29.04.22

After rising to prominence in Dublin’s free party scene, Saoirse has become a much-loved figure in London’s club underground. Until recently, her reputation was mainly built on her free-roaming, full-throttle DJ sets, but her latest projects, such as the minting of her new label and multi-venue Body Movements festival celebrating “queer bodies in electronic music”, have seen her broaden her skillset. Two Bruised Egos, her second EP, and the second to come out on her imprint trUst Recordings, sees her stretch it out even further.

On opener Gentle Romance, a hypnotic bassline fizzes in before colliding with a thumping kick drum. Building on the foundations laid in her debut, the giddy, genre-straddling Trust EP, the track is both dark and playful as Saoirse scatters trance-y echoes and industrial flavours over a wiggly techno groove.

Structured around a 4/4 beat, Can’t We Just Have Fun hikes up the intensity, giving way only to a dizzying breakdown around the two-minute mark. It’s a glimpse of the producer’s more serious side, steering away from her usual dreamy undertones. The heads-down vibe is punctured, however, by the suitably bouncy Chubby; a strong closer that perfectly captures the wonkiness of the later hours with its euphoric melody, glitchy textures and seductive vocal samples.

When Saoirse launched her label last year, she emphasised the importance of trust as a concept fundamental to dance music; trust between the DJ and those dancing, and trust between the dancers sharing the space. r sees the producer warm to her theme: this is life-affirming music for open-minded dancefloors.

Safi Bugel