By Rachel Kennedy

While they haven’t reached stardom in the states, Bell X1 is selling out shows on the other side of the world with their heady beats and expressive lyrics.

The Irish band compared to a mellow Coldplay, ranked behind U2 as the most popular band in Ireland. It’s no surprise Bell X1 has played with Ed Sheeran either, both artists write narrative songs with descriptive lyrics, making them a complimentary match.

Bell X1’s newest album “ARMS” was anticipated after the success of previous releases. The band’s past four albums were nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year, with three of them making it to No.1 on the Irish Album Charts. The band is currently on tour playing locations in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

The album, released on Oct. 14, is the band’s seventh record. It was an unexpected blend of sounds that took the band in a different musical direction. However, fans seem supportive of the style change seeing as “ARMS” is the No. 2 selling album on
Ireland iTunes.

Dominic Philips, one of the three band members, said they “decided the record was going to be about groove.

Although the band changes their core sound from time to time, they’re widely accepted as an alternative, indie rock band.

Overall, the album uses coffeehouse melodies, old school tempo, smoky vocals, and modern layering to create an intoxicating effect.

According to iTunes, the songs “Out of Love” and “Upswing” are the favorites on the record. “Upswing” is a lulling ballad that sounds like a smooth scotch at 3 a.m., while “Out of Love” has a more percussion infused,
dynamic pace.

Check out this foreign phenomenon on Spotify and iTunes the next time you’re in need of some transcendent music with layers that’ll keep you hooked.