, presents Aidan sitting next to different personas of himself, potentially representing the idea of how quickly life can change or the variety of people that can walk in and out of your life. The collection of tracks on this EP, again, shows their sound range and instrumental ability. Overall I would say that their music is scented with the sounds of Pink Floyd, Stereophonics and Pixies.
Recently, they have been “exploring new sounds” so keep your eyes peeled for new releases. Though we have not seen the duo play live yet, they said that “playing live is definitely the next step for us”, so it will be a treat once gigs are back.
Check the video for ‘Split Tongue’ here:
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