Pebbledash: Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House
EP – Out Now
Vinyl | Digital
Irish rising band Pebbledash have swiftly made their mark as one of the most exciting emerging acts, drawing packed crowds across the UK, earning national radio play, and winning over esteemed tastemakers. Now releasing their hotly anticipated debut EP Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House, the Cork based band continue to build on their reputation with a four track release which is as mature as it is raw and exciting.
Opening with buzzing feedback, a brooding bass line, and the reverb-drenched atmosphere of Alone and Forsaken, the EP immediately establishes the dark, melancholic tone that defines the band’s sound. Renowned for their distinctive fusion of shoegaze, noise rock, and traditional Irish music, the first track delivers precisely what followers of the band have come to expect—its haunting vocal melody echoing the timelessness of a traditional folk song or sea shanty whilst the instrumentation dances through an eerie, shoegaze aura. As the track builds, the bass and fuzzy guitar tones pull the track forward towards a more scuzzy, grunge influenced sound that eventually bursts into an explosive sea of reverb drenched noise.
Soak brings beautiful poetic spoken words over delicate guitar lines and twinkling synths that gradually grows from the understated opening through elegant chord progressions and beautifully overlapped melodies. At the midpoint the track bursts into an explosive, beautifully intense and expressive wall of grungy distortion that fizzes under the elegant, emotive now melodic and harmonising vocal melodies atop. Raw and beautiful, the track is a stunning exploration of melodic writing through a murky, dark lens.
Track three, Tell Me, leans into a more traditional shoegaze sound, with reverb-drenched guitars leading the way alongside yearning vocals that feel both melodic and raw in the best possible way—messy, heartfelt, and deeply emotive.
The EP’s closer, Slowly Slowly—and my personal highlight—brings an understated elegance through its beautifully subtle dynamics. It opens with a sprawling wash of feedback before settling into a slow, hypnotic beat and a swirling, chorus-soaked guitar line. The track’s yearning vocals glide above, delicately weaving together in the band’s signature male/female harmonies.
As it unfolds, a surprisingly catchy chorus builds suspense before bursting into waves of intense, fuzzy noise. The song then dips back into a delicate second verse before swelling once more, leading into a climactic final chorus. It all erupts in a cathartic release of shouted vocals, sprawling distorted guitars, crashing cymbals, and sawing synth—closing the EP with raw, electrifying intensity.
Speaking about the EP, and the inspiration behind its title, the band explain: “The EP is an exploration of my time in Cork city or the ‘Ugly House’ as it is referred to in the title. The Ugly House Is a term of endearment from us to refer to the charm of Cork taking in its beauty but also the imperfections. A house is where we all feel most safe and able to express ourselves and I think this ‘ugly’ imperfection is what gives Cork the allure and allows the freedom of expression we get when writing and recording.
Written at a time where music had become my main focus in Life and all experiences both negative and positive were growing from this, Encased in this small city I found myself becoming familiar with its places and people and these four songs are the portraits of the most impactful moments and feelings. Although many of the songs were started in Cork they were finished when I had to move away for a significant period of time and this feeling of missing friends and spaces I had come to love informed the melancholy of the EP, the songs are quite dynamic and reflected the changing emotions I was feeling at the time.
Somehow they appear as love songs but once heard they reveal a depth of my emotions captured over an entire year of change and growth condensed into songs that we have made lyrically and musically rich and now release with a cleanse to anyone who wants to listen.”
A stunning collection of tracks that balance the bands live intensity and grit with a sense of maturity and beauty, Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House sees Pebbledash more than live up to their potential.
Follow Pebbledash
~
All words by Simon Lucas-Hughes. More writing by Simon Lucas-Hughes can be found at his author’s archive.
We have a small favour to ask. Subscribe to Louder Than War and help keep the flame of independent music burning. Click the button below to see the extras you get!
