Killian Walsh continues unveiling the emotional and sonic landscape of his forthcoming album Ise with the release of new single “Let’s Play Bongos,” a rhythmic and uplifting track that captures a moment of movement, release, and reconnection after profound personal loss.
Following the introspective first single “Let’s Float” featuring Elise SW, the latest release reveals a different emotional dimension of the album’s wider narrative. Where the earlier material leaned into reflection and fragility, “Let’s Play Bongos” embraces energy, communal experience, and the healing power of dance music culture.
Built around hypnotic percussion, warm analogue textures, and expansive electronic production, the track draws heavily from outdoor rave culture and the immersive atmosphere of communal gatherings — evoking bonfires, open-air dance floors, and the temporary freedom found within music-driven spaces.
“There was a point where I started to realise my world was going from black and white back into colour a little bit, and I just wanted to dance, and to forget about life and what was going on,” said Killian Walsh. “‘Let’s Play Bongos’ is about those times going to raves with bonfires, people juggling and dancing around the fire. That’s what this song is about. I hope people enjoy it.”
That sense of emotional transition sits at the heart of Ise, an album shaped during one of the most transformative periods of Killian Walsh’s life following the deaths of both his wife and father. What initially began as an instinctive creative outlet gradually evolved into a deeply personal full-length body of work documenting grief, reflection, healing, and renewal.
Rather than approaching those experiences through traditional songwriting structures alone, Walsh filters them through a broad palette of electronic influences. Across Ise, elements of Ambient, House, Trance, and Techno intertwine with textures and melodic sensibilities drawn from traditional Irish music, creating a sound that feels emotionally intimate while remaining expansive and transportive.
“Let’s Play Bongos” particularly highlights his ability to move fluidly between emotional introspection and club-oriented energy — balancing meditative atmosphere with rhythmic momentum in a way that mirrors the album’s larger emotional arc.
The album itself was developed in collaboration with creatives across Dublin, Berlin, and Australia, including contributions from Tobias Neumann and Johannes Manuel. Together, those collaborations helped shape the record into a richly layered electronic work grounded as much in lived experience as in sonic experimentation.
As anticipation builds toward the full project, “Let’s Play Bongos” offers another glimpse into an album that appears less interested in escapism for its own sake and more focused on the emotional transformations that music can facilitate.
Ise is set for release on June 26, 2026 via Ardchumhacht.
Killian Walsh: Instagram | Spotify | Beatport | Traxsource
Ardchumhacht: Beatport | Traxsource