Snow Patrol’s Nathan Connolly goes solo and shares Simon Neil-assisted single ‘Fires’

Snow Patrol guitarist Nathan Connolly has launched his solo career with single ‘Fires’ –  featuring Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil.

The first single to be taken from Connolly’s debut solo album ‘The Strange Order Of Things’ was co-written by Neil.

‘Fires’ features the lyrics “I’m ready for the sunshine, I’m ready for your peace sign, my love – I’m ready for the bass line / I’m ready to be kissed like your room with a spark,” matching the harmonious dual vocals.

Connolly began working on his debut album back in 2017 with producer Rocky O’Reilly. The project was completed in early 2021 due to a lockdown-imposed hiatus that paused Snow Patrol’s touring plans. He stated that, “although the album is not about home, I felt compelled to make it there.”

Connolly described the album as “trying to understand, make sense and work through events that have led to who I am now: heartache, regret, emotional cost, fatherhood.”

He has previously worked on his side project, Little Matador with their self-titled EP in 2014 but this record marks a new chapter for him.

Though it may be a solo venture, the debut is still a collaborative affair with features from Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, Ailbhe Reddy, as well as long-time collaborators Dave and Herb Magee, Stephen Leacock and Gavin Fox.

‘The Strange Order Of Things’ is set for release on April 21.

Meanwhile, Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil’s metal side-project Empire State Bastard are set to release their debut single ‘Harvest’ this Friday (March 24). The band, made up of Neil and live Biffy guitarist Mike Vennart shared a teaser on Instagram and revealing that Dave Lombardo  (Slayer, Testament, Fantomas) is featured on drums.

In conversation with NME, Neil shared when it comes to taking on various projects, “I like putting myself in these positions where I’m like, ‘I should never be doing this, so this is what I’m going to do’. I don’t just want to do the same shit. Every time between records, I want to do something that’s fucked up and off the wall. It brings me back to Biffy and I’m more in love with it now than I’ve ever been.”