Irish pop-rock outfit BOLD LOVE have been making waves throughout 2025 and, ahead of an EP coming later this year, the band have released their newest single, Feel You Close.
Squatting under a railway bridge near Dublin’s Croke Park, guitarist Jack Cody, keyboard player Megan Nic Ruairí and bassist Dan Aherne spoke to Erazer over Zoom, and told us what the new song is all about. “A lot of love went into it,” Jack said about Feel You Close, which Cian Ó’Maonlaí, the lead singer with BOLD LOVE, penned.
“Cian’s really good at writing lyrics which are close to him, but we all relate to them.” The song is about Cian’s late grandfather and how people see him through Cian’s actions and mannerisms. “That’s how Cian feels close to him,” Jack added, “I think that’s what the song is about.”
Despite the topic of the song, Megan promised that the music itself isn’t as solemn as the subject. “I think a lot of our songs are like that,” she said. “If you actually sit and read the lyrics, it’s a lot darker or sadder than it is musically.”
The band described the writing process as a collaborative one, with Jack adding that someone would come into the studio with a developing song, ready for the band to add to it. “We all add to [the song] and know what kind of sound we want to go for,” he said.
Although the members met in college about ten years ago, BOLD LOVE as a band only began relatively recently. Megan said the group were ‘friends first’ before they started making music. “Lockdown was when we all came together properly and decided we wanted to take it seriously and start releasing together,” Jack added.
Before settling on ‘Bold,’ the band used to be ‘Big Love,’ but changed their name to avoid confusion with a Japanese record shop. “Bold is interesting because it means brave in most places, but in Ireland, it also means a little bit naughty,” Jack said. “We wanted to keep ‘love’ in the name,” Megan added.
In October, BOLD LOVE will release their debut EP, Dancing & Loving, which will be available from Canvas Music. “We’re very excited to finally have a body of work out,” Jack said. “Praise is always nice, but it’s also nice to be in writing mode and release things. That’s what gives you the energy to move forward.”
So far in 2025, the band have been praised by BBC Introducing and RTE Radio, as well as collaborating with producer Richie Kennedy, who has worked with Celeste and Interpol. In August, the group will take to the stage at London’s All Points East, supporting The Maccabees. “It’s a great lineup,” bassist Dan said, adding that he was ‘buzzing’ for the gig. “We’re probably going to miss all [the other acts] as well.”
BOLD LOVE are part of a stacked bill that will be on stage ahead of a performance from the newly reformed Toothpaste Kisses hitmakers. Also appearing on the day are CMAT, The Cribs, Dry Cleaning, Prima Queen and Bombay Bicycle Club. “We’ll set up and take down quicker than we’ve ever done just to catch everyone else,” Jack said, citing Everything Everything as a must-watch.
BOLD LOVE will also appear at festivals in Glasgow and Leeds later this year. Their debut EP Dancing & Loving will be released in October.
