On their new release Stupid EP, Cork’s post-punk trio Ash Red offer a compelling snapshot of a band in transition — caught between the raw urgency of their early sound and a more expansive, brooding sonic palette that hints at what’s to come on their debut album.
Released via Blowtorch Records, Stupid EP feels like an intentional document of growth. There's a loose, unvarnished energy running through these tracks — a live-wire intensity that favours feel over perfection. Opening track “The Stupid Song” sets the tone with sharp-edged guitars, snappy, boxy drums, and a bassline that could easily have wandered off a Joy Division B-side. There’s a grunge-era sneer in the vocal delivery, somewhere between frustration and release, while the reverb-soaked textures add a ghostly atmosphere.
But the EP isn’t just about punk punch. “Before” shifts the gears dramatically, beginning in hushed acoustic territory before blooming into a layered, slow-burning anthem. It’s moments like these where Ash Red’s depth becomes most apparent — willing to lean into intimacy just as confidently as they lean into dissonance.
Throughout, the trio — Arthur Murray, Tadhg O’Keeffe, and Isaac Walsh — maintain a chemistry that feels lived-in, road-tested, and refreshingly unfiltered. It’s no surprise, given their relentless presence on the Irish live circuit, with over 70 shows in Cork and key slots across the country. That sense of grit and grind bleeds into the EP in the best way possible.
Stupid EP doesn’t reinvent post-punk, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, it refines it with a distinctly Irish moodiness and a restless creative spark. This is a band stepping beyond homage into something unmistakably their own.
Rating: 8/10
