Welcome to August, here’s a brand new Track of the Week from BIMM Dublin Alumni Blue Fish Diamond.
Both powerful and heartfelt, Blue Fish Diamond have been creating beautiful tracks since 2016. Song For Love is their latest release, take a listen and discover more about the track below.
What was your inspiration when you began writing the track?
Song for Love was written in the summer of 2020. It was a difficult time for many people, and we all needed a bit of love. The song isn’t specifically about a romantic relationship but rather covers platonic love and familial love too. It’s about support and togetherness as much as love. The song has a Burt Bacharach feel to it and I wanted to capture that classic Brill Building type of sound. I think the liberal use of 7th chords and the arrangement of the track contributed to this.
Are there any artists that inspire you when writing?
I’m significantly influenced by the great folk artists of the 70s, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Paul Simon. I also draw inspiration from more recent indie artists like R.E.M. and Big Thief.
What is key to your sound, and how do you make your music stand out?
We have developed quite a distinctive sound since we formed five years ago. It reflects the individual talents of the band members and in part the input of our producer, Gavin Glass. We aim to make our music stand out through a combination of strong harmonic progressions and melodies (including frequent use of modulation) and dynamic arrangements.
How does your songwriting process work?
Melodically and harmonically, my goal is to draw the listener in so that they hear a song enough times to understand what the lyrics mean, which will hopefully make the listener want to keep coming back to listen to the lyrics in the song. Sometimes, a musical idea sparks the beginning of a song, while other times, it is a lyrical idea. Either way, I tend to develop the song iteratively, interchanging back and forth between music and lyrics until I feel the song sounds complete.
Describe your sound in 3 words…
Vibrant, dynamic, harmonious
How has studying at BIMM helped you develop as an artist?
We all met at BIMM Institute Dublin, which was one of the great benefits of studying there. We learnt a lot about music in theoretical and practical terms, and we all developed our musical and songwriting skills to a high level over the four years that we studied.
What’s next for you?
We will be releasing our second album, Frozen Stars on the Night, on 28th October, which we will be launching in The Workman’s Club in Dublin on 3rd November. We hope to get back gigging before then, subject to emerging government guidelines in Ireland for the live music sector.
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Photo by Ruth Medjber
