There’s something vaguely criminal about the fact that Stuart M Bishop isn’t already a household name. Tucked away in Birmingham with his synthesizers and a Rolodex of vocal collaborators, the man’s been quietly crafting tunes that would make Prince raise an eyebrow in approval.
His new single, “Dancing on My Own,” dropped in February, and frankly, it’s about bloody time more people took notice. This 3:57 slice of soul-funk misery is the kind of tune that sneaks up on you – all glossy exterior and dance-ready beats until you realize you’re moving your feet to someone else’s heartbreak. Classic stuff.
“I love making breakup songs,” Bishop tells me with zero irony despite being happily hitched himself. The track paints a scene we’ve all lived through or at least dreaded – former lovers haunting different nightclubs, each dancing alone but mentally still with the ghost of their ex. It’s deliciously morose yet impossible not to groove to.
The track leads Bishop’s new album “Horizon,” a ten-song collection that wears its 80s influences proudly on its sleeve like a vintage Members Only jacket. Having spent years as an internet radio presenter championing indie artists, Bishop has absorbed enough musical DNA to create something that sounds eerily familiar yet entirely fresh.
When I mention similarities to Paul Hardcastle, Bishop doesn’t flinch at the comparison. Add in some Bobby Womack soul sensibilities and Prince-like funk flourishes, and you’re getting close to what he’s cooking up in his Birmingham studio. But there’s something distinctly “Bishop” about the proceedings – maybe it’s the raw emotional honesty in the lyrics or the way the synthesizers seem to breathe rather than just pulse.
“Although this is indie music,” Bishop notes with characteristic understatement, “I hope people enjoy the richness of the sounds.” Richness is putting it mildly. The production sounds expensive, like something that should be blaring from radio stations nationwide, not just quietly appearing on Spotify playlists.
The full “Horizon” album reads like someone’s diary set to music – from “Fractured Mind” to “Neon Hearts” and “Shadow in the Night,” this is a man processing emotions through a Roland keyboard and a mixing desk. Bishop has found in music the perfect language for expressing complicated feelings, creating what he calls “multi-generic styles” that refuse to sit neatly in any one box.
His process is refreshingly old-school: write the lyrics, create the backing tracks, bring in vocalists to bring it all to life, and then polish the final product. No focus groups, no algorithm-pleasing formulas – just music that feels honest to the bone.
“Dancing on my own is by all means a sad song,” Bishop acknowledges, “but I believe the beat and vibe can raise positive feelings.” That’s exactly what makes it work – the emotional sucker punch disguised as a party starter. You could be moving your body while quietly relating to lines like “I’m still dancing on my own, in the dark / Hoping the rhythm will heal the spark.”
Next time you’re out at 2 am, vodka-tonic in hand, watching strangers pair off while you’re leaning against the bar, this song will have you closing your eyes, moving your hips, and remembering someone who isn’t there. And isn’t that exactly what the best dance music has always done – made our loneliness feel like a shared experience?
Catch more of Stuart’s genre-blending sounds, retro vibes, and soul-stirring grooves:
