Dermot Joseph Kennedy may not be a familiar name on mainstream music platforms in the US., But he’s definitely an artist on the rise. This Irish singer-songwriter is best known across the UK for a chart-topping track released back in 2019 called “Outnumbered.”
But his latest single “Kiss Me,” from his new album, Sonder, is charting on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, indicating that his popularity is spreading globally. This pop-infused track finds Kennedy asking his lover to cherish him as if today were the only day they had left together.
Kennedy praises his beloved’s ability to be vulnerable even though she’s been hurt in the past (“We’ve all been broken/There’s no exception/But you carry it so gracefully”). He also promises to keep her secrets safe (“All the deepest secrets/all the darkest moments/Oh, I promise they’ll be safe with me”).
In addition to those romantic sentiments, though, we also get some sultry, suggestive language here: “Right beside the lake, I burn for you/You burn for me/So kiss me the way that you would/If we died tonight/Hold me the way that you would/For the final time.”
Dermot Kennedy’s premise here is that we should act on our carnal passions in the moment. Because, he suggests, we may not have tomorrow together. Very Shakespearean. Although we never hear anything too explicit in the lyrics, there’s still plenty left for the imagination.
As for the consequences of such intimacy if both lovers are still around when the sun comes up? Well, Kennedy doesn’t think too much about that.
Parents should know that the video contains a brief, blurred moment where a couple falls from the sky while kissing. As the angle changes, the couple morphs from a man and woman kissing, to two women, to two men kissing in the air.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
