Goldbug

Goldbug's is the moniker of Irish/French artist Danilo Ward. Goldbug's story starts in the stagnant waters of an abandoned well, thriving but neglected since many summers ago; in the ugly oak tree, hollow and dying, yet a house for the living.

Raised in a religious community in the quiet isolation of rural Provence, his music draws inspiration from forgotten places and the creatures that inhabit them. Subjected to a life of constant uprooting, Goldbug's music is a mirror to his unstable upbringing. Now based in Dublin, Goldbug crafts songs that drift into unfamiliar territory, with sweeping strings, dusty mellotrons, splashes of brass, and his soft, hazy voice.
His debut album Swings & Roundabouts, co-produced with Chris W Ryan (Just Mustard, Chalk, Newdad) and mastered by Heba Kadry (Bjork, Big Thief), twists and turns into the unknown, through darkness and light.

The nine songs off of his debut explore art rock/pop, post rock, lo fi electronic, and neoclassical influences. Unconventional song structures, odd time signatures, and ambient sound collages are all part of the one organism, hellbent not on surviving, but on thriving in the murky waters of adulthood.

Moving ahead after a busy first year in 2025, with performances at Other Voices, Ireland Music Week, Sounds From A Safe Harbour, and a collaboration with the Crash Ensemble at MusicTown, Swings & Roundabouts will be released independently June 26th alongside a run of 100 limited vinyls.
Goldbug has garnered early support from BBC6Music, BBC Introducing, Dublin City FM's John Barker, The Thin Air, GoldenPlec, Genuine Irish, The GOO Dublin, and Joe.ie.

''Exquisite debut single from Goldbug. There are so many glorious twists and turns in Losing The
Swing, I never knew where it was going to go next, kept me on my toes'' - BBC6Music's Emily
Pilbeam

''I am blown away by Losing The Swing, I have fallen so very deeply'' – BBC Introducing's Abbie
McCarthy

At the time of writing the Goldbug live ensemble consists of :

- Danilo Ward (vocals, piano, guitar)
- Finn McCarthy (bass guitar)
- Cian McDaid (electric guitar)
- Louis Younge (sax, keys, violin)