“a beautiful Frankenstein of a record” ALTERNATIVE ULSTER

"like a bastard child of Stereolab and the Flaming Lips," TOTALLY DUBLIN

“a mixture of harmonica, psychedelic sounds, a taste of pop & a funk base” MELT MAGAZINE, FRANCE

"hymnal Kraut-pop from Dublin" MUSIKEXPRESS, GERMANY

“short, snappy affairs....swathed in synths & fuzzy guitars” SUNDAY BUSINESS POST
“traces of Eno, the Stone Roses and Can” HOT PRESS

“vintage synth sounds sit happily alongside organic instruments” IRISH INDEPENDENT

“A solid group in the finest indie tradition, there are also understated elements of dance, soul and funk” ENTERTAINMENT.IE

“a little as if John Carpenter was born a musician. And Irish.” LE MERSEILLAISE

“oscillates between long electronic ambient vibes, refined pop, electro dance and harmonica folk” D-SIDE MAGAZINE, FRANCE

Shoot You Down

Up In Thin Air EP

Up In Thin Air

Up In Thin Air (Jape Remix)

Soul Don't Boogie

Soul Don't Boogie - Lights DC Mix

Soul Don't Boogie - Mount Alaska Remix

The 202s return with From When The Future Was Yet To Hurt Us. The album is split into two overlapping and interweaving categories: casual, funky electronic groove and melancholic pop. 

The 202s are observationally and aurally astute: instrumentals Refrain and Are You For Real? display a command of decorous, textured electronic music. Other tracks such as Experts and Amateurs, Oh My My, Up In Thin Air, Soul Don’t Boogie and Dash For The Exit (Real Love Doesn’t Lie) blend some of the band’s influences (notably David Bowie, Can, Brian Eno) with a marked individuality that comes from experience.

Are You For Real?

Experts & Amateurs

Love Is In

Refrain

Melodiglockthing

Oh My My

Dash For The Exit (Real Love Doesn't Lie)

The 202s were formed in 2008 by long-term musical collaborators Mike Glennon and Steve Melling. The band named themselves after the Roland MC202 synth, which was the focus of much of their early musical explorations. Initially functioning as a studio based duo, their early demos caught the attention of Parisian indie label Le Son Du Maquis and they signed with the imprint in late 2008, making them label mates with acts including A Certain Ratio, Faust and Alan Vega. 

In March 2009 the band, now a trio with the addition of Barry Smullen on drums, released their debut single Shoot You Down, a synth heavy adrenaline burst of indie pop which grabbed the attention of the Irish music world. The self-titled debut album quickly followed. An eclectic affair touching on elements of pop, ambience, post-punk and krautrock, it was warmly received and invited comparisons with acts including CAN, Eno, Sterolab and The Flaming Lips. The band performed widely on the Irish festival and club circuit throughout 2009/2010 and also appeared on TV shows including Other Voices. A European album release followed in early 2010 with the title receiving an enthusiastic response from elements of the continental music press. France’s D-Side Magazine described the band’s sound as one which, “oscillates between long electronic ambient vibes, refined pop, electro dance and harmonica folk,” while Germany’s MUSIKEXPRESS dubbed them, “hymnal Kraut-pop from Dublin.” A planned European tour to capitalise on this attention was however, pulled following the collapse of their label Le Son Du Maquis in Summer 2010.   

The band entered an extended hibernation in 2011, eventually reconvening and retreating to their studio-based origins. They broke their silence in 2016 with the release of Oh My My, a track which further distilled their interests in krautrock, psychedelia and repetitive grooves, and which was described as, “a hypno-pop chunk of fuzzed vocal harmonies and slowly grooving drums.” The 4 track Up In Thin Air EP followed in 2017, mixing, “lilting indie pop,” with, “muted, hymnal,” ambience. The, “sleaze and scuzz” of their following release, Dash For The Exit (Real Love Doesn’t Lie), meanwhile was described by Hot Press magazine as, “their darkest and most seductive single thus far.”

202s

Popular tracks