Sonder: Album Review

After some delays, Dermot Kennedy released his sophomore album Sonder on Friday. It’s been a 3 year wait since Kennedy’s debut album, but not a tough one for fans. Over the last 3 years, he’s released several singles that have made their way on to the new album. Sonder picks up where Without Fear left off musically. It’s got several bops and plenty of songs that are so painstakingly beautiful that may damage you if you’ve ever had feelings.

Sonder is a quality pop record with hints of hip-hop on a few tracks similar to Kennedy’s last release. It’s a style of pop with such powerful vocals where you can hear his Irish accent in every song. Honestly his music hits you deeply to the core and this album has that and everything else you’ve already loved about Dermot Kennedy. “Innocence and Sadness”, “Any Love”, and “Already Gone”, are some of those deeply aching songs for me. I’ve been jamming to hits like “Something to Someone”and “Kiss Me” over the course of this year and then “Divide” and “Homeward” since the album dropped. “Better Days” was released last year as a hopeful song when the world was in such a dark place due to the ever existing panny d. He has even said how much joy it brings him performing that song live now.

Speaking of live shows, Dermot Kennedy will be embarking on the Sonder Tour next year. He has a few shows before the end of this year then starts the European leg of the tour in March. He begins his American dates in May. I already have tickets. This was the first time I was willing to drop significant money on him too. I’ve seen him 4 times and almost all have been for free. Dermot Kennedy was my favorite find of Coachella 2019. His concert in February 2020 ended up being my last show for a good 15 months and I was stoked to be able to see him twice last year at Lollapalooza and ACL after the whole ordeal. Finally though, it was time for me to admit that I’m a fan and go all in on tickets. This Sonder tour is going to be an epic celebration of this beautiful new album.

Without Fear: Album Review

Back at Coachella this past spring, I discovered Irish singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy. I wrote about him and the experience a few months ago. On October 4th, Dermot Kennedy released his debut album Without Fear so I figured I had to do a review of it, especially since I’ll be seeing him perform for the second time this week!

Since the release, Without Fear has reached number 18 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. The album contains a little bit of everything. It’s got pop-bangers like “Outnumbered”, “What Have I Done”, and “Power Over Me”. It’s got hints of electronic music in songs like “Moments Passed”, “Outgrown” and “Without Fear”. “Moments Passed”  and “Outgrown” even have elements of hip-hop as well, along with the song “An Evening I Will Not Forget”.

Lately Dermot Kennedy is being referred to as the Irish Ed Sheeran. I’m guilty of this comparison as well, but Dermot Kennedy is definitely different than the red-haired English pop artist. His music is a bit darker and more folk-focused than Ed Sheeran. I’ve also compared a few of his tracks to indie folk artist, Bon Iver, especially the song “Moments Passed”. One distinguishable trait in his music compared to other artists though is his Irish accent.

Since Coachella, Dermot Kennedy has definitely been growing in popularity. He is currently on tour in support of his new album in the U.S. and Europe. He will be touring into early 2020 playing larger scale venues in the U.S. I’m convinced Kennedy’s popularity will continue to grow as time goes on. If you don’t want to be late to the Dermot Kennedy party, I highly recommend listening to Without Fear. This is a debut album you don’t want to miss.