Cover image by the talented Greta White.
With only eight songs officially released, Dublin-based Inhaler (made up of "four friends who formed the band in school, Elijah Hewson, Robert Keating, Ryan McMahon and Josh Jenkinson bonded over a love of similar groups, taking in The Stone Roses, Joy Division, The Strokes, Depeche Mode, Interpol, Kings Of Leon, The Cure and more") have amassed a decent-sized listener base already - with 430,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a combined eight million streams, the band are quickly rising to a state of renown in the UK. Their website bio says this:
"Dublin quartet Inhaler recently completed a UK and European tour that saw them sell over 7,000 tickets and play to frenzied, sold-out crowds. November saw them support Blossoms across the US, before heading to Mexico for a slot at Corona Capital."
They're big among fans of artists like Sam Fender, The Amazons, and Blossoms. Their most recent single, "We Have To Move On," was added to huge playlists across all streaming platforms, like Spotify's The Indie List, Apple Music's ANTIDOTE playlist, and Deezer's Indie Jukebox.
That's not enough for me, though.
If there was one band that I would drop down on my knees and beg for all of you to give your attention to, it's Inhaler. I don't know how to explain it, but my instinct has been telling me since last October (when I first started listening to them) that they were going to be one of the biggest bands of 2020 (and I'm not wrong - BBC has named them number five on the Sound of 2020 shortlist) and I just want you guys to be ahead of the curve, as always. With a "love of dirty bass lines, pounding rhythms, and infectious melodies infused with psychedelic soundscapes," they're emulating all of those bands they mention as inspiration so perfectly it's almost unimaginable.
Inhaler can be found on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and their website. They have quite a few gigs coming up - they'll be traipsing through the UK in February, then off to the rest of Europe in March, popping over the pond to visit us in America in April, then finishing off with a grand slam of an Irish tour in May. They'll be making their festival rounds this summer, as well. No matter where you live, you'll be able to catch them (unless you're me and work until 6pm and all of the shows near you are weekdays, booooo). I highly suggest you make sure to see them while they're still as small as they are. They're going to absolutely blow up this year.