Track of the Day: Pat Donnelly – Stay Right Here
Irish singer-songwriter Pat Donnelly embraced his passion for music after discovering nu-metal during his teenage years. Alright, honestly, it was not just nu-metal that influenced him, but it was a genre that prompted Donnelly’s learning the guitar. Shortly after he began taking lessons, he quickly discovered pop-punk and was influenced by iconic artists like Green Day and Blink 182 to create his own pop-punk sound (all at the age of 17).
In the run-up to his debut album, this natural talent from Tipperary has released his single ‘Stay Right Here’. Following the track ‘The Stars Still Sparkle’, Donnelly adopts a harder, heavier and rougher pop-punk tone in ‘Stay Right Here’. A tribute to 90s pop-punk/pop-rock, Donnelly’s new single holds a strong likeness to early Green Day with the pounding drums and hyped-up guitar. I wouldn’t say Donnelly’s guitar playing is on the same level as Billy Joe Armstrong, but the dynamic force of the arrangement certainly shows how this emerging musician might build up to Armstrong’s iconic style.
While the melody can hold its own as a forceful tune, the poetic lyricism enhances Pat Donnelly’s depth as an artist. ‘Stay Right Here’ “…tells the story of a heart aching over a close friend moving away. The song was inspired by the mix of emotions that ensue from not wanting someone to leave, wanting them to stay close, and fearing the distance between yourself and someone else.”
What I find intriguing about pop-punk in particular is how a jovial, toe-tapping and “let me twirl about with a grin on my face and song in my heart” sensation is juxtaposed by profound, melancholic and angsty lyricism. ‘Stay Right Here’ is passionately travelling at a million miles an hour while Donnelly explores the vulnerability and fragility of close friendships and the fear of losing that person.
Honest, chaotic and “in your face”, Pat Donnelly captures the confusing emotions, frantic feelings and intense intimacy of friendship in ‘Stay Right Here’.
For more from Pat Donnelly check out his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
