So, basically, if I wanted I could easily just write an individual piece on every song that Dublin singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy has graced us with so far. There is something about the quality of the songwriting that makes people who listen to it feel as though every word in every song is about something that they themselves are going through. On this blog, I previously wrote a piece about the 2018 single, Moments Passed, where I addressed and outlined the lyrical ability of Kennedy. But back in January of 2019, the Dublin man released yet another single that seemed far too applicable to my own experiences…

The song? For Island Fires and Family.

This is a truly outrageous piece of music. Across the track Kennedy creates some of the most powerful imagery that I have ever heard in a song. We are reminded constantly that when we have a true connection with someone they have the ability to make it seem as though the impossible is possible.

“She’s bringing the moon and stars to me”

That ability for someone to come into your life and completely change it for the better is put into stark clarity in the opening lines of the first verse, and again it is done with the typical expertise of Kennedy.

“Wasn’t it love as soon as we knew each other properly?

Livin’ bout half right ’til a certain person got to me

Nothin’ is secret, everythin’s sacred, how it ought to be”

The lyrics also help to generate the idea how one person’s presence in our lives can cause even the smallest little occurrences to become seemingly more magical.

“Dreams of her comin’ home, sweet home

And I’m tellin’ you home is so sweet”

The instrumentation helps to further develop this theme of simplicity and going after the things that are most important to you. Across the track, all we have is light acoustic guitar, some violin lines, and very limited production, which almost seems to act as a metaphor for the core sentiment of the song – once we find what is important everything else will seemingly fall by the wayside. It leads to an incredibly haunting and engaging soundscape for the listener that also helps to put the vocals to the forefront of the song.

For Island Fires and Family is yet another mind blowing addition to the discography of the Dublin singer/songwriter who has continued to see his global profile continue to rise after performances at Coachella, and on American chat shows such as Ellen and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Despite this, it still feels as though we are only at the beginning for Dermot Kennedy, keep it coming, sir.

I used to dream that you would talk to me…

MK