Belfast singer-songwriter, Niall McDowell, has just released their latest single, ‘I Have Given Up,’ the first track since their stunning 2022 EP, It was an Honour to be Nominated. Described as, “A Future Headliner” on BBC Ulster’s iconic Across the Line show, the multi-talented artist has had three of their songs chosen by Ireland’s national music press; Hot Press as their Track of the Day. McDowell brings a modern twist to alt-country with their intimate reflections on love and loss, poetic imagery and beguiling, lyrics, turning their soul inside out with warmth, wit, eloquence and authenticity.
Niall’s voice has been praised for being liquid gold, embroidering a bed of ornamented riffs with tender, defiant and honest lyrics that could make Alanis Morrisette, Elliott Smith or Liz Phair proud.
It Was an Honour to be Nominated was lauded for its whip-smart writing, intimate production and multi textured soundscapes. McDowell’s rich, mellifluous vocals wove through the soft strings and the swoons of shifting reverb, making it a highly acclaimed second EP.
Their latest single, ‘I Have Given Up’ is lush with rich vocal harmonies, warm multi layered riffs containing all all the heartfelt, wit charm, raw honesty and knowing depth of their previous tracks. The stunning vocal crooning and witty reference to a job that he hates could easily be written by The Smiths if they were choirboy- cowboys.
Niall said, “I wrote it as a mission statement on the scariest aspect of existing in the music industry. What if it doesn’t work?“ ‘I Have Given Up’ was produced by Chris Ryan (NewDad, Just Mustard) who Niall worked with before and features instrumentation by Danny Carroll. In an interview with Stuart Bailie, of Dig with it, Niall said, “The song feels like I acknowledge what I’m doing. It feels like a risk creatively, to put yourself out there. And it’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek way of thinking about my place as a musician in society. Music is a bit of a turbulent thing. You never know if it’s going to go huge and I get to tour and have fun. Or I stay local and it’s quite nice. Or it may just never lift off.” He added, “I have so many songs. I write quite often, and I’ve already sent demos to Chris (Ryan) I feel like I’ve found the right people to work with. so the next step is to get a full-length record out”
We can’t wait to see what Niall does next, having been chosen by Ireland’s National music press as Hot Press Track of the Day for their stunning 2021 hit ‘Do you think I’m Pretty’ and 2022’s ‘Brokeback.’ Their latest release ‘ I Have Given Up’ is equally as lush, mellifluous honest and witty, tinged with stunning melancholy that The Smiths could be proud of. ‘I have Given Up‘ is out now. Listen here:
Niall has plenty of songs in the pipeline for 2023, including collaborations from The Soft Gut Writing Camp where they co-wrote songs with the likes of Ciaran Lavery and ROE. Niall’s rich musical talent won them a place in The Scratch my Progress project at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast, an intensive talent development programme whose alumni have gone on to win multiple national music prizes and have even toured with Yungblud. Niall’s latest track is out on March 22nd, both as a single and as part of the Oh Yeah Centre’s ‘Scratch My Progress‘ compilation. Niall Mc Dowell is an artist on the rise and we are excited to hear what they have in store for 2023 and beyond.
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Scratch My Progress Compilation: Scratch My Progress, Vol. 11 (ffm.to)
‘I have Given Up’ follows Niall’s 2022 EP, ‘ It was An Honour to be Nominated‘ and 2019’s ‘Valentine‘ EP.