With close to 40,000 Instagram followers, the singer explained the meaning behind the song. He described it as “a song about disintegration, about belligerence, about refusal to change even when change is the only thing.” He continued, “I wrote it as the start of a conversation with myself, but when you hear it, it’s whatever it means to you.”

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‘Gone’ is out now wherever you get your music. It’s a song about disintegration, about belligerence, about refusal to change even when change is the only thing. I wrote it as the start of a conversation with myself, but when you hear it, it’s whatever it means to you. Listen link in bio. Written by me and Moon Willis. Produced by me, Moon Willis and Paul Epworth. Mixed by Manny Marroquin. Mastered by Chris Athens. Artwork by Andrew Archer.

A post shared by James Vincent McMorrow (@jamesvmcmorrow) on Nov 2, 2020 at 11:01am PST

McMorrow regularly moves between genres, making it hard to pin down his sound, but very exciting to listen to it. ‘Gone’ uses incredible beats and percussion sounds which fill out the instrumental almost entirely, while his husky vocals echo over the top, accompanied by some gorgeous harmonies.

Speaking to Mac on the radio show, the Irish singer discussed his sound, saying “I’ve always gone in with an agenda because I get very scared of what people will think of me,” but with his upcoming album “the idea of trying to fit a brief just seemed pretty ridiculous.” He also revealed that ‘Gone’ was the first song written for the new album, which will be his first in three years.

The album, will contain fifteen songs including earlier release ‘I Should Go’, as well as ‘Gone’. According to McMorrow, it was finished at the start of 2020, but he felt that there was more he could with it, and found that he finally had the time to focus entirely on his music during lockdown. ‘I Should Go’ is an incredible collaboration with Kenny Beats which – in McMorrow’s true style – has a powerful funky bass-line, R&B beats, and his classic folk vocals.

James Vincent McMorrow released his debut album ‘Early in the Morning’ in the US and Europe in 2011 after its success in Ireland, which was widely acclaimed. Featuring on Later…with Jools Holland, he then saw his music shown in American TV show Gossip Girl, and released three more albums in just three years: ‘Post Tropical’, ‘We Move’ and ‘True Care’. During this time he also composed a film score for a short film directed by Sam Benenati, created a cover of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ which was included in Game of Thrones, and collaborated with Kygo on the song ‘I’m In Love’.

Both artists posted to their social media platforms to announce the release, with Ghetts asking his followers, “What lines did you pick up on?” It’s clear that the lyrics are the foundation of the track, not only because of the simple drum-based instrumental, but because of the pivotal sections which were posted prior to the release. For example, the verse four line about British history – “Don’t tell me to go back where I came from while the Queen sits there in stolen jewels” – and the title itself, which is the UK police code used to identify Black males.

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Still historical when October’s over.

A post shared by GHETTS (@therealghetts) on Oct 6, 2020 at 11:08am PDT

Ghetts, who co-wrote the single, spoke to Annie Mac on her radio show, explaining that “It’s a collaboration that the people that are familiar with myself and Skepta, and familiar with grime culture have been waiting on for absolute years.” He continued, “It’s a great time because we’ve done it in a time where we’ve made a record that has substance to it.”

The rapper expressed that he and his collaborator had previously been competitive and egotistical, which caused them to see each other as professional rivals, but he is grateful that they have matured now and were able to work together. He also spoke out about his experience, which many Black people also experience, and is the song’s main theme; he eloquently said that, “If you’re constantly stopping people and radioing through and saying a letter and a number, that’s what it becomes.”

‘IC3′ is a follow up to previous single ‘Mozambique‘, shared in April 2020, which features Moonchild Sanelly and Jaykae, as well as being produced by Rude Kid. The lead singlet to Ghetts’ upcoming album was also released this year, another collaborative track called ‘Like What’ featuring Joe Grind and LD.