Beat Up Car

 “We are here to satisfy your ear holes with emotional indie and alternative rock tunes that feature introspective lyrics, pop hooks and overdriven guitars.”

Up n’ Comin’ NI is excited to introduce this week’s artist, Beat Up Car, also known as Matt Irwin and Oisin Jayat, originally from Armagh but now Belfast based. “We’re an indie-emo band formed in 2022 who do absolutely everything DIY.” Currently part of the Oh Yeah Music Centre’s ‘Scratch My Progress’ artist development programme, the band have a lot of releases set for 2024!

 

Since Matt was 10, he’s done nothing but want to make music. He started his first band aged 13, named foreign affairs. When he was 17, he then changed their name to Hello Casanova. “Unfortunately, covid killed that band. I thought I was going to give up music after Hello Casanova ended because it hurt that much to have your childhood band break up. But from the ashes I formed beat up car with my best mate Oisin.  This has been the most cathartic and meaningful music I’ve ever made with my mate and I’m so proud of it. I can’t wait to let people hear what we’ve been up to.”

 

Green Day are and always will be Matt’s all-time favourite band. “I have to be their biggest fan. At the very least Spotify tells me on my wrapped that I’m in the top 0.1%! Flashback to me being 10 and hearing ‘Dookie’ for the first time. It made me want to make my own music. I owe all my musical ventures to that band.”

 

In fact, “Matt recently got tickets to one of their concerts by tracking down Green Day’s booking team for an intimate gig in London. He booked off work, booked the flights, flew over to London and the gig was cancelled 5 mins before the doors were due to open. But it didn’t stop him booking tickets for Isle of Wight and Dublin to see them afterwards!”

 

“We describe ourselves as Indie/Emo! It’s the music genre I love and our tunes are mostly rooted in that.”

 

Their songwriting process is quite straightforward. “Most of the tunes are made on an acoustic guitar. I’ll bring them to Oisin. He’s the mastermind behind all our production. After recording everything in Matt’s bedroom, he works his magic on the mix himself. He’s a literal genius with anything music technology." What makes this band so unique is their focus on DIY. They write, record, mix, produce and perform their music by themselves. 

 

The band claim that a lot of their lyrics are based on their own personal experiences. “We only make the music we love and are proud of. It’s influenced by our lives and the music we grew up listening to! I’m not great at expressing my emotions any other way than writing a tune! It’s a proper cathartic experience for me and super beneficial to my mental health.”

 

“Make music because you love doing it, not to make money out of it.” 

 

The band have not yet performed live, saying “We’re saving doing our first gig for the moment! But 2024 should hopefully be full of gigs and festivals!

 

Their most proud musical achievement to date has been gaining a place on Scratch! “Charlene Hegarty is the greatest champion of NI music and has given us such confidence in ourselves!”

 

So, what’s next for Beat Up Car?

“Lots of music and gigs in 2024! Bring it on!”

Make sure you follow them and keep up to date with all their songs, events and gigs: 

Spotify: Beat Up Car

YouTube: Beat Up Car

Instagram: beatupcarband

TikTok: beatupcarband