Keelan X Releases Reflective Single ‘No Fall of Rome’
London and Dublin based Keelan X marks his stunning return to the world of music with his reflective single No Fall of Rome and its accompanying video released 11/11/21 and 12/11/21 respectively.
The new track conjures the grandeur of its title and the multi-layered style Keelan X has to life and music. A texturally rich, guitar-led atmospheric exploration coloured with retro-pop synth sounds, No Fall of Rome builds on the artist’s late 70s & 80s pop/rock influences, lyrically exploring themes of agency and fortitude in life, no matter what shows up.
“There’s a synergy between how you live and what you write…it’s inevitable. No Fall of Rome was born out of a conversation I’ve had with friends who were at times struggling, juxtaposed with the idea of Rome as a symbol for one’s life. Freud also referred to the mind as being like Rome. I’d seen people in different life-stages entertaining giving up on themselves a bit – letting their earlier hopes and dreams slip. So, the song is kinda like a conversation you might have with a friend and hypothesizing there ain’t no fall of Rome gonna happen on your watch” – Keelan X
No Fall of Rome’s video (director: Donnagh Fitzpatrick), echoes these themes as well a deeper sense of carefree exploration. Keelan X soundtracks a story of three wanderers – youngsters discovering adventure, romance, and connection as the protagonist ultimately returns home. The warm-hearted snapshot calls to the viewer’s mind their inner child, purpose, and sense of wonder with an atmospheric soundscape that invites listeners to reflect within.
Thematically the song signals the artist’s observations reflected through his own personal journey. Keelan X (real name Keelan Cunningham) found success with co-founding late 90s indie-pop band The Marigolds with who he toured Ireland, played US and UK gigs, released two acclaimed EPs, and received coveted television and radio coverage. The artist suffered a blow in the late noughties when his laptop and hard drives were stolen, practically erasing a years’ worth of recorded songs overnight.
“I took the disappearance of my songs at that time as a sign that now was not the time… Now roughly 10 years on, I felt compelled to go dust off my guitar buried in my parent’s attic and over the last 9 months have thrown myself into recording the most part of an album”
Cunningham had found himself on the verge of bankruptcy and knew he had to make a change. The artist spent the decade getting his life back on track through entrepreneurial efforts including forays into the web technology and property world, all the while developing a more spiritual side. Diving into yoga and literature, Keelan excavated his own depths, pushing his boundaries, which in turn took him to back to music. Audiences can look forward to hearing No Fall of Rome from 11/11/21.
