Ones To Watch: Modernlove talk bringing the 90s back in style

Modernlove members Barry, Cian, Danny and Graham want you to know that they feel feelings.

If this wasn't obvious enough by the name of their band, the Drogheda natives aim to explore the pressures and anxieties fellow twenty-somethings are experiencing through their music, which they class as "polished, indie-pop with a glossy '90s sheen."

Their latest release, the anthemic Us, follows hot on the heels of their debut EP, Monochrome Blue, earlier this year and expands their sound to include the fractious borders of shimmering alt-pop, too. More impressive, however, is that Us was actually the first song Modernlove wrote as a band. 

"That song was the catalyst for us moving forward as a band," the lads tell us. "We didn’t really know how to write music until we made that song."

On what inspires them as a band, the boys seem to pull on a variety of references; pop, rock, indie, electronic, all mashed together to create one indelible sound.

"There are certain artists that are constants for us like Prince and Michael Jackson," they reveal, "but our influences change week by week. Artists like James Blake and The Japanese House have had a big impact on us recently."

The band's aesthetics and sonics are heavily inspired by artists from the 90s - TLC, Nirvana, even Janet-era Janet Jackson - but could their gaze every shift to the next decade?

"Where would we be without Sound of the Underground?" They correctly ascertain. "[An] 00's revival would be so great though, maybe we’ll try kick that off with our next release?"

Modernlove play live dates at TLT in Drogheda November 20 and will support Somebody's Child at Dublin's Button Factory om November 26.