MacD on Music: Crashing Down in the Motherland

With all the bands in this town, it’s sometimes hard to stand out in the crowd. Sometimes, though, something comes along that really grabs your attention with a sound unlike anyone else currently on the scene. This was the case a few weeks ago when I first heard Seventh Heaven’s track ‘Motherland’.

The track is the group’s third single and title track of their upcoming EP, and features guest vocals from REFLECT’s Tay Layno, as well as some of the best guitar work on the local scene today.

Seventh Heaven is Noah McAuley (drums), Isaac Donnell (guitar/vocals) and Aaron Diamond (guitar). I caught up with them recently to talk about the song and the group’s story so far.

Noah: “My mammy wanted me to join a band, because I’d started drumming when I was younger, and she came across this post on Facebook from [Isaac’s] dad, and I didn’t want to go because I didn’t know what Isaac was going to be like, but I got there and we played a few tunes and we thought each other were class.”

READ NEXT: Mayor ‘excited’ to launch Féile 2026 – the biggest ever!

Isaac: “We just clicked instantly, and started to jam on a few songs we both liked, and it kind of fell into place. It stayed the two of us for a good few months before we were able to find Aaron [who had not yet arrived due to Foyle Cup traffic], and we’re best mates now.”

Speaking of ‘Motherland’, Isaac tells me: “We were going for a different sound, something that not a lot of bands in Derry would play. It’s very guitar focused. Michael Bell is some producer.”

Noah: “He’s amazing.”

Isaac: “Start Together Studio is such a nice vibe. It really brought out the creativity, with ideas flowing in the studio. That’s how you [Noah] got the idea for Tay to do the vocals. She first came to our old HMV gig, so she was always aware of us, and whenever they came out and started releasing stuff like ‘Wasting My Time’ we found out who they were and we’ve been in contact ever since.”

Next, they told me about their next single ‘Crashing Down’: “That one’s a bit more into the British rock/alternative style, with Wunderhorse and groups like that. It’s a personal song for me. I wrote it about some personal insecurities about myself, then like with everything, I started with a couple of chords and brought it into these fellas and it would grow into something else that we’d all interpret differently. We’ve road tested it live in the Nerve Centre in September, and thought ‘Yeah, maybe there’s something special about this one’.”

Speaking more about the band, Aaron [who had only just arrived] told me: “I’ve seen the development of this band over two years. I feel like our first couple of original tunes were a bit rough going. Getting the experience with the Nerve Centre, at least for me, gave me confidence that helped with further gigs, and also getting to see other bands on those bills at a younger age. It gave me a lot of inspiration for songwriting and stuff, so those few early gigs were massive for us.”

And that’s it from Seventh Heaven. ‘Motherland’ is out now and their new single ‘Crashing Down’ is out this Friday (31st July).

Now, onto other business. First up, we have ‘Inside Out’, the debut single from Belfast-based Slowly Drowning, the “atmospheric Alternative Metal project emanating from the psychological abyss. Emerging from the Obsidian Ocean-a liquid consciousness forged from humanity's collective regrets and shattered identities-this masked duo creates a devastating, cosmic horror soundscape for those lost in the dark”.

Speaking of the song, the group says: “‘Inside Out’ is a descent into the fractured abyss of the self. It explores the suffocating anxiety of feeling lost, submerged beneath the weight of a thousand shifting identities. Whether drowning in the toxic gravity of a destructive relationship or violently wrestling with your own internal demons, the song captures the terror of looking in the mirror and not recognising the face staring back. You are a mosaic of shattered versions of yourself-trapped in a cosmic loop, trying to escape a toxicity that might just be your own creation. In the end, how do you flee from yourself?”

‘Inside Out’ is available now on all good streaming services.

Next, we have Growing Pains, who will be releasing their debut single ‘Monday’ this...wait for it...Friday (31st July).

Growing Pains are fairly new on the scene but have been making quite a splash, opening for CHERYM at their final gig in May and supporting Chalk and Idles this August in Custom House Square in Belfast, so I’m sure we’ll be hearing plenty more from them in the not-too-distant future.

Lastly, more new music, this time from the always-brilliant REFLECT. Last week saw the release of the group’s latest single ‘Feeling Everything’, the title track from their upcoming EP and there’ll be more from them in these fine pages next month.

Finally, time for the socials. REFLECT can be found on Instagram @reflectbelfast, Growing Pains @growingpains_band, Slowly Drowning @slowlydrowningofficial and Seventh Heaven @seventhheaven_band_.