Mr Billy Fitzgerald is one of the most singular voices in Ireland right now, producing eclectic lush indie-pop-rock songs. Following the release of his single ‘Gimme Love’ in June, which caught the attention of XSNoize, Hot Press, Ragged Cast, Rock N Load, The Beat.ie and RTE2XM. He now returns with the Beck and Eels inspired ‘Old Loves’. A song almost two decades in the making that explores the dangerous nostalgia in looking back through rose tinted glasses at past romances. Billy’s DIY approach means that he is solely responsible for the writing, performance, production and mixing of the track, only outsourcing the mastering to the iconic Abbey Road Studios, to add the finishing touches to the track.
Billy’s sound was born following the dissolution of his band, the Dead Flags. Renting a small room above Abbey Street in Dublin, this was where he would craft his sound. Pulling on a smorgasbord of influences, he shaped something entirely unique and authentically himself. A palette of piano, synths, drum machines and percussion alongside acoustic and electric guitars gave Billy the means for his lush indie-pop sound. With each release exploring different sonic territory, Billy says ‘Old Loves’ is a more honest and emotional song that previous releases.
Alongside the touchstones Beck, Flaming Lips and Eels ‘Old Loves’ draws inspiration from a more classic figure, Frank Sinatra and his song “It Was A Very Good Year”, in which he divides up the eras of his life by the affairs he was having. As the track opens with Billy’s signature luxuriant vocals, over an insistent drum machine and a scratchy guitar track that adds texture and drive to the track, he casts himself back to being 15. There’s almost a country storytelling, confessional quality to the lyrics as, in a stream of consciousness, Billy tells us of unrequited loves and affections unbeknownst to the other party as the romance has been built up in his head. Then jumping forward to more recent relationships, ‘every time we say goodbye I think will you be an old love soon’. Throwing a self-sabotaging spanner in the works. Not afraid to put himself on the line, this vulnerable honesty is engaging and refreshing, not shielding himself behind metaphor or poetic device. Musically the tracks production benefits from various layers being brought in and out to aid the euphoria and drama. The bass joins halfway through the verse adding a new melodic counter part to Billy’s vocals and as we hit the chorus, piano and a constant guitar kept low in the mix help add to dawning of Billy’s vocals as the song opens up. A piano solo allows the song to drop down to vocals and acoustic guitar, which despite the minimalist elements still feels lush and opulent.
Billy’s DIY approach has allowed him to explore different production techniques with each release, approaching each track with a hazy vision for the song that is then informed by the sounds captured as he records. The piano solo in the track was originally conceived as a St Vicent fuzzarocious-esque solo but after some absent-minded noodling during recording, the part felt right and took the track to a new place. Driven by the end goal of actually releasing a track, as opposed to finishing it and letting it sit on a hard drive, this has inspired Billy to continually push beyond what has come before and stetch his abilities.
Over the last number of releases Billy has been developing an aesthetic for these songs, which he says directly influenced the songs. “When we nailed the look of the photography, it made me realise what the songs were about, stylistically. It suddenly gave me a vision of who I am as an artist and gave me loads of confidence in that vision” After a slew of singles Billy is now turning his attention to an album to be released in 2025.
