Eat The Frog Turn Up The Folk Charm With Brilliant New Single Mansa Musa
Ireland's current folk revival shows little sign of slowing down. A new generation of artists is taking the traditional sounds of Irish folk and giving them a distinctly modern twist, and among those making their mark are young touring duo Eat The Frog.
Taking a lo-fi, independent approach to their music, Eat The Frog have been steadily building a body of work since introducing themselves with their debut single, Pettigo Road
. It wasn't long before they followed it up with their five-track EP, Before It Eats You
.
There's already a clear identity emerging from the duo's music. Their songs are packed with character-driven stories, wry observations and moments of sharp social commentary, while traditional folk arrangements provide the backdrop. It's a combination that allows Eat The Frog to look at modern life through a distinctly Irish folk lens.
Eat The Frog Bring Folk And Social Commentary Together
With their latest single, Mansa Musa, Eat The Frog take things a step further, moving towards a more polished indie-folk production without losing the stripped-back character that has helped define their sound.
At the heart of the track is a crisp, heavily strummed acoustic guitar, giving the song an immediate sense of momentum. The vocals are tight, with the two voices intertwining throughout and creating some seriously impressive harmonies.
Then there's the tin whistle.
Cutting through the arrangement as a lead melodic instrument, it adds a welcome Celtic-folk flavour without ever feeling like a forced attempt to sound traditionally Irish. Instead, it sits naturally alongside the acoustic guitar and vocals, helping give Mansa Musa its own personality.
Mansa Musa Finds Beauty In Simplicity
One of the best things about Mansa Musa
is that Eat The Frog don't overcomplicate things.
There's no wall of production here and no need for a huge instrumental arrangement. The song works because the individual elements are given room to breathe, with the vocal harmonies doing much of the heavy lifting.
Lyrically, however, the duo aren't exactly pulling their punches.
The song takes inspiration from Mansa Musa, the legendary 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire, who became renowned for his extraordinary wealth and generosity. Eat The Frog use the story as a starting point for a tongue-in-cheek swipe at today's ultra-wealthy.
As the duo explain, the song is about the greedy silly-ionaires
of the modern world who, in their words, would sooner peel an orange in their pocket than share a piece.
It's a typically playful way of delivering a fairly pointed message. There's humour running through Mansa Musa
, but there's also a clear social observation underneath it, giving the song a little more bite than its breezy folk arrangement might initially suggest.
And that's probably where Eat The Frog are at their most interesting.
They can make a song sound relaxed and approachable while still giving you something to think about.
Final Verdict
Mansa Musa
feels like a confident step forward for Eat The Frog. The move towards a more polished indie-folk sound hasn't stripped away the raw charm of their earlier material, while the combination of acoustic guitar, intertwined vocals and tin whistle gives the track a distinctly Irish character.
It's catchy, cleverly written and has just enough social bite to stop it becoming another pleasant folk tune that washes over you.
The single, Mansu Musa, is available through all streaming platforms.
Photo Credit: Eat The Frog
