Meryl Streek – New Single & Album Announcement

Irish artist Meryl Streek announces his 3rd album, Stories They Don’t Teach You At School, out 9th October via Venn Records with lead single Rotten Fruit featuring Steve Ignorant (CRASS) & TROM out now.

Pre Order the album here

The new single, Rotten Fruit, a taster for the new album features Steve Ignorant from legendary UK anarchy punk pioneers CRASS. It explores how media shapes our perception of daily news, where we wake up each day to a steady stream of negative stories controlled by news outlets. It reflects feelings of lost hope and being overwhelmed by negativity, while questioning the decisions made by world leaders that seem to push society further backwards. Speaking of this guest appearance, Meryl Streek says, “I, along with many others, wouldn’t be doing this music without Steve’s years of work and to have him on this track with me means a lot. I think it turned out great and I hope CRASS fans like it as much as Meryl Streek fans.”

Ignorant adds about the upcoming album, “It’s kick in the arse and a smack in the face, this album does what politicians don’t – tell the truth” – and that is exactly what this new album does. Stories They Don’t Teach You At School taps into life lessons and the harsh realities of living in modern Ireland. According to Streek, “we’re not pre-warned about issues like depression, addiction, homelessness and cost of living. These are matters we’re forced to deal with later in life, with zero preparation”.

While Rotten Fruit tackles media control, the deadening onslaught of fake news across our screens, and the stream of fear emitting from the palm of our hands. Council Estates directs attention to governments failing the working class. Kelly’ describes an ongoing case tagged as a “Contested Cause of Death”. On St. Patrick’s Day 2024, a young woman called Kelly Lynch was found dead in the Ulster Canal in Monaghan Town. Gardaí initially treated the death as a tragic drowning, then a suicide. But independent forensic reports, commissioned by her family, concluded that her body sustained extensive injuries, and a private pathologist suggested she died as a result of a violent assault. The mission statement is clear, if no one will speak out, Meryl Streek will.

Meryl Streek and his music will be familiar to LTW Readers with both of his albums so far being voted in our Top 10 albums of year reviewed here and here. For those needing a reminder however… born and raised in Dublin, the yet to be named Meryl Streek grew up in a family built on punk ethics and morals. His father, an accomplished drummer and well known player on the national scene, encouraged his son to pick up drumsticks at an early age. “My dad was an unbelievable drummer,” he enthuses, “Like unbelievable. I was raised being around punk bands like Crass and anarcho-punks Rudimentary Peni. I remember seeing him play growing up as a kid and that was the start of my growth as a musician.” Like his father, the young Streek took to the instrument instantly, quickly becoming the “go-to” drummer in his local scene, and was soon performing around the world.

After several years of hard touring, Streek sought a more fulfilling creative outlet. Meryl Streek, the project, began life in a small apartment in Vancouver. With a pirated copy of Ableton and an endless supply of Canadian weed, the budding producer would weave musical collages combining electronic beats and news samples with guitars recorded by fellow stoners. Initially, these early recordings were never meant to be more than a passion project, instrumentals designed to scratch that artistic itch while the world was in lockdown. But upon returning to Ireland, Streek bore witness to rising political corruption, scandalous cover ups involving the Catholic Church, and an unscrupulous police force failing its own people. Addiction, suicide, homelessness; it was a living nightmare.

“I needed to try to help the ordinary people in Ireland who’ve been suffering,” Streek explains. “I do it for my father who has now passed on. I know what it’s like to feel betrayed and hurt, and I want to devote my life to helping others as best I can. The music may sound vicious to some, but times are changing and the government here in Ireland aren’t.” Feverishly writing lyrics that summed up his frustration, there was no telling if Streek could vocalise his words until he stood in front of a microphone for the very first time. Gritty yet clear, there is no more direct way of telling your story than in succinct spoken word bursts.

The debut album 796, released in November 2022, is named after the 796 bodies of children found in a septic tank at Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Taum, Ireland, a maternity home for unmarried mothers and their children run by Catholic nuns. Thus, instantly setting the tone for what Meryl Streek does best, giving a voice to the voiceless. The single Death to the Landlord’ with its menacing bass line, pop synths, and trad folk string samples form the bedrock for Streek’s gnarled takedown of slumlords polluting Ireland – a firm fan favourite live, hitting a nerve across the globe. 2024’s follow up, Songs For The Deceased, is a deep dive into Dublin’s underbelly. Tales of cold cases, national tragedies, and familial loss wrapped in a blood stained Irish Tricolour.

To push his music to new places, featured artists are not something Meryl Streek has previously shied away from. His previous record, Songs For The Deceased featured collaborative artists such as Cal Graham (The Chisel), Kingsley Hall (Benefits) and Oliver Ackerman (A Place to Bury Strangements). To help Streek tell his stories on this upcoming album, other musicians, speakers and comedians have joined the choir. ‘Rotten Fruit’ features Steve Ignorant of anarcho art collective CRASS. ‘Depression’ begins with words from music lover and late friend Liam Norton, accompanied by the guitars of Pete Holidai from The Radiators From Space. Comedian Phil Jupitus lends his voice and words to the outro of The Chancer. Housing For All contains audio from Derelict Ireland campaigners Frank and Jude. Venn Records owner and Gallows guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard joins Vinny McCreith (Adibishi Shank) on the hard hitting Bullet. Phil Wyer (Owl Sounds) also lends some guitars throughout the record as well as Sophie Porter (Other Half). Finally, to send the album home, there’s a three minute spoken word piece from viral sensation Frankie McNamara, best known for his Instagram series and book Meditations for the Anxious Mind.

Upcoming album, Stories They Don’t Teach You At School taps into life lessons and the harsh realities of living in modern Ireland. According to Streek, “we’re not pre-warned about issues like depression, addiction, homelessness, and cost of living. These are matters we’re forced to deal with later in life, with zero preparation”. Much like a teacher, Meryl Streek is sharing his knowledge and experience, uncovering ugly truths yet pressing for change. Compassion, resilience, and the importance for community – lessons that are often overlooked in school. In his Irish counterpart, Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 protest song Black Boys on Mopeds, the late singer delivers the line, “To say what you feel is to dig your own grave”. Now Meryl Streek is holding the shovel.

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