irish trio hybrazil hit their stride with upbeat pop rock single 'four seasons'

Irish Galway pop rock trio Hybrazil have just released “Four Seasons”, the latest single from the genre-blending street band.

Throughout the track, the sound of a band forged by live performance is evident. Bright and smooth guitars and a brisk jazzy beat set the pace, before finding a clever contrast in Coughlan’s blues-infused vocals. A seamless fusion of soul, jazz and pop create a background for the tale of a recurring conflict, where emotional instability is compared smartly to fluctuations in weather.

“When all four seasons come in just one day,” vocalist Orla Coughlan sings. The story is anchored by a spunky walking bass line, with a persuasive jazz swing to it. “I originally wrote it as an acoustic song,” Coughlan says. “Someone at work had said the weather was like four seasons in one day – and it made me think of someone I knew like that.” She laughs, “I literally wrote it in twenty minutes.”

Then came the instrumental elements. The band has explored many genres while playing together, but found something that felt right while developing “Four Seasons”. “We realised – we’re a pop rock band.” Maxwell explains. “We love rock. A bit of funk. Orla brings a lot of soul. But I think this song helped us figure out who we are.”

Hybrazil are Orla Coughlan, Willians Maxwell, and Luan Lopes; a pop rock band with jazz and soul influences, from Galway City, Ireland. Their story began when Luan and Will met working as sign-holders, in the rain on Shop Street. They began talking about bands they loved, and soon realised they might as well start busking.

Hybrazil was formed by Maxwell in 2018, with Lopes and Coughlan joining to complete its line-up in 2019. With increasing popularity and success, performing first on the streets and then to the packed and happy venues of Galway City, they began to turn their attention to releasing original music.

2020 gave them all the time and opportunity they needed to record, and saw the release of several singles, including the well-received “Orange Soles”. Their music has been featured by Listen to Discover (Ella McLaren), Indiecriollo, and Right Chord Music. In one year, Hybrazil has gained over 40k streams on Spotify alone.

Hybrazil take their influence from bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and Paramore, while being also indebted to soul and funk. The result is a deft fusion of sunny genres - a mix of the local and the exotic - and a band to keep a close eye on in 2021.