Belfast Songwriter GARETH DUNLOP Deals With Unrequited Love On 'Can't Stand Myself'

There aren’t enough “throwback” Heather Nova- type tracks like this anymore, which is one of many reasons why ROUGH ONLINE have fallen in love with the Irish-Folk sounding music of Gareth Dunlop, specifically on his new song “Can’t Stand Myself,” taken from his highly anticipated, upcoming E.P “Many Moons Ago.” Without any drums and very little percussion, Gareth’s notable instrument, the acoustic guitar, is what delivers the bass section as well as carries a rhythm reminiscent of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” as he slaps the strings in the place where a snare drum would usually be played, to keep the slow tempo going in a similar vein to Ben E. King’s classic 1961 hit “Stand By Me.”

However, it is the simplicity of the music production and minimal use of instrumentation that captures the beauty of Dunlop’s voice and his song. Take the piano which drops in half way through Verse 1 onwards, for example, where the keys are hit with as little force as possible in order to masterfully create a soft atmosphere, and with the help of Dunlop’s unusual vocals, which although are deep in tone, when he reaches his higher register in the chorus comes across like a new Jeff Buckley because of the stunningly controlled use of Vibrato, while still remaining in the realm of other great Rock vocalists like Chris Isaak, you are put in the most meditative, peaceful state of mind. This overall simple yet effective piece of well-crafted Folk music, which grabs your attention from the get-go because it creates a similar vibe to Paddy Casey’s “Sweet Suburban Sky,” is one word…beautiful, and he has definitely joined the new wave of male singers and songwriters such as Dan Owen who are releasing heartfelt songs with an intimate, acoustic sound. It is a breath of fresh air to hear a talented music artist compose music with the goal of “less is more,” in order to captivate the listener.