Every so often, when you think you’ve heard it all, something comes along and knocks you sideways. Enter Córas Trio, whose creatively free ‘The Butterfly Effect‘ is one of the most original pieces of music I’ve heard in ages.

Córas Trio is a Belfast-based avant-garde folk ensemble that formed in 2022 and consists of Kevin McCullagh (fiddle, electronics), Paddy McKeown (guitar, electronics), and Conor McAuley (drums), rooted in Belfast’s local seisiún (informal traditional session) scene. The trio’s music is compelling because it weaves together disparate sounds, electronics, free folk, improvisation, and the avant-garde, yet makes it all feel completely natural.

Across their upcoming album Birth Is Upon Me, Death Is Upon Me, melodies emerge from otherworldly textures and musique concrète abstractions. Elsewhere, echoes of Gavin Bryars’ The Sinking of the Titanic surface alongside Steve Reich-esque pulses, as fiddle, guitar, and percussion interweave with exploratory electronics.

On ‘The Butterfly Effect‘, the trio draw inspiration from the well-known Irish slip jig ‘The Butterfly‘ to create one of the album’s most gripping pieces. Starting delicately, the music expands and gradually intensifies, drawing in drums, guitar, and fiddle until it reaches its peak.

The more you unpack Córas Trio, the more special they become. Their music may be adventurous and experimental, but it never feels showy; instead, it reaches you emotionally, drawing on shared experiences of change, loss, and starting again.

Do yourself a favour and press play. This track and their new album (out next Friday) are most definitely worth your time.