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February 12, 2016. Montreal songwriter and producer Chris Velan is preparing to release his sixth LP, Glow, on March 4 via NewSong Recordings. He will be supporting the release with a string of tour dates across Canada. Tour dates can be found below.
Audiences are invited to an advance listen of the first single “un-American Gothic,” plus an advanced viewing of the ethereal new video for the title track “Glow.”
WATCH AND SHARE THE NEW VIDEO FOR TITLE TRACK “GLOW” HERE
Glow is the first album Velan’s made in his hometown since 2005. Co-produced with Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Basia Bulat, Wolf Parade, Vic Chestnutt), Velan was joined in studio by an all-star band of local musicians; Jamie Thompson (Islands, The Unicorns) sitting at the drums, Morgan Moore (Barr Brothers, Blood and Glass) on bass, Max Henry (Suuns) playing keys, with Ariel Engle (AroarA) and Ngabo Kiroko (Dear Denizen) providing backup vocals.
Glow is the most accomplished, seamless mingling of Velan’s musical predilections – dancing from quiet, intimate passages, growing on pulse smooth rhythms. It’s a DNA that draws from his singer-songwriter craft as much as from West African guitar pop, vintage-era rock steady, and dance-floor eighties rock. The latter of which is embodied by the first single, “un-American Gothic”.
The songs on Glow want to pull back the curtain and let the light in. They’re about taking that long, unflinching look in the mirror, shattering mythologies, both personal and collective, and naming the lies that keep us caged. Whether refusing the clean-up job of a prophet in “Listen, Elijah”, or invoking grace in “Call Me Into Your Heart”, Velan’s latest collection of songs seems intent on finding joy at the end of the world – where no matter how frightening the outcome, the end is never the end, just a great new beginning.
It’s a path of inquiry that began for Velan on his previous album, The Long Goodbye, a raw and confessional reckoning with the break-up of a long-term relationship. While echoes of that ache remain in his latest release, Velan’s writing now looks forward with a faith in the blossoming power of love, connection, and the other intangibles that sustain life and will.
In addition to writing and recording Glow, Velan has kept busy in the studio with numerous other projects. Over the course of the last year he produced a debut album for Vermont chanteuse Francesca Blanchard, traveled to Haiti to record the Haitian collective Lakou Mizik’s first release, and joined Montreal afro-rock outfit Dear Denizen on guitar.
Glow is available for pre-order now on Pledge Music, along with other exclusive items.
PRE-ORDER GLOW HERE VIA PLEDGE MUSIC
LISTEN TO “UN-AMERICAN GOTHIC” HERE
CHRIS VELAN TOUR DATES
Mar 23 – Vancouver, BC – Railway Club w/ David Beckingham (Hey, Ocean!)
Apr 6 – Montreal, QC – Divan Orange
Apr 9 – Sutton, QC – Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier
Apr 12 – Toronto, ON – The Burdock
Apr 15 – Halifax, NS – Company House
May 2-8 – Toronto, ON – CMW
GLOW TRACK LIST
01 As They Are
02 Call Me Into Your Heart
03 un-American Gothic
04 El Zonte
05 Listen, Elijah
06 Steal You Away
07 Ever So Slightly
08 Great New Beginnings
09 Making It Up To You
10 Fortune
11 Glow
12 Bad Behaviour
13 Perfect World
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