Florence Road is an Irish four-piece from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, made up of Lily Aron (lead vocals/guitar), Emma Brandon (guitar), Ailbhe Barry (bass) and Hannah Kelly (drums). The four grew up around Bray and attended Coláiste Ráithín, an Irish-language secondary school. The interesting part is that their friendship came before the band. Lily Aron and Emma Brandon met when they were about five years old, while Lily became acquainted with Ailbhe Barry and Hannah Kelly around the age of 12. By their mid-teens, the girls had become close friends and were taking music classes together. Their music teacher, Ronán Ó Murchú, played an important role in encouraging them. He regularly organised lunchtime concerts at their school and encouraged Lily, Ailbhe and Hannah to perform. Each member of Florence Road brings a different musical background and set of influences to the band. Lily Aron grew up surrounded by music, influenced by her parents’ love for U2 and The Kinks, while also drawing inspiration from Hozier, Beabadoobee and Orla Gartland and having a background in traditional Irish music. Emma Brandon began learning guitar during lockdown and developed a strong interest in classic rock, particularly AC/DC and Metallica. Ailbhe Barry, who has reportedly played nine different instruments, draws influence from bands such as The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac, while Hannah Kelly takes inspiration from contemporary Irish and alternative artists including The Academic, Pillow Queens and Sam Fender.
Four: another seventeen
“another seventeen” is Florence Road’s first official single, released on 14 October 2022. The song explores the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with growing up, particularly the fear of leaving adolescence behind and facing the responsibilities of adulthood. Its themes of self-doubt, insecurity and nostalgia reflect the girls’ own experiences as teenagers at the time. The track has garnered over 2.9M streams on Spotify and over 30K views on its official music video on YouTube. The song was created after Florence Road won a school music competition that gave them the opportunity to record an original song and produce a music video, making it only the second original song they had written. Although it was not a major commercial hit compared with some of their later releases, “another seventeen” was hugely important to the band because it helped establish their identity, attract their first audience and open doors to early performance opportunities, including a support slot for The Academic. More importantly, “another seventeen” is a significant song in Florence Road’s history because it marked the beginning of their professional journey.
FYI
- The band took their name from Florence Road in Bray, the road associated with their secondary school, Coláiste Ráithín. The name essentially connects the band to the place where their friendship and musical journey began.
Three: Heavy
Released on 14 March 2025, “Heavy” is one of Florence Road’s most successful songs and an important release in their development as a band. The song explores the emotional weight of anxiety, uncertainty and the difficulty of moving forward when something is constantly occupying your mind. Its lyrics capture the feeling of trying to reassure someone that things will be okay while recognising that emotional struggles are not always easy to overcome. Commercially, it became one of Florence Road’s strongest songs from their 2025 breakout period and remains one of their most-streamed tracks, with over 7.8M streams on Spotify and over 125K views on its official music video on YouTube. “Heavy” was written by Lily Aron, Hannah Kelly, John Hill and Marshall Vore, with Hill serving as producer. The song also gained additional attention after Olivia Rodrigo publicly showed support for Florence Road, helping to introduce the band to a wider audience. Overall, “Heavy” is significant because it helped establish Florence Road beyond their earlier cover performances and demonstrated their potential as a songwriting and recording act.
Two: 7563
Released on 7 August 2026, “7563” is Florence Road’s latest official single and a song the band had been performing live for some time before finally putting it on streaming platforms. The song explores the disorienting feeling of being out of place, lost and confused, and gradually becoming unfamiliar to yourself, with its surreal imagery reflecting that sense of uncertainty and emotional confusion. Critically, “7563” has received a positive early response, with Stereogum describing the track as having “immediate potency” and praising its anthemic opening, energetic guitar work and Aron’s vocal performance. Rather than telling a straightforward story, the lyrics use unusual dreamlike images to communicate an unsettled state of mind, while Lily Aron’s vocals give the song an emotional intensity that makes the abstract writing feel personal. Since its release, it has garnered over 765K streams and over 22K views on YouTube. its streaming numbers are still developing. What can be said confidently is that “7563” arrived with an established fanbase already familiar with the song from the band’s live performances, making it a highly anticipated release and an important continuation of Florence Road’s rapidly growing momentum in 2026.
Awards/Nominations
- In 2025, Florence Road gained their first major industry recognition when they were longlisted for BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2026, placing them among the emerging artists to watch.
- In 2026, they received further recognition with a nomination for the Music Moves Europe Awards, which celebrates emerging European artists.
- As of 2026, Florence Road have earned notable industry recognition but have yet to secure a major competitive award win.
Discography
- Florence Road have not released a studio album as of August 2026.
One: Hanging Out To Dry
Released on 5 June 2026, “Hanging Out To Dry” is Florence Road’s biggest hit to date and the standout song from their 2026 era. The song explores the emotional conflict of falling for someone while knowing they may not treat you well, with Lily Aron describing it as trying to convince yourself that you are not falling for someone while also feeling under-appreciated and “left hanging out to dry.” Commercially, the song has been their biggest success so far: it has garnered over 23.1M streams on Spotify and over 1.9M views on its official music video on YouTube, generated more than 35,000 TikTok creations, and became a No. 1 Irish radio hit, making Florence Road the first all-female Irish band to top the Irish Airplay Chart since Radiomonitor records began in 2012. Critically, the song has also been very well received, with NME describing it as sharper and more adrenaline-filled than Heavy and highlighting its soaring vocal performance, while live reviews have noted it as a major crowd favourite. Overall, “Hanging Out To Dry” represents Florence Road’s biggest commercial and radio breakthrough so far, firmly establishing it as their biggest hit to date.