Brain McGovern – Girl From New York (2025)
If you quite fancy yourself some James Bay or Gavin James, the chances are you’ll enjoy the dulcet tones of Brian McGovern. This might be the first time we’ve come across McGovern, but he has a wealth of experience from international touring to awards (winning and nominations). The ex-frontman of Ireland’s The Fallen Drakes and Saarloos, he has shared the stage with Bon Jovi, Jamie Cullum, Daniel Bedingfield, and Amistat, to name but a few. From the USA to the Netherlands, he has hypnotised audiences with his magnetic performances; then again, who really needs a gig to fall in love with his music? Internationally, he has received critical acclaim, and further accolades include winning RTE’s ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’ award. Today, we take a gander at his most recent single, ‘Girl From New York’.
McGovern may have spent the past years honing his sound and winning hearts, but – and this is only according to Spotify – ‘Girl From New York’ is his first release on streaming sites since 2017’s ‘Wife’. Joined by producer Philip Magee, ‘Girl From New York’ is a tender swirl of folk-pop and indie-pop. Embracing the beauty of an acoustic melody, the single is a guitar-driven ballad accompanied by lingering percussion and McGovern’s bold vocals. Interestingly, as much as the song has a bare-bones starkness, the crescendo from a single guitar to a crash of instruments offers kaleidoscopic complexity.
For me, this delicate unwrapping of falling in love is an intricate interplay between the joviality of new love and its yearning vulnerability. While the instruments certainly sway one’s emotions, taking you from a wistful haze to bright rapture and then back again, it is McGovern’s vocals that bind everything. Bold, rich and warm, his voice melts your heart, and you find yourself grinning even when you don’t have anything to grin about.
Sincere, sentimental, reflective, and a blast of “let’s put things out there”, McGovern returns to the streaming world with a forceful yet soft melody. I am eager to hear more, but until then I can stick ‘Girl From New York’ on repeat.
Find out more about Brian McGovern on his X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
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