#fagan

The Liverpool-based songwriter Fagan is a master of genre-blending releases that are sure to get you on your feet, combining the likes of anything from indie to alternative-rock to disco. Inspired by Talking Heads, Franz Ferdinand, Queens Of The Stone Age and Blur, Fagan is an artist with a vast amount of ranging influence, making his music all the more difficult to categorise in any one way. His newest release ‘Church of the Non-Believers’ is one long-awaited by his audience, accumulating much attention on TikTok prior to finally reaching streaming platforms, and we can see exactly why its thrilling anthemic sound was so widely popular.

A disco-esque beat leads things into ‘Church of the Non-Believers’, establishing a sense of groove right-away that you can’t help but immediately feel uplifted and swept up within. A storming bassline thunders through the verse, complemented by steady beats and Fagan’s quickly spoken but deep-toned vocals, a real nostalgic styling that pulsates with an effortless funk. The chorus completely soars though, glowing through thumping drums and vibrant electric guitar strums, peeling away from the booming reverberation of the bass for a few atmospheric moments. A short shredding riff and the staple bassline interweaves the end of the chorus to the next verse, clasping ‘Church of the Non-Believers’ between its 70s disco sensibilities and a more 2000s alternative-rock core. The raspy vocals of Fagan really tie together the entire experience, emphatically delivering an indie-esque vocal approach that’s predominantly lower-ranged but at times cascades through chant-along highs. The bridge slows things down towards the end, seeing fuzzy, subdued bass drawn-out along with intermittent guitar strums and shaking percussion before progressively building for one final climactic high to see out ‘Church of the Non-Believers.’

Getting under your skin a little, ‘Church of the Non-Believers’ is a bit of a commentary on the very human need to find a sense of purpose and identity, most commonly through religion but alternatively within creativity or more detrimental forms like addiction. The striking chorus hook says it best, as Fagan sings ‘take me to the church of the non-believers’, finding a sense of community within those who ironically don’t believe in anything more. Stumbling his way through life like most, lines like ‘I’ve got a knack for messing up, so come give me another cup’ emphasise even more on what it is to be human, struggling to find your way and making mistakes all the while coping in ways that aren’t always healthiest. Asking the listener, ‘are you looking for something more? I can’t show you that but I can take you far from shore’, the track almost finds solace in the not knowing, instead eager to find themselves in a unity of others looking for those answers. Though its narrative is embedded with these messages, a lot of ‘Church of the Non-Believers’ also just spills out as a stream of consciousness about the pressures of society, showing the perspectives of a handful of differing people getting through life and everything in-between. It’s catchy and brilliant all the same, wielding a narrative that pushes you to think deeper while undoubtably singing along passionately to every word.

Check out ‘Church of the Non-Believers’ here to enjoy Fagan’s fantastic journey of lyricism enriched in a nostalgic sound!

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

// This coverage was created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.