Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes beautiful new single ‘High & Low’ sees her return with her first release in nine years. The Mercury Prize nominee’s last release was the critically acclaimed album Bones & Longing in 2014.
Co-produced with long-time collaborator David Odlum (The Frames), the track is about the quest for connection. “High & Low” is about feeling disconnected – but desperately wanting to connect,” explains Gemma. “In the song, this idea is placed in the context of grief and longing for a person who is gone, leaving a ghostly feeling of not fully being alive because of their departure. A nice, happy dance floor anthem this is not!”
This yearning for connection seeps through Gemma’s vocals, as well as the deft guitar, piano, and ukulele she contributed to the track. Odlum took on bass duties, with Sam Killeen (James Vincent McMorrow, Lisa Hannigan) on electric guitar and Adam Marcello (Katy Perry, The Script) on drums.
The atmospheric accompanying video, shot in April on Whiting Bay Beach Co Cork and directed by Allyn Quigley, perfectly captures the nuances of this exquisite track.
“It means so much to me to be releasing new music this year,” says Gemma. “Whilst I never stopped creating during my ‘hiatus’, I did indeed step back from sharing what I created simply because of the little humans that needed me to keep them alive for the first few years of their lives.
It’s all in the vocals here, softly stroking with an iron strength at the core with a deep longing. The track takes shape with acoustic guitar backing Hayes’s beautiful lyricism whilst the ukulele brings a spot of magic. Listen through headphones and prepare to have your heart broken.
Check it out, here
Find out more via Hayes’s Website or Facebook
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