Category: News

Last month, Toronto’s Hannah Georgas announced her new LP All That Emotion (out September 4th on Brassland and Arts & Crafts) with the mesmeric lead single “Dreams.” Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, the album has already attracted an enthusiastic critical response with “Dreams” — along with a pair of pre-announce singles “That Emotion” and “Same Mistakes,” — earning praise from outlets like FADER, Stereogum, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, American Songwriter, BrooklynVegan, 
Exclaim, Earmilk, World Cafe and Consequence of Sound who dubbed her “a new generation’s Feist.”

WATCH Hannah Georgas’ “Just A Phase” video here

Today, Georgas is sharing a new offering from the LP, a track called “Just A Phase,” a warm, enveloping track that seamlessly melds propulsive electronics with Georgas’ measured tones. With lyrics that focus on change, resiliency and anxiety the song finds an encompassing calm while presenting a buzzing hive of sonic ideas.

The accompanying video shares an insider’s view of the album’s recording sessions and what came after. Primarily, it’s a tour of Dessner’s iconic Long Pond studio—which is recognizable from its portrayal on the cover art of The National’s Best Alternative Grammy winning album Sleep Well Beast, but also features footage from the year Georgas spent on the road singing in The National’s touring band around the release of their 2019 LP I Am Easy To Find. 

“We recorded All That Emotion in concentrated periods of time with breaks in between,” says Georgas. “I had never made an album this way before. It was also the first time making an album outside of Canada which was a really unique experience. It was nice to make solo road trips to Upstate NY from Toronto knowing that the stretch of time recording will solely be dedicated to being as creative and as open as possible. Then last year, I had the opportunity to join The National on the road singing back ups for them and opening up in a few cities in Europe and North America.” 

The video acts as a travelogue and journal of those before times, including footage of her long drives across the Canadian border — glimpses of tour life with the band — and ending with her listening to a test pressing of the forthcoming album.

Hannah Georgas began creating the album All That Emotion about a year after the release of her celebrated 2016 album For Evelyn —starting with an intensive process of writing and demoing songs in her Toronto apartment, and finishing with a month long retreat in Los Angeles. She began the record making process in the middle of 2018 when she traveled to Long Pond, the upstate New York studio & home of producer Aaron Dessner of The National.

“Before each session, I would make the long drive from Toronto to Hudson Valley in Upstate New York.” Says Hannah. “It was really special getting the opportunity to work in such a remote space with Aaron and Jon and I was always itching to get back whenever we had breaks. At the same time, I appreciated the space in between and coming back with fresh ears.” Hannah continues, “Aaron and I agreed the production needed to bring out the truth in my voice. During these sessions we musically found a new depth and, vocally, a delivery that was more raw and expressive, allowing the emotional texture of each song to shine through.” 

The writing of the album found Hannah creating her most personal album to date. “All That Emotion’s album cover is an old family photo,” says Hannah. “I love the image because it captures this calm confidence. It looks like people are watching a performance and it seems like he’s diving in without a second thought. Similarly, I find that it parallels the approach needed within art. The calm confidence of expressing yourself without the thought of consequence, regardless of anyone watching.”

On the album, you’ll hear about bad habits and prayerful families—right and wrong love—mistakes and moving on—casual cruelty and most of all, change. Plotting the boundaries of where to place this music it’s emotionally fraught but warm & fuzzy. “An indie-minded avant-pop artist” was the Boston Globe’s formulation for her charms. Think of Fleetwood Mac meets The National; Kate Bush-sized passion with the earthiness of Cat Power or Aimee Mann. The album grows inside you and sticks to your insides. The songs are big tent anthems, rough at the edges but relatable. 

Hannah continues: “I still have long conversations with my friends over the phone, talking about love and relationships, pain and heartbreak, our upbringings and the hardships that come along with that.” In an era of social media quips and hollow memes, maybe it’s this kind of one-on-one contact a form of communication worth getting back to?

“In this way, I get a lot of lyrical inspiration through the individuals I interact with in my everyday life,” she says. “Then music becomes the forum where I work out these feelings, embrace and express pain and love, joy and anger, frustration and fear and hope. It’s where I can be uncensored, not hold back, and say what I want to say. In that way, making music is a cathartic and cleansing process. It’s always the best feeling when someone tells me my music has helped them out in some way. That keeps me going.”

All That Emotion will be released September 4, 2020 on Arts & Crafts/Brassland. It is available for preorder here.

Keep your mind open.

[It would be lovely if you subscribed.]

[Thanks to Tom at Hive Mind PR.]