Release date: January 20th 2023
TELEFÍS a Dó
Telefís is Cathal Coughlan & Jacknife Lee.
Features guest appearances from Sean O’Hagan,
Will Sergeant,A Certain Ratio and Jah Wobble.
Telefís, the groundbreaking collaboration between two Irish iconoclasts, revered singer-songwriter
Cathal Coughlan and world-renowned producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee, will release their second
album “a Dó” (number two) on October 7th. Following the release of “a hAon” (number one) in
March 2022, Cathal and Jacknife continued to work on music and completed the record at the end
of Spring. Then sadly Cathal Coughlan died on May 18th. Their debut album ‘a hAon’ was widely
acclaimed by the UK and Irish press and received national radio play on 6Music, Radio X, RTE,
Newstalk, and dozens of other outlets. The album playfully dissected the early days of Irish society
in the TV era through a prism of electronic dance music, drawing on what they saw as a ‘corrosive
nostalgia’. It also paid homage to their musical heroes of the punk and post-punk era. Kraftwerk
fighting with The Human League for a parking spot on Capel Street.
But amongst the muscular beats and distressed synth stabs there were also strange ballads,
haunting melodies and somber reflections. ‘a Dó’ continues to broaden these sonic horizons and
opens up the band’s output to outside collaborators. We have guest appearances from Cathal’s
longtime friend and Microdisney co-founder and High Llamas main man Sean O’Hagan on the first
single “Space Is Us”, Echo & The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant guests on two tracks, legendary
Mancunians A Certain Ratio on another. The inimitable Jah Wobble also contributes bass smarts
following his dub odyssey with the band on their single “Falun Gong Dancer” earlier this year.
As with the first album, national UK and Irish press and radio will be solicited from all the key
outlets, with a series of excellent singles leading the charge, accompanied by arresting visuals
and videos created by Jacknife Lee.
This album will stand testament to the ingenuity of Cathal Coughlan, one of Ireland’s most revered
singer-songwriters, lyricists, commentators and polymaths. RIP.
Praise for the first album ‘a hAon’
“It’s an outstanding set that draws equally on Coughlan’s formidable songwriting gifts and Lee’s
experience as heavyweight producer of best-selling albums by the likes of Snow Patrol, REM,
Weezer and U2″ – The Irish Times
“…an entralling, entertaining union of skilful retro-electro and cuttingly cynical mischievously
surreal declarations amounting to a ‘corrosive nostalgia’ for 70s Eire” – MOJO
Track Listing