Irish folk band Lankum have been nominated for this year’s Mercury music prize for their fourth album, False Lankum.
A first-time nominee, the band – Cormac MacDiarmada, Radie Peat and brothers Darragh and Ian Lynch – is among 12 acts shortlisted for the prize, which “celebrates the best British and Irish albums of the year”.
Also shortlisted for the album of the year award is British band Arctic Monkeys, now the joint most-nominated artists in the award’s history alongside Radiohead, Raye, Fred again.. and J Hus.
Lankum, who have been together for more than 10 years, recorded False Lankum at Hellfire Studios and released it earlier this year.
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The Irish Times review of the album highlighted how the collection “positions Lankum in a space that’s utterly their own: delighting in the myriad influences that colour their sound – from English and Scottish folk to Irish traditional, death metal, Krautrock and ambient – but never corralling them into a single one”.
The band’s Ian Lynch told the Guardian that they were “taking it all with a pinch of salt” but admitted he didn’t know much about the awards. “You don’t really see more left of field acts represented so I think any move towards opening up these kinds of events is going to be a positive,” he said.
Asked which of the group’s folk peers he would have liked to see nominated, Lynch said: “I’m resigned to the fact that any music I’m into isn’t going to be recognised by events like this. It’s outside of my cultural blinkers.
“I’m not even convinced that I wanted the Mercury awards to open up to the kinds of music I’m into. Music that operates outside of these mainstream musical worlds, it does it for a reason.”
Lynch said the success of False Lankum had been surprising. “It’s the most experimental album we’ve made and maybe not the most accessible, and it’s ironically been our most popular album so far.”
The 2023 awards show will take place on Thursday, September 7th, at the Eventim Apollo in the UK, with radio and TV coverage from BBC. – Additional reporting from the Guardian
2023 Mercury Prize albums of the year nominations
Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant to Be
Fred again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1st – September 9th, 2022)
J Hus – Beautiful And Brutal Yard
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
Lankum – False Lankum
Loyle Carner – Hugo
Olivia Dean – Messy
RAYE – My 21st Century Blues
Shygirl – Nymph
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
