Last year, Dublin pair Ciara Thompson and Allan Farrell introduced us to their fascinating sound in debut ‘Solid Air’, which sends out nods in equal parts to Americana rock and contemporary Irish folk. Now, Bad Sea have returned with their trademark bold-yet-melodious style in sophomore single ‘Tell Me (What I Mean)’. Transmitting the soul of their mutually fawned over inspiration Angel Olsen, Thompson’s vintage vocal soars over the Farrell’s diverse guitar work that wanders throughout anthemic reverb, energetic strum and grand, graceful chords. Finished with a wholesome lo-fi recording that accentuates the honesty of poetic lyrics like “It's not the breaking up that's hard, we've got that bit down to an art; I would like to stay away, I would but I'm just not that brave.” Listening to Bad Sea’s confident approach to this folksy indie-rock it’s surprising to hear that their meeting was by chance, not at a mutual friend’s party or the local record store, but through well-known dating app Tinder. Lucky for us, Thompson and Farrell remained friends, bound to give us more gloriously despondent tracks. - HT