Inhaler are an Irish rock band originating from Dublin. Formed in 2012, the band consist of vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon.[1] [2] [3] Their debut album, It Won't Always Be Like This, was released on 9 July 2021. It entered the Irish & UK Albums Charts at number one, while also entering the top 10 and top 20 album charts in other European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany.[4] [5] [6] The band's second studio album, Cuts & Bruises, was released on 17 February 2023.
Originally formed in 2012 at St Andrews College in Blackrock, Dublin, the band decided on the name Inhaler in 2015.[7] Jenkinson joined the band right after the band name was decided.
The group self-released their debut single "I Want You" in 2017. The single was featured on Garageland Volume 1, released on 14 April 2017.[8] This was later followed by three more singles in 2019, namely "It Won't Always Be Like This", "My Honest Face"[9] and "Ice Cream Sundae". They placed fifth on BBC's annual music poll, Sound of 2020.[10] On 21 January 2020, the group released their fourth single, titled "We Have to Move On".[11] In 2019 Inhaler toured with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds as their opening act.On their 2019–2020 tours, the band released a self-titled debut EP featuring the singles "It Won't Always Be Like This", "Oklahoma" (Late Night Version), "My Honest Face" and "There's No Other Place". For Record Store Day 2020, the band released their singles as limited-edition vinyl records.[12]
The band were one of the winners of the Music Moves Europe Talent Award 2021[13] and were also shortlisted for the MTV Push UK & Ireland 2021.[14]
On 17 March 2021, the band released a single titled "Cheer Up Baby" and announced that their debut album, It Won't Always Be Like This, would be released on 16 July 2021.[15] On 13 May 2021, the band announced on their social media that the album release would be pushed forward by a week, to be released on 9 July 2021.[16]
The band presented the album live on summer festivals in 2022 (including Glastonbury Festival) and did opening acts for some Kings of Leon shows on their When You See Yourself tour.
The band released their second album Cuts & Bruises on 17 February 2023.[17] It reached number 2 in the United Kingdom album chart and number 1 in the Irish album chart.[18]
The band was selected by Pearl Jam to open their shows in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Austin in Pearl Jam's 2023 concert tour. [19] On 10 June 2023, the band performed at Slane Castle as the opening act for Harry Styles' Love on Tour show.[20] Earlier on in the year they toured with Arctic Monkeys as their opener and also opened for Sam Fender at his St James Park show.
After the release of Cuts & Bruises, Inhaler announced a world tour starting in November 2022 at the Olympia Theatre, DublinThe tour ended on the 11th of November 2023 at the 3Arena after many shows all across the US and Europe. They also played 6 extra London and Glasgow dates before returning home to Dublin.Ryan McMahon (musician) said this on his instagram after the 3Arean tour: "I didn't think we'd ever play this venue let alone play it so soon. Thank you for all of the love you've shown us and our songs on this chaotic journey. Now i'm gonna go and mend my fragile head while I try to figure out what's just happened to this little band of ours."
Hewson named 80s and 90s bands such as The Stone Roses, New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays,[21] Depeche Mode,[22] Echo & the Bunnymen, Talking Heads, and Oasis[23] as Inhaler's formative writing influences. Hewson also mentions new up and coming bands such as Frank On Tap from New Zealand as a breath of fresh air and still yet to be properly noticed. Jenkinson in particular was inspired by Kele Okereke of Bloc Party to pursue alternative and rock music.[24]
In 2023, Inhaler called The Strokes an "idol". While recording Cuts & Bruises, the band watched .[25]
Current touring musicians
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRE [26] | GER [27] | NLD [28] | UK [29] | |||
| It Won't Always Be Like This |
| 1 | 13 | 7 | 1 | |
| Cuts & Bruises |
| 1 [30] | 35 | 5 | 2 | |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album/EP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (FL) Tip [31] | JPN Over. [32] | US Alt. [33] | US AAA [34] | |||
| 2018 | "I Want You" | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | "My Honest Face" | 24 | — | — | — | It Won't Always Be Like This |
| "It Won't Always Be Like This" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Ice Cream Sundae" | 15 | — | — | — | rowspan="3" | |
| 2020 | "We Have to Move On" | 37 | — | — | — | |
| "Falling In" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "When It Breaks" | 33 | — | — | — | It Won't Always Be Like This | |
| 2021 | "Cheer Up Baby" | 13 | — | 33 | 14 | |
| "My Honest Face" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022 | "These Are the Days" | — | — | — | 15 | Cuts & Bruises |
| "Love Will Get You There" | — | 18 | 34 | 12 | ||
| "If You're Gonna Break My Heart" | — | 19 | — | — | ||
| 2023 | "Just to Keep You Satisfied" | — | — | — | 17 | |
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | NME | The NME 100 | [35] | |
| BBC | Sound of 2020 | 5th |