Now Reading
Orla Gartland sings about male emotional repression on ‘Zombie!’

Orla Gartland sings about male emotional repression on ‘Zombie!’

Avatar

Following on from the excellent single ‘More Like You’ inspired by friend jealousy , London-based Irish artist Orla Gartland has released her new song ‘Zombie!’

The song explores the idea of a male partner pushing their feelings down so they don’t have to deal with them, until the dam bursts and those feelings come bursting out.

‘Zombie!’ is about repressing emotions until one day they burst out of you all at once. Specifically it’s about a very common, very male kind of repression I witnessed in a boy I loved once – I could see that he felt things but there was a barrier stopping him from expressing them. I hated that for him, it made me so angry at the societal pressures that led him to that place. For me living “like a zombie” became a metaphor for this way of living; someone so seemingly unemotional on the surface they barely seem alive. I scream my head off in the outro of the song and that scream is meant to feel like a huge release, like the moment you let it all out.”

‘Zombie!’ was co-written and co-produced by Pete Robertson (Beabadoobee), with additional production by Orla.

Gartland’s long-awaited debut album is due for release this year.


Hey, before you go...

Nialler9 has been covering new music, new artists and gigs for the last 19 years. If you like the article you just read, and want us to publish more just like it, please consider supporting us on Patreon.

What you get as thanks in return...

  • A weekly Spotify playlist only for patrons.
  • Access to our private Nialler9 Discord community.
  • Ad-free and bonus podcast episodes.
  • Guestlist & discounts to Nialler9 & Lumo Club events.
  • Themed playlists only for subscribers.

Your support enables us to continue to publish articles like this one, make podcasts and provide recommendations and news to our readers, and be a key part of the music community in Ireland and abroad.

Become a patron at Patreon!

The Nialler9 Newsletter

Get music news, features and new music into your inbox twice a week.

Please wait...

Thank you for sign up!