William Fitzsimmons Explores the Transformative Power of Chance Encounters on New Single “Incidental Contact”
July 26, 2024 BY Emma Orland
Today, one of the most renowned singer-songwriters, William Fitzsimmons, explores the transformative power of chance encounters in his new song “Incidental Contact.” Fitzsimmons trades his signature sparse, acoustic-style arrangements for swooning saxophones, hazy electric guitars, and staccato synth drums. It’s a dazzling evolution from the Illinois-based artist as he explores the wonder and mystery of randomness through otherworldly sounds and arresting lyricism. Listen to William Fitzsimmons’ “Incidental Contact” out on all digital retailers (here).
“It’s certainly a keystone for me,” he says. “It’s about recognizing how fragile chance is. Randomness plays a role in the relationships and the lives we end up leading. My dad got it right on the third time and found his soulmate. They loved each other like crazy, and she could put up with his shit! They were best friends for 25 years. Small things can change our lives, and you have to be present enough to grab a hold of them when you can.”
“Incidental Contact” was produced in Nashville alongside friend and producer Marshall Altman, with whom he collaborated on his celebrated 2008 album The Sparrow and the Crow. It follows “Holding A Place For You” and “Amsterdam,” signaling more music to come from William.
LISTEN & SHARE WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS “INCIDENTAL CONTACT” HERE:
https://youtu.be/xb8S3oBU8a4
Over the course of his career, William Fitzsimmons has made his living writing a specific brand of honest and inward-looking folk songs that fearlessly and candidly examine the evolving self while dexterously communicating his talent for robust melodies and catchy instrumentation. That the subject matter tends to dwell on the darker parts of human existence and relationships is no coincidence.
“I get that question all the time: ‘You ever gonna write some happy music?’” Fitzsimmons says. “There are a million different good answers—to paraphrase Ani DiFranco, ‘When I’m happy I just want to live, I don’t want to write about it’—all that’s true. Personally, my job description when it was handed to me, for whatever reason, was: ‘You need to write about the hard shit.’ It became my responsibility. It might sound a little egotistical, and I don’t mean it to, but it’s just my job. That’s what I do, and I do it well. So, I write ‘sad music’; if that’s how someone wants to categorize it, that’s fine. But if you look a little deeper, I think there’s a lot more going on.”
Beginning with his debut album, Until When We Are Ghosts, he generated hundreds of million streams across fan favorite albums such as Gold In The Shadow [2011], Lions [2014], and Pittsburgh [2015]. He landed significant syncs on ABC, NBC, MTV, Lifetime, and The CW. Notably, NPR once dubbed him “A Songwriter With Vision,“ and he incited the applause of American Songwriter, Billboard, NYLON, Pop Matters, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, Uncut, and more.
When it comes to his songwriting, nothing in his private life is off limits: he has written about being raised by disabled parents, experiencing two divorces, adopting his two children, and working with the mentally ill as a mental health therapist prior to his music career. His 2018 album, Mission Bell, chronicled his separation from his then-wife caused by her infidelity; when he realized that, despite their attempts to save the marriage, the split was destined to be permanent, he began work on a new album as a response to both the imminent divorce as well as his own turbulent behavioral reaction. In 2021, Fitzsimmons released Ready the Astronaut and No Promises: The Astronaut’s Return as a powerful testament to his own past, and by weaving his story through the familiar tale of Icarus, he illustrates his willingness to accept his life’s highs and lows by paying tribute to the influence they have on the future.
Coming out of the pandemic, Fitzsimmons found himself reflecting on the music of his youth and released a pair of covers albums. You can piece together his life with the songs he chose to record. On being born to blind parents he recalls: “music was this level playing field we could experience together because you don’t need to be able to see to enjoy it.“ He delivers stirring renditions of everyone from Sufjan Stevens to R.E.M., Phoebe Bridgers to Elton John, and even shares a version of Taylor Swift’s “the 1.”
William Fitzsimmons proves himself to be a dynamic songwriter capable of captivating and surprising audiences at every turn. Stay tuned for more!
