Last Year’s Man is the pseudonym of Eugene, OR based producer and songwriter, Tyler Fortier. Fortier is a frequent collaborator with up-and-coming Northwest singer/songwriters and has produced recordings for artists such as Anna Tivel, Beth Wood, and Jeffrey Martin. OPB Music named Jeffrey Martin’s “Golden Thread,” off the Fortier-produced One Go Around, one of the best songs of 2017, calling it, “rock-solid songcraft…wrapped snugly in warm production that highlights every positive angle.” As a songwriter, Fortier has shared the stage with the likes of Frazey Ford, The Deep Dark Woods, David Dondero, Matt Pond PA, and more. As a composer Fortier has contributed to catalogs such as Warner/Chappell, Universal, BMG, and Marmoset. His music has been placed on networks like Netflix, HGTV, ABC, CBS, MTV, and Showtime.
Fortier’s new song, “Only Memories,” comes off his upcoming album Time Is a Sparrow. The song builds urgently into an impassioned crescendo, holding on to life in spite of time’s relentless march. “Memories” boasts a strong pop melody, but Fortier’s lyrics take the listener on a deep dive into thoughts most of us would rather not spend time on.
“I wrote this song at the same time I wrote another song on the album called ‘Last Thing I Do.’ There is this incredible anxiety for me that comes along with being a partner and a parent,” explains Fortier. “The unease of leaving life too soon is really the simplest way to state it and this song is a meditation on that.”