High-flying Athlone band set to release new single

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Athlone band The Halez are preparing to release their fourth single 'Coming For You' on Friday next, February 28.

The four piece band is made of up Roscommon's Kieran Murphy as the lead singer, as well as Athlonian's Cormac Sheerin on bass, Jermone Sheerin on guitar, and drummer Eamonn O'Toole.

Having met in Athlone Institute of Technology, the band consists of a group of friends following a long-term dream to build a career in music.

"When I first came up with the idea of putting a band together, we met over a pint in Sean's Bar in Athlone," Kieran said.

"We had been playing covers for a number of years, but it was during the Covid-19 lockdown that we started to produce original music."

A first taste of success for The Halez came when the band released their first single 'Charlie', with the song hitting number 1 on the Irish iTunes charts.

This caught the attention of HotPress, with the band being selected as a finalist in the A New Local Hero national talent search in August of last year.

Following the Local Hero competition, their next single 'Come Day Go Day' went number 1 on the global iTunes charts.

"It was a great kickstart to our musical journey. We're just trying to organically build our following by releasing singles."

Their upcoming single 'Coming For You' is the fourth single released by the Indie Rock band.

"The whole idea is the femme fatale - she's coming for you," Kieran said. "It ties in will all this talk about catfishing that is being discussed recently."

Each member of the band has brought their own influences to the table, from Jermone's trad music background, to Cormac's interest in indie music.

The Halez have recently finished work on their debut album, which has been recorded in various studios from Athlone to London. Their sound is inspired by musical greats such as Oasis, Blur, Thin Lizzy, and Queen.

"The music that was being released in the 80s and 90s was very positive sounding," Kieran said. "We want to bring that sound back, and also to bring back the bands. I think the music loses the soul a little bit when it's recorded digitally. We've recorded the old school way with a live performance in the studio, so it has a more authentic sound.

"We have gotten the attention of music producers in the US. They think that we have a really good album of music. We don't want it to be wasted, so we're trying to build our following and we plan to release the album later this year."

To keep up to date with The Halez, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Their music is available on all major streaming platforms.