Track of the Day: Curtis Walsh - 'Sitting Ducks'

Rising Irish artist Curtis Walsh is looking to continue his upward trend with brand new single, 'Sitting Ducks'.

Following on from the huge response to his recent release 'Picture Perfect', which earned national radioplay, 'Sitting Ducks' looks to elevate the heartfelt aesthetic Curtis has curated of late. The Dubliner shared the February single 'Bend' as a duet with British singer-songwriter Anna Pancaldi.

Produced by the impressive Brian Fennell (aka SYML) - who released his self-titled debut album in 2019 featuring his breakthrough single 'Where's My Love' - 'Sitting Ducks' features bold and euphoric piano-led production.

Both artists add their own distinct energy to the track. The result is a broad and effervescent journey through the artist's own progressive songwriting and tantalising vocal performance.

"It's been the guts of two years now in the making," Curtis said of the single. "This song is really important to me so I was determined to make sure I got it as close to perfect as possible before releasing it into the world. Everyone has hardship going on in their lives - some worse than others but I'm a strong believer that every bit of pain and discomfort you face is a test for whether you'll grow or wallow in the suffering - and I know just how easy it is to stop pushing forward and wallow."

"This is a song I feel I once needed to hear, and that hopefully a lot of others can use as a driving force into a better future and a better you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it."

Walsh recently performed at Ronan Keating's charity show raising funds for the Marie Keating Foundation on Virgin Media TV alongside Niall Horan and UK pop star Anne Marie.

The singer-songwriter will be heading out on the road for a number of headline shows across Ireland in March 2022, as well as performances at some festivals in the UK.

Since his early childhood, Curtis Walsh has been immersed in music. Growing up in the suburbs of Dublin, artists such as U2, Oasis, and Adele became the soundtrack to his earliest years, slowly impacting the way in which he would grow to love and appreciate music. It wasn't until his discovery of Ed Sheeran that his inspiration was truly awakened and he began to write music for himself.

Originally from Clondalkin in Dublin, 18-year-old singer-songwriter Curtis Walsh moved with his parents and family to County Laois Ireland at a young age from where he began to grow a solid fanbase by playing local gigs and entering various competitions.

After finishing school, Curtis unveiled debut single 'Full Recovery' only one month later. Written when he was 15 about one of his close friends, it became an emotionally wrought offering that earned him more than one million streams on Spotify in the first week, and praise from the likes of Clash Magazine.

From there, he released his debut EP 'Breathe' in May 2019, which has now garnered more than 15 million streams to date.

Throughout the Covid pandemic, Curtis took the opportunity to to focus more on his own style and sound. Swapping personal stories for more existential questions about life, he felt that lockdown served as a positive opportunity for self-reflection and a chance for him to explore new avenues. Increasingly drawing creative inspiration from a genre-wide array of artists such as Bon Iver to Jon Hopkins, Curtis continues to expand and mature his approach to song-writing and production.

Listen to 'Sitting Ducks' below: