UK indie rock duo Fitzsimon and Brogan (FaB) present their new single ‘The Hourglass Girl’, a sharp, indie-rock takedown of modern-day dating, offering a catchy, powerpop-laced commentary on fly-by-night relationships. The central character acts like a black widow of the modern dating world. The story takes a cynical turn, as our subject is attractive and charming, but also calculated, counting down the time before moving on to her next catch.
This is FaB’s second single this year, released through Booster Music WTPL France, following ‘Flowers At Her Door’ in August – a sonic and lyrical achievement that recalls Debbie Harry with the deep tone of German singer-songwriter Nico.
In a music landscape starved for originality, FaB proves that sometimes the freshest sounds are born from old-school inspiration. Made up of songwriter Neil Fitzsimon and vocalist Bee Brogan, both members of the Sony-licensed band Pretty Blue Gun, the two went on to form the London-based songwriting-production partnership FaB Productions and record their ‘Big Blue World’ album at Abbey Road’s Studio Two, where The Beatles recorded so many great songs.
About the new single, Neil Fitzsimon explains, “We thought we’d turn the rather hackneyed phrase, “the hourglass girl”, on its head and instead write a song about the ephemeral modern-day dating scene. The girl in question, the ‘hourglass’ girl, leads partners into thinking they have something special, whilst all the time, she is counting down the clock before she moves on to her next victim”.
Creating remarkable power pop for now people, FaB has captured the attention of legends, with David Bowie’s drummer Woody Woodmansey praising their ability to stand out from the crowd and Elvis Costello’s Pete Thomas saying the avant-garde would be proud.
FaB has crafted a project that’s both emotive and lighthearted, successfully bridging the spirit of ’60s and ’70s songwriting with a truly new feel. Recorded at FaB Productions, this single was co-produced, mixed and mastered by Martin Smith (Electric Light Orchestra, Shakin’ Stevens) at Garage Studios in London. The music and lyrics for ‘Flowers at Her Door’ are written by Fitzsimon, with Brogan handling vocals, keyboards, drums and engineering.
FaB’s 2020 album ‘This Wicked Pantomime’ was co-produced by Pat Collier (Katrina and the Waves, Primal Scream, Maximo Park) at Perry Vale Studios, London and involved dummer Woody Woodmansey (David Bowie Spiders from Mars), plus Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas. This followed the well-received albums ‘Venus in Reverse’ (2011), ‘His Latest Squeeze’ (2015), ‘Big Blue World’ (2018) and ‘The Girl Who Shouted Love at the Heart of the World’ (2019).
Those releases involved world-class musicians from The Art of Noise, Eric Clapton bassist Dave Bronze, Moody Blues’ Tobias Boshell and Pip Williams (Walker Brothers). Having toured nationally and achieved Film and TV placements, they also wrote the musical ‘Jack Dagger’, showcased at the Greenwich Theatre, London for the Musical Futures Award, and also at the Bridewell and the Royal College of Music in London. With chart success in France, Belgium, and South Africa—and a song featured in a U.S. sci-fi film—the band is making waves on every front.
As of October 10, ‘The Hourglass Girl’ is available from music platforms globally, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Music and Lyrics by Neil Fitzsimon
All guitars, bass played by Neil Fitzsimon
Vocals, keyboards, drums and engineering by Bee Brogan
Recorded and produced by FaB Productions, London
Mixed and mastered by Martin Smith at Garage Studios, London
Cover artwork by FaB Productions
All songs released via Booster Music WTPL, France
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
