I recently came across the new single “don’t take this all for granted” by rose wallace goldaline, which is a project by Dublin songwriter Conor Fagan. The song was written in a single stream of consciousness on a cold winter day, and you can really feel that quiet and thoughtful energy all throughout the track. It tries to find a little bit of joy and beauty in ordinary moments. It makes you want to slow down and appreciate the small things in life.
To me, the mix on this song is basically perfect. You get these lovely lo-fi acoustic guitars mixed with banjo and layered vocals, and yet you can hear every single element clearly. I always knew exactly what the main focus of each section was supposed to be. Fagan has this incredibly intimate vocal delivery that makes you feel the art directly from his perspective. The songwriting is also surprisingly addictive, and the acoustic textures feel very warm and distinctly Irish. If there is any room for improvement, I think the song could have benefited from some backup vocals repeating the phrases in a call and response style during the beginning, right before the drop at forty three seconds. It would add a really engaging layer to an already beautiful track. If you like music that feels like a personal conversation, you should definitely give this a spin. It is one of those rare tracks that I just feel grateful to have had the privilege to listen to.
Written by Oluwaseun Adeyemi
