Ryan Mack – Broke

What a month it has been for Irish Music or, more specifically, for some of Niamh’s favourite artists! With a wide range of music dropping week in week out, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with it all but today, dear readers, I’m going to be reviewing the fantastic new single ‘Broke’ from Ryan Mack. So, grab your earphones, sit back and get ready to dive into a fun song from an extremely talented artist.

Ryan McLoughlin (Ryan Mack) is a twenty-six year old Kildare native who started off his music career as a student in BIMM (a music institute in Dublin) and was a member in the Irish band HomeTown between the years of 2014-2016. He took some time away from music before making a blast back onto the Irish music scene in 2018 with his debut solo single ‘Nobody Like You’. Since then, Ryan has released an EP entitled ‘Someone Else’, numerous singles and has also travelled the length and breath of Ireland with his own tour and as a support act for other Irish acts.

I, personally, adore Ryan’s music because the music is extremely catchy, the lyrics are memorable and the stories he tells within his songs always paints vivid images in my head. He truly is a craftsman who has spent a great amount of time getting each and every song perfect. If you ever get the chance to see him live, I would also highly recommend it as Ryan not only owns the stage when he performs, he makes sure each and every member of the crowd is having the best time along with him! 

On November 11th, Ryan released his newest single ‘Broke’. In the lead up to Ryan releasing the name of the single, were fans expecting this to be the next single? Probably not, as a number of fan favourites, from the tour last year, haven’t been released yet. But it became apparent very quickly, after listening to ‘Broke’ for the first time, that this song was the song everyone needed in 2020. If you are new to Ryan’s music, what you need to know is that when it comes to ‘relatable-situations-in-life’ songs, you will not find an artist in the Irish music scene with a catchier song! 

From the opening lyrics ‘When I was young I always thought that I’d be rich yeah…’ Ryan has the listener hooked by allowing them to reminisce on simpler times. Carrying on with “But now I’m 26…” brings us all back to modern day. The song itself is a blunt, honest look into being a musician in 2020 with a global pandemic not helping matters in the slightest. What Ryan does incredibly well with this song is that he tells a very relatable story that will hit a chord with many different people in every walk of life. Pair this with the catchiest music I have heard in forever and you have a solid hit! This song also works exceptionally well because if you can’t take the mick out of yourself and have a laugh at your own expense; who can? 

Although the entire song is a relatable trip for me, I always have a favourite line when it comes to Ryan’s music and ‘Broke’ is no different:

‘Cause they say money’s not the key to wealth. Well I say let me judge that for myself’ 

Did I mention this song comes with an explicit warning? No? Well this is that warning! Even this snippet shows how clever Ryan is with his lyrics and is one of the reasons why I enjoy his music so much! It truly is a song that needs to be blared from speakers and not just via headphones. But, really you shouldn’t be taking just my word for it. Take a listen to ‘Broke’ below. Just a word of caution: this song may cause you to dance along or laugh out loud; just be aware if you are in public!

Even with the world completely gone to ruins with the current global pandemic, it truly is the arts that are making our lives a little easier so, if you like what you hear, make sure you follow Ryan Mack on his social media accounts. I can honestly say you won’t be disappointed as Ryan is the reason I finally gave in and downloaded TikTok back in April just to watch his music covers!

You can find Ryan on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify in the links.