Start Listening To: Burglar

Dublin duo Burglar make sugar-rush pop with scuffed-up guitars, big hooks, and a sense of humour that keeps everything light on its feet.

Burglar are Willow and Eduardo, a Dublin duo making pop music with scrappy guitars and a bright sense of mischief running through it. Their new single ‘Lovey’ is funny, a little mortifying, and properly catchy, written from that specific place where you know you’re oversharing but you can’t help yourself. We spoke to them about building songs that feel light without dodging the emotional stuff, the visual world they’re creating around warm tones and “hopecore”, and the community that keeps Dublin bands going even when the city makes it difficult.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

W: My name is Willow. I grew up in Dublin and I met Eduardo in Trinity College when we were 19. I was a film student and he did art history.

E: I was born in London, grew up in Goiânia, Brazil, and moved to Dublin when I was 15. I’d say we make pop music disguised with sloppy guitar strumming.

Can you share the story behind your new single ‘Lovey’?

E: In the first two weeks of May 2024, I graduated, got rejected from my Contemporary Literature Master’s, and got broken up with. I didn’t know what to do next and I was so upset I tried writing a mean song, but it didn’t suit me, so I ignored it for a year and made it kinda silly and sassy instead.

What inspired its creation and how did the songwriting process unfold for you both?

E: It’s about oversharing with the listener and telling them I’m doing just that. There’s nothing more embarrassing than naming a song after someone’s pet name for you, but it’s funny and that helps me get through things.

How do your different musical backgrounds influence your collaboration and the overall sound of Burglar?

E: I was very encyclopedic with music before I met Willow. I was interested in scenes and what they meant to pop culture, but this meant I was always stuck in the past. Particularly the late 90s - I’m obsessed with Everything but the Girl and the Smashing Pumpkins’ Adore era. Anything after 2001 was completely irrelevant to me. But Willow dragged me to a lot of gigs in college and that opened me up to newer acts.

W: My love of music came more from going to a bunch of gigs ever since I was really young. I loved how seeing a band I really liked live made me feel. I had never met anyone as passionate about 90’s musicology as Eduardo and I really enjoyed hearing him talk about it for hours. It made sense that we would eventually start making music together, but it took a couple years to figure out how we worked best.

What themes or messages do you hope to convey through your music, particularly in ‘Lovey’?

E: All of our upcoming songs are about not wanting to be alone. Sometimes that’s romantic, sometimes it’s not, but it’s a better chorus to sing along to if it’s romantic.

How do you approach performing live?

W: We try not to take ourselves too seriously. In another world, we’re cool enough to wear shades and throw ourselves around and create a spectacle, but truthfully we just want to sound good and have people hear what we’re trying to say.

Can you describe the visual aesthetic you aim for in your music videos and artwork?

E: We’re mostly working with warm tones and light turquoise at the moment. The goldfish we use reminds us to keep things light and frisky. There’s a lot of moody music out there, so if you need a little break you can come to us. Our bassist John likes to call it ‘hopecore’.

How does it connect with your musical identity?

W: As for music videos, we want to keep using strong colours and keep it fun. So far we’ve just jumped around in front of a green screen, but we want to put in a little more effort for our next single. We have lots of artistic friends, like Cathal Eustace and Lisa Costin, who would definitely be willing to help us out on a more ambitious endeavour. They did the videos for our EP ‘Unlucky’ last year.

What role does the Dublin music scene play in your artistry?

E: Initially, I told everyone in the band I was wearing a wig and writing a manifesto for our new personas. We’d dress like we were in Fruits magazine and have pre-recorded messages onstage instead of speaking. There was no way this wouldn’t be cringe without a budget, so we kept the warm colours and a vague nostalgia for the 2000s. Hopefully it’ll come together for future photos and videos…

Are there particular local artists or venues that inspire you?

E: We learn a lot just by watching what our friends do in their live shows. We’re always trying to improve, and seeing talented people do their thing helps us get better. We go to each other’s shows on rainy Tuesday nights, we borrow each other’s gear, and we give each other notes on our mixes. When you have this kind of support network, you'll hear it in the music, and there's no way the music will be bad.

W: We’ve always enjoyed playing in Anseo in Camden Street. It’s just a DIY room above a pub, but it somehow became the nucleus of the “scene” for us. We’ve seen so many of our friends’ bands here and in similar venues around the city. It’s a tough time right now to be a band in Dublin with venues like The Complex getting shut down left, right and centre, but the talent emerging around us is so strong in spite of it.

E: Honestly the music I listen to is the music people are making here. There’s loads, but I love Pebbledash, Cruel Sister, Cable Boy, Softdrink Millionaire, Delivery Service, and Stupid Son.

As you prepare for your upcoming tour, how do you feel about connecting with fans in different cities?

E: We’ve actually played in more cities in the UK than in Ireland. We’ve only ever gotten as far as Wicklow, so if literally anyone shows up to our shows outside of Dublin, I’m considering that a win.

What do you love right now?

E: Erika de Casier’s discography. The Perfectly Imperfect app. My new Casio watch.

W: Making TikToks of my dog to advertise our new song…

What do you hate right now?

E: Every single one of my coats. I go to the same store twice a week to choose a new one. I try a bunch of them on and walk away. I can’t decide.

W: January.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

E: Boogarins, ‘Sombrou Dúvida’. This is a psychedelic rock band from my city Goiânia, who got signed in the 2010s and went on to have a very solid career outside of Brazil. I saw them in the Jazz Cafe when I was 17, and they’ve been my favourite band ever since. They put 1970s Brazilian popular music into a fresh indie package, and they also get weird with samples and beats. All my favourite melodies and guitar riffs are on their records.

W: Bombay Bicycle Club, ‘A Different Kind of Fix’ This record came out when I was around 10 and I would hear songs from it on PhantomFM (rip) in my Mum’s car. A few years later I stole her vinyl of it and listened on repeat for years. It’s a pretty standard 2010’s indie record but for some reason it just really stuck with me and I listen to it when I’m sad.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

E: Maybe the vocal melodies. They’re thought out to be quite catchy and bright, so if that’s not the first thing to stand out, we’ve failed you.