a little bit about the album…

I've always found it easier to express myself through music and lyrics than through words on a page. I'm no novelist or poet, and I was certainly never the best student in English class, but I wanted to take a moment to share a little of the story behind this album. So if you're reading this, that means you have a copy in your hands… and for that, I thank you. This album was made with a lot of love over the last 10 months.

It all started when I got my heart broken… and the life I thought I had planned changed without warning. But instead of letting it defeat me, I chose to embrace it. As you can probably tell, it’s quite happy and upbeat for a breakup album… for the most part. A traditional breakup album might talk about pain, hurt, & grief. Not this album, though. This is no ordinary breakup album. This is an ode to the memories we share, the growth we experience, and all the questions we ask ourselves along the way. Every song was written and produced by me, whether in my bedroom at home in Toronto… a small coffee shop somewhere in London, a noisy laundromat in New York, a hotel room anywhere from Halifax to Vancouver, or the countryside in my birthplace of South Africa. Writing this album became a form of therapy for me. I’d like to take you on a little journey through some of these songs and the thoughts behind them. The album begins with “Something Beautiful,” a glitchy vocal line accompanied by warped synths and distorted guitars and strings. Nothing feels quite clear, much like the first few days, weeks, or even months after a breakup. Sometimes years.

Then there are songs like “Where’s Your Girlfriend,” which I wrote in an Uber on my way home after leaving an event early while feeling overwhelmed by people asking me things like, “Where is she?” or “Is she going to be here tonight?” And somewhere in those questions, I realized I didn’t really know who I was without her. There’s no me without you. Then “This Is The Sound” begins with a synth that has no set timing. It’s unpredictable, representing the push and pull of a heart before it breaks and descends into chaos and madness with a wall of sound that somehow feels overwhelming and beautiful at the same time. “Dirty Laundry” was written on the very piano I used to play on for her. At the beginning of the track, I placed the microphone a little further away to capture what that piano sounded like in our old apartment, from her perspective on our couch. From there, the strings sweep you away, leading into songs like “Dog Catcher” and “Hand Me Down,” each reflecting on what once was. Then by the time we reach “The Last Song,” I’m at a point where I have nothing left to say about this period of my life. I’ve said everything I needed to say, and I’m finally ready to let it go. Where the album begins at “Something Beautiful” with glitchy synth uncertainty and warped strings, “Rest Of Your Life” closes the album with a clean, clear blend of acoustics, strings, and textures. To me, that represents the clarity that comes at the end of a chapter. Additionally, it’s also the only song on the album written in the third person. By this point, the story is no longer just about me, her, or the breakup.... It’s about moving forward, and the beginning of something new.

There’s so much more I could say about these songs. They all have their own little origin stories and reasons for existing, but I’ll leave some of those for you to discover… and if there’s a song you’re particularly curious about, feel free to reach out and ask me. I’m easy to find. More than anything, I hope you find a little piece of your own story somewhere in this album.

Much love,
Con x