Michael Desmond — aka Local Nomad — has been coming up through the Long Island music scene since 2009, when he fronted the orchestral indie rock band, Gabriel the Marine. While they went on to have a decent amount of regional and national success by touring with acts like Taking Back Sunday, Jack’s Mannequin, Glassjaw, Mew, and more, it was time for Desmond to branch off on his own.
That’s where Local Nomad comes into play. With this project, he’s able to capture Paul Simon’s 70’s aesthetic with the pop sensibility’s of which resemble Gnarls Barkley. Local Nomad’s sound is marked by soulful vocals, ethereal synths, and lustrous drum beats – crafting a sound that you won’t want to miss out on.
Now as a blue-eyed soul dipped crooner, Local Nomad is drawing influence from everything Tears for Fears, Elvis Costello to Phil Collins for his upcoming EP, Gates. The EP will be one that reflects on lost love, baseball, death and the hardships of
aging. It’s a genre defying EP in many ways, serving as a reminder that Desmond isn’t afraid to break the rules of any genre you may try to categorize him into.
Today, Substream is excited to team up with Local Nomad to exclusively premiere their new single/video, “Love Is Gone.” The video was directed and animated by Ynon Lan and can be found below.
“‘Love is Gone’ represents the curtain call after a long term relationship abruptly ends. In the wake of the uncomfortable pain comes a sense of new found freedom that calls for a celebration. I wrote this song when I had gotten broken up with over the phone after being in a relationship for 6+ years. I wanted this song to be harsh, funny and authentic. Like the phases of this relationship, LOVE IS GONE morphed through a series of versions as I grew more and more comfortable being lyrically vulnerable. It ended up as a coping mechanism for me as I discovered humor and came face to face with some harsh realities — we are just different people in the end, and once the love is gone, it’s time to let go.”
