Dermot Kennedy’s career has been steadily moving forward since gaining online recognition with his 2016 single “After Rain.” He was the NPR Slingshot artist of 2018, and he made his American TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in early 2019 followed by The Ellen Show a couple months later. He snagged slots at popular festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury this year and practically sells out every tour he announces. This 27 year old Irishman has shown no signs of slowing down, and we can attribute his ever growing success to his hard work and dedication to his craft and his incredible team that helps him along the way.
I first heard Dermot Kennedy when one of his songs was added to my Apple New Music Mix playlist in 2017. I remember being in my kitchen washing dishes when the vocal loop to “Moments Passed” started playing. My vigorous, angry scrubbing began to slow as my head turned towards my phone’s black screen, intrigued by the sounds emitting from its speakers. When Kennedy started singing, I was standing at my sink, elbows deep in dish water, completely stunned. Once out of my trance, I quickly finished my dreaded chore and listened to every song I could find by the Irish artist. After having two EP’s and a handful of singles in heavy rotation, Kennedy has finally released his debut album, Without Fear (cue heavens opening and trumpets sounding).
I am really impressed with how dynamic this album is. Kennedy continues to venture out in production, including hip-hop elements with tracks like “Outgrown,”but still manages to give us traditional acoustic sounds with songs like “Rome.” He even shows us that he can go a little more pop with a tune like “Power Over Me” while maintaining the authenticity that drew in some of his earlier fans. When I saw that “Moments Passed” made the cut, I was pleasantly surprised. I had trouble pinning down my favorite DK tune until I saw this song live, and I may have had an out of body experience during its intro. We may never really know what he shouts to us at the beginning of that tune, but fans will show up every time and give it right back, wrong or right. New versions of “An Evening I Will Not Forget,” “All My Friends,” “Dancing Under Red Skies,” and “Without Fear” were recorded for the album, and what I learned from this is to always have faith in Dermot Kennedy. His vision for what these songs needed to become to carry the story for the album is transcendent. Of the true debuts, “Redemption” leaves you feeling alive and free while “Outgrown” really stands out as a tune that may see itself backing a blockbuster movie in the future (fingers crossed for a Creed III). “Rome” gives you that longing to hold on to the most precious moments in your life, and “What Have I Done” depicts beautifully the way in which falling in love happens unexpectedly. Lastly, “The Corner” is like an old wound that Kennedy rips open to bare his soul so that none of his story is left untold.
I have been asked what it is about Kennedy’s music that has me completely enamored, and the only answer I can muster up is that it is as if he takes very personal thoughts of mine from a journal that does not exist and creates music that paints vivid pictures of so many memorable moments of my life. It is a sense of nostalgia that I have not experienced through any other artist. My mentality is to keep going, to keep moving forward to whatever is next, and sometimes my past thoughts and experiences are locked away for fear of being distracted. Kennedy’s music is the key that frees my mind. Sometimes a little distraction is what I need. Sometimes a little distraction helps me remember who I am.
Give him a listen and let me know what you think. If you are lucky, there still might be some tickets floating around for his upcoming fall and winter tour. Click here for more info.