I’ve impatiently waited five years for George Fitzgerald to release his debut album. My love for his music began with my obsession of his ‘Tell Me’ remix before leading me to find his BBC Radio 1 residency and Brownswood Electric contributions, and clung to every release and Boiler Room set he performed. Then, 2015 came, and it was the year of my favorite UK powerhouses putting out their long overdue debut albums (also including Maribou State & Jamie xx). Fading Love is a truly stunning album befit with sweeping, echoing melodies and soul-wrenching sad dance music. George Fitzgerald, who’s already proven himself to be a superb DJ, showed us how excellent of a songwriter he is on Fading Love. His clear ardor for analog synthesizers, underutilized basslines, and adoration for dance music you can sit and enjoy, shines on his debut album. His song, ‘Full Circle (feat. Boxed In)’ is one of my favorite songs ever written, not just for 2015 but a song that every time it plays I catch my breath and cease to exist. It’s one of those songs that gets it absolutely right in composition and full-bodied emotion.
In that same vein, Fading Love is an album that holds true to its name, an album where, even with Fitzgerald’s happiest moments occurring this year (birth of his son, release of his album, life stuff), he’s able to take a heartbreaking motif and execute it throughout the entire album. He balances songs with strong vocals like ‘Crystallise (feat. Lawrence Hart)’ with shimmering instrumental tracks like ‘Shards’, for a poignant push-and-pull on a broken heart. My long wait was more than rewarded and I’m certain Fading Love will continue leaving me in tears 20 years from now.
