Liam Forde’s Dreamy Pop Debut Is A Celebration Of New York’s Resilience

With its chilly weather and streets stripped bare of holiday decor, January in New York can be a bit of a slog ― which may be why Liam Forde hopes to remind listeners of the “unmistakable energy of this marvelous city” with his sterling new single.

Released Friday, “When My World’s in Tune” is sprinkled with references to Manhattan neighborhoods and landmarks, from Alphabet City to Washington Square. The song’s music video finds Forde shooting pool, sipping a cocktail and swinging hard at a piano before stepping out into the daylight.

“My sensibilities can sometimes make me feel out of tune with the world around me. A lot of current pop culture doesn’t speak to me,” said the singer-songwriter, who worked on the video with director Richard Cerato and videographer Brian Russell Carey. “I wanted the first song on the album to be about what it’s like when I feel in tune, which is when I’m immersed in harmony, rhythm and the unmistakable energy of this marvelous city.”

Watch the “When My World’s in Tune” video below.

A Connecticut native, Forde has garnered critical praise on the cabaret circuit as well as for his performances in stage plays like “Hand to God.” He began writing songs as a child, and while he acknowledges that his theatrical chops have shaped his songwriting, he cites Stevie Wonder, Ben Folds, Jon Batiste and other pop artists as among his primary influences.

“When My World’s in Tune” will appear on “Great To Be Here,” Forde’s debut solo album. Due out March 25, “Great To Be Here” is an exploration of “how old world romance can exist in today’s age,” he said. That same day, listeners can get their first taste of Forde’s talents as a live performer at his album release concert, set to take place at New York’s Rockwood Music Hall.

In spite of his album’s pleasantly throwback vibe, Forde didn’t feel bound by the tried-and-true themes of the Great American Songbook when he hit the studio with Zack Eldridge and Joel Thompson, his two main collaborators. Some of the tracks, he said, reference “pajama sets, a legendary hotel, the city of light, celebrations of ambiguity and reinvention at middle age ― all thanks to the magic of cannabis cookies.”

“You can expect playful bops, sad soaring indie rock ballads, and sunshine pop tunes, all with an emphasis on melody and poetry,” he added.