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For Fans Of: Tom Misch, Jack Garratt, Jamie Woon, Bon Iver, Genesis Owusu, Kae Tempest
Following the success of his debut single “Beau,” which has amassed more than 10,000 streams, East Sussex artist Mr Fib unveils his debut album, Shades, an ambitious eight-track collection that blends alternative, indie rock, folk, soul, progressive pop and spoken word into a deeply personal statement of identity and transformation.
Behind the moniker is Gabriel Green, a 28-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Lewes whose musical journey began with violin lessons at the age of six. After studying music and spending five years working as a professional classical musician and teacher, Gabriel has stepped into a new creative chapter, writing, composing, arranging and performing every song across Shades himself.
Drawing inspiration from artists as varied as Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Kendrick Lamar, Thin Lizzy, Muse, Lianne La Havas, Bon Iver, Sam Cooke and Quincy Jones, Mr Fib creates music that refuses easy categorisation. Echoes of artists including Tom Misch, Jack Garratt, Jamie Woon, Genesis Owusu and Kae Tempest can be heard throughout the record, yet Shades ultimately occupies a distinctive space of its own.
At its heart, Shades is an album about becoming. Growing up in a Catholic household and later embracing life as a queer artist, Gabriel explores questions of faith, identity, vulnerability and purpose with remarkable honesty. Classical composition meets guitar-driven songwriting, live sound manipulation and spoken word, allowing deeply personal stories to unfold across richly textured arrangements.
The album’s title carries multiple meanings. It reflects the emotional “shades” we hide behind, the perspectives through which we see ourselves and others, and the shelters we build for protection. It also references the Greek mythological concept of “shades”, souls waiting in the underworld before reincarnation. Throughout the album, these ideas intertwine, exploring the space between concealment and revelation, endings and renewal.
A pivotal turning point in Gabriel’s creative life came during a visit to a close friend in Sheffield, where an unforgettable night dancing inside a converted dry cleaners unlocked a new sense of freedom. It was there that spoken word and rap emerged as essential parts of his artistic voice, offering new ways to speak openly about mental health, vulnerability and self-acceptance.
Even the name Mr Fib reflects this balance between humour and introspection. Inspired partly by a memorable joke in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it also reaches back to Gabriel’s childhood habit of inventing elaborate stories during school show-and-tell sessions. Rather than simply telling lies, those early performances became exercises in imagination, exploring versions of himself that felt just out of reach. Today, the name represents a belief that fiction and storytelling often reveal emotional truths more powerfully than facts alone.
Shades is ultimately an album that embraces contradiction rather than resolving it. Thoughtful yet accessible, intimate yet expansive, it offers listeners a space to sit with uncertainty while celebrating the complexity of becoming who we are.
Mr Fib has already begun building momentum with over 10,000 streams for his debut single “Beau”, alongside collaborations including “Savour” and a performance on Rob Quo’s “Now I See the Birds.” With Shades, he introduces himself fully as a singular new voice in British alternative music.
Find Mr Fib: Spotify
For more information, please contact: Danielle Holian | danielle.holian@decentmusicpr.com