If you have ever wondered what it might sound like to trap Shaun Ryder, David Byrne, Grian Chatten and the devil in a Belfast bar crawl, Madams Last Discovery may have already done it and recorded the soundtrack. “That quote comes from a friend of ours, Taylor Johnson”, the band tells us. “He is a radio presenter for BBC Introducing and is in a brilliant band called Brand New Friend. He wrote it in a press release he did for us a while back, and we thought it was so funny. I think it describes our sound quite well, as we take influence from so many different areas in our music. In the end it comes together as a random combination.”
Photo Credits: @carriedavenport
But don’t mistake chaos for carelessness. Madams Last Discovery are deliberate in their disobedience. Their new single Orange Juice is a case study in creative rebellion. “When we wrote Orange Juice, we had been on a hiatus from the studios so when we got back into writing we wanted to try something new,” Nathan, the band’s guitarist, explains. “We had just started using a MIDI keyboard in our rehearsals to try and bring in some new sounds, and this was the first song that used it. It started with me, Flinn and Fion just messing around with riff ideas until something stuck.”
Lyrically as well, the band took a scalpel to their own habits. Lead singer Flinn introduced a new idea: “Every time we had started to write a new song, I would make up some basic lyrics to figure out and decide a rhythm for them. I noticed, every time these random lyrics would always go to the same place, using you, me and them.” So, he banned them. “As much as these words are critical to songwriting and feature heavily in our other songs, I just needed to change something for this track, I didn’t want to repeat myself. In doing this though I repeat myself several times singing the word 'One'.”
Cover for Orange Juice
The refusal to repeat runs through the entire upcoming EP. “I think our attitude of ‘trying not to do something that we would usually do’ stuck throughout this EP,” Nathan reflects. “We don’t want the whole thing to sound like one song.”
Orange Juice has already become a beloved live opener. And for good reason. “We’ve played it a number of times now to a live audience, and every time we can see that it grabs the audience's attention,” they say. “Especially with it being paired with our intro track, which we made with a sample from an old movie, “Plan 9 from Outer Space”. It immediately draws the audience in, and I think it gives a good taste of our sound as a band. It gives the right impression that we want to get everyone on their feet and dancing.”
The rest of the EP promises even more sonic shapeshifting. “There will be three other tracks,” they tease. “Two of which we have been playing live for a while now and one which was only recently debuted at our gig in the Limelight on the 17th of December. All the tracks on the EP tell their own story and have a unique sound. There was a lot of experimentation with synths, guitars and effects, so definitely an EP for those who are into that. The last song is one we have been excited to record for a while now. It has elements to it that we have never tried as a band before, so I would keep your eyes peeled.”
So, what exactly do they want listeners to experience when they press play for the first time? Easy: They want them to feel like they simply must listen again. “It would be great if they could find something within our music, a lyric or even just the sound of the song that they can connect with. It's a busy world and a bit of a chaotic time to be alive with a lot of people constantly feeling under society's pressures, I’d like our music to make people feel like they aren’t alone in that, and sometimes you just have to get your energy out through music, whether that be dancing, singing along or writing it yourself.”
Photo Credits: @carriedavenport
And as for 2026 – “We’d love to just get playing to more new audiences. We’re so lucky to have people who care about our music at home, but we’d love to show people all over the world what is going on in Belfast. Remembering to print set lists could be a good one as well.”
Stay tuned for more from Madams Last Discovery. Their upcoming EP promises ecstatic chaos that makes it impossible to keep your feet still.
ORANGE JUICE OUT NOW.
Words by
Marie Müller, 2026