Introducing: Dealer's Choice

Dealer’s Choice step onto the scene with intent, atmosphere and identity firmly intact. Formed by County Mayo cousins Barry Mullaney and Joe McHugh, the Liverpool-based duo fuse dreamy trip hop textures, lush electronic instrumentation and deeply introspective lyricism to create something that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

Their debut single Some Kind Of Way offers the first glimpse into a partnership built on contrast — two different creative minds meeting in the middle to shape a sound that sits comfortably between alternative and electronic music. With roots in Ireland and creative lives now embedded in the UK, Dealer’s Choice channel themes of identity, movement and heritage into music that feels personal, cinematic and quietly powerful.

With a run of singles and a debut EP planned for 2026, Dealer’s Choice are positioning themselves as one of the most exciting emerging acts coming out of Merseyside right now — and Some Kind Of Way is just the beginning.

Dealer’s Choice brings together two very different creative backgrounds. What did the early sessions look like when you first started working together, and how did you know this was something worth committing to?

When we first working on music, it was mainly just us doing remixes for DJ sets, stuff like combining Outkast's B.O.B and Jimi Hendrix's Fire. We likely struck our artistic peak doing that. I realize that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth, I'm sorry. After that though, we wanted to attempt to make something original. Barry has written a lot of music himself, so that helped the creative process.

“Some Kind Of Way” feels both introspective and rhythm-led. How did you strike that balance between danceable production and more inward-looking lyrics on your first release?

Barry had previously started writing the lyrics for Some Kind of Way, back in Ireland, but never found a way of finishing the song. They were inward facing lyrics, but the instrumental originally started from us using a "Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions" sample, which gave it a more danceable feel. We removed the sample but that's likely where the upbeat tone appeared from.

Barry, you’ve spoken about revisiting lyrics written before moving from Ireland to Liverpool. How did distance from home change the way you understood those words once you came back to them?

Yes, I would be quite proud of where I'm from, in the west of Ireland, and moving away from Ireland and probably only calcified those feelings. I have been listening to a lot of Skinty Fia by Fontaines DC recently, a lot of themes in that album have resonated a lot with me since leaving.

Both of you reference your Irish background as central to the project, even while making music in the UK. How does that sense of identity shape the themes or mood of Dealer’s Choice?

Going off from our previous question, Ireland is a very central part of our identity. Barry is originally from Co. Mayo in Ireland, my family is from both Mayo and Longford, so a lot of my childhood memories are from being around family in Ireland, some of the earliest being playing drums for our little band in Barry and his brother's shed. For Dealer's Choice, Barry brought the experience of leaving home, while I brought the Ireland you inherit from your family. 

With more singles and a debut EP planned for 2026, what do you want people to take from ‘Some Kind Of Way’ as an introduction to the wider world you’re building with Dealer’s Choice?

'Some Kind of Way' is our most accessible track we've made, but gives strong insight regarding what we want Dealers Choice to be about in the future. Referencing your previous question, there will be plenty more danceable production and plenty more inward-looking lyrics.