MAKING THE RECORD
Standing at a figurative fork in the road on his creative journey, Dylan Menzie didn’t opt for one route over the other; instead, he simply decided to extend his trip and explore both with an eager heart and open mind.
The acclaimed PEI-based songsmith had amassed an array of fresh material amidst the support cycle for his 2018 EP, As the Clock Rewinds – a collection of reimagined tracks from his breakout 2016 studio LP, Adolescent Nature. When it came time to flesh out their arrangements and put them to tape, though, he found himself staring down two distinct trails.
One would bring him deeper down the path of forthright, earnest folk music anchored by organic instrumentation and his unmistakable vocal stylings – that which had already earned him an enviable amount of acclaim and accolades. The other would lead into more abstract and ethereal territory – lush soundscapes defined by digital flourishes and off-kilter experimentation.
Holed up for a snowy month in an isolated house on a Newfoundland cliffside, Menzie, producer Romesh Thavanathan (of Hey Rosetta!), and a revolving cast of collaborators charted both routes simultaneously, resulting in the artist’s most eclectic and ambitious effort to date.
“To be honest, when we first got there, because I’d already been performing some of these songs live for some time, I think I’d grown a bit tired of them,” Menzie admits. “So I was really excited when they started to take on a whole new shape and move in a more exploratory direction.”
Ultimately, those explorations drew inspiration and influence from a diverse myriad of sources, including contemporary innovators from Anderson .Paak to Kurt Vile to Kacey Musgraves … Suffice it to say it’s a long list, and the collection is all the more engaging and engulfing because of it.
Of course, there’s also the lingering influence of the album’s unique setting – one that constantly teetered between beautiful and barren, and its inhabitant between introspection and desolation. “It definitely informed some of these sounds and moods, being in that environment of solitude with ideas uninterruptedly flowing through,” Menzie shares.
Subsequently, the songs sit on a wider sonic spectrum than any of his previous works. Offerings like “Have Faith” and “Deep in My Bones” will be welcomingly familiar to current fans, showcasing the simple-but-substantial rock-tinged folk and undeniable choruses that define much of his previous output while pushing into new territory. Others, though, wander much deeper down that second path.
The instantly-memorable “Wild” manages to straddle the line between classic and contemporary thanks to its eclectic, almost quirky instrumentation. Meanwhile, the delicate “Goodnight Sweetheart” is elevated with enticing textures and subtle synth swells, and “Coocoora” slowly swirls out of the speaker with a ‘60s swagger, ready to lull you into a tingly haze.
Thematically, the record covers a lot of territory. “In the past couple of years, I’ve lost a few family members,” says a candid Menzie. “They’re not somber songs, but the subject matter itself is generally focused on remembrance, and coming to terms with people leaving.”
As the artist prepares to share his latest work with an ever-widening audience, one has to wonder about the opportunities it might generate. Already one of Atlantic Canada’s most compelling and in-demand talents, he has topped CBC Radio 2's Top 20, enjoyed numerous national TV appearances, picked up recent nominations in major categories at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and East Coast Music Awards, and performed alongside artists like City and Colour and Ron Sexsmith and at prestigious events like the Edmonton Folk Festival, Folk Alliance International, and Canadian Music Week.
“This is definitely a new direction for me, branching out and trying new things, which I’m really excited about,” Menzie shares about his latest works, and watching how his craft has developed in the few years since dropping his 2013 debut LP, Heather Avenue, he’s not the only one exhibiting some excitement.
Consider this ambitious new collection from Dylan Menzie as the soundtrack to your next nighttime drive to nowhere in particular, and don’t be afraid to veer down some previously-unexplored paths…
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