Almost a decade and multiple versions in the making, one of Dublin’s brightest new voices Mr Billy Fitzgerald is finally ready to release his pop masterpiece ‘Gimme Love’. A track that owes as much to Destinys Child as it does to Star Trek as it does to a life crippling heart-break. This lush pop production is a bed of roses that only serve to cover the thorns. Juxtaposing saccharine pop melody against a soul-cry of just wanting to be loved only serves to further accentuate the light and dark of each element. Written, recorded and produced entirely by Billy, this speaks to what a personal project this is. But when it came to outsourcing mastering, Billy turned to Abbey Road to add the final sparkle to his track.
Mr Billyfitzgerald – Gimme Love (Spotify Link)
Mr Billy Fitzgerald – Gimme Love (Official Video)
Following the dissolution of his band, The Dead Flags, Billy made the decision to step away from writing or playing. Conscious of not wanting to repeat himself part of searching for his new sound meant starting from scratch. Billy gave himself a year to just be a fan of and fall back in love with music. When the time was right he rented a small room above Abbey Street in Dublin. This was where he would slowly mine his new sound, discarding old habits and tropes, even going as far to ditch the Telecaster in favour of acoustic guitar. The slow addition of piano, synths, some drum machines and percussion gave Billy the palette for his writing. It’s this palette that we hear on the new single ‘Gimme Love’
The track opens with a lush sounding gospel choir of Billys, harmonies upon harmonies are the entry point to this tale of heartbreak. These give way to the percussive melody of the acoustic guitar and driven by the pulse of the same drum machine favoured by Madonna on Vogue. These two elements add unmistakable groove to the track. Written following a friend going through an intensely break up the lyrics pendulum between defiance and plea to be taken back into the love they had before. This dual perspective perfectly captures the nature of any breakup while trying to make sense of this betrayal. As we hit the first chorus Billy acts as a conduit for sorrow as he intones ‘I have you given you everything/my money, my body, my wedding ring/you can ask of me anything/but I know your heart belongs to another’. The second verse and second chorus become more intense, as the vocals work themselves into a higher and higher register and synth chords add accent in the chorus. The piano melody in the bridge feels conversational as its given some additional synth embellishment before a stripped back and the extra lush chorus take us home.
The song was written over ten years ago as Billy sat at his kitchen table with ideations of a Ms Knowles singing on it, but the track wasn’t fully realised until it was played for an audience. Playing various open mics around Dublin helped the song find its natural groove and when the audience in Whelans started singing a long to a song they’d heard for the first time it was a sign. The next day on St Patrick’s Day, Billy locked himself away and recorded the entire track. Having spent some time recording in previous projects in Abbey Road, Billy had been learning production from the greats that helmed those boards. Taking all this and fuelled by the energy of the crowd the night before, each track was first or second take, with new parts improvised on the spot, even going as far as to play the final synth chord with his tongue in search of blissful euphoria.
Some tracks happen instantly as though some unknown force is guiding your hand to the next chord and words seemingly flow as though you’ve known them your whole life. Other times, it takes a decade. The journey from band member to solo artist, producer, engineer makes this project all the more personal. Billy establishes himself as a fresh and vital voice in Dublin’s pop scene with ‘Gimme Love’, heartbreak coupled with a drum machine is heady, heady mix.