Irish singer songwriter Gavin James has teamed up with Ollie Green (who contributed to Tom Grennan’s number one album Evering Road) and Fiona Bevan (who co-wrote One Direction’s hit Little Things with none other than Ed Sheeran) for his new track Greatest Hits. And sonically, it’s a real sea change for James, who is perhaps most widely known for his gentle acoustic touch, most recently heard on his fantastic EP from last year, Boxes.

James has come a long way since he began his career in music busking on the streets of Dublin. That’s why, with six million monthly listeners on Spotify, 32 Platinum and Gold records across the globe, and two Choice Music Prize Irish Song Of The Year Awards, Greatest Hits is a brave new direction for James, a real roll of the dice from a performer who had honed his craft. 

But thankfully it’s a move James has carried off with aplomb. Lyrically, Greatest Hits is a brooding account of a difficult break up (“You mean more to me than anyone / Guess I was never your number one / and now I’m on my own / I just dance along to our greatest hits”). But it's one that is cleverly packaged up in a joyous mix of synths and built around a neat bassline and flourishes of keyboards that, despite the songs brooding subject material, can’t help but make you smile. 

Speaking about his new release, James said: “Greatest Hits is about the memories you are left with when you break up with someone. It’s about only remembering the good parts and forgetting the bad parts (the B-sides). It’s very synthy and waaaay different than anything that I’ve EVER released... but I’m buzzing for people to hear it.”

The eighties theme continues with a wonderfully fun video that accompanies the track. Directed by Andy Morgan, It’s inspired by some of the great films of the eighties, including Back To The Future and Dirty Dancing. Extra marks awarded just for including a DeLorean!

Read our interview with Gavin.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.