burning rome by Danny Groenland

“Meticulously executed soul/jazz… From soulful summer heat (Somewhere) and Steely Dan-style silkiness (Work Out) to piano ballads (Never Going Home) and positive vibes (Chip In), Burning Rome sizzles from start to end”. - Tony Clayton-Lea
— The Irish Times

They say that Nero played while Rome burned. Practicing an instrument is an important discipline in my book, but I suspect the citizens whose homes were on fire didn’t see it that way. There’s a time and a place, they’d have said. Please help us put the fire out.

Whether he fiddled or not, the phrase ‘while Rome burns’ came to mean doing something trivial and irresponsible in the midst of an emergency. That’s where we are now. This is an emergency and we need to start treating it that way. There’s an irony somewhere there in recording an album during an emergency. Nina Simone said that it’s an artists’ duty to reflect the times. I don’t know how else to get through to people, so this is my way.

The issues I focus on with this album - climate disaster, war, genocide, division, homelessness, inequality, mental health, police brutality, institutional racism - all stem from the same root cause. Our economic system is destroying our planet. We need a complete systems change, with everyone pulling in the same direction. And we need it now.

Despite the gravity of the above topics, I wanted this album to be optimistic. These songs come from a variety of feelings. Love, anger, empathy, sorrow, fear and hope. I do have hope, otherwise I wouldn’t have recorded it. I have faith in humanity. We’ve been conditioned to think that things like poverty and war are normal and will always be. It doesn’t have to go like this.

“Find another way, this one isn’t working”.

I hope this music gives you both comfort in solidarity, and the energy to be the change that’s needed.

Tracklist

1.	chip in	3:26

2.	runway (feat. Senita)	3:40

3.	mr loaded	2:42

4.	olive trees (feat. Talha Wise Wolf)	3:17

5.	work out	4:51

6.	never going home	3:47

7.	we can (feat. Lottie & Kitty)	1:57

8.	this world is changing	4:42

9.	beastly beast	2:41

10.	somewhere	3:46

11.	i go through something too	3:37

12.	notions (interlude)	1:00

13.	world outside (feat. Holly Pereira)	2:42

14.	runway (radio edit) (feat. Senita)	3:40

Videos

Credits

released April 25, 2025

Gratitude

This album was recorded with love, in various locations around Ireland:

The Meadow, Birdland Music Studio, Yellow Door Music Studios, Windmill Lane, Antunes Studio, Diswellstown House, my bedroom and a couple more.

Thanks to Ken McCabe (Wolfhound Sound), Night and Day Festival, Bianca Fachel, the Arts Council, Keith Fennell, Jack Groenland, Jean Lynch & Rosa Parozci. This album is dedicated to Lottie & Kitty. The future is yours.

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To see each track's credits please click through to the individual song page.

Mixing & post production by Ken McCabe (Wolfhound Sound)

Mastered by Fergal Davis

Cover Photo by Max Hernández

Cover design by Danny Groenland & Rosa Parozci

License