Aidan Knight Strips Back the Layers on Vulnerable Self-Titled Album

BY Safiya HopfePublished Aug 25, 2020

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Vancouver Island singer-songwriter Aidan Knight first made his name as a sought-after sideman whose songs told tales of longing and self-questioning with silky-smooth tenderness. His self-titled fourth album marks a moment of culmination, both as a musician and an individual.

After all, Aidan Knight is shaped by a personal era of milestones. The birth of Knight's first child, his choice to quit drinking and a significant move all drive the stripped-down reflections on his most concise record to date.

Here, Knight's trademark vulnerability is showcased as shamelessly as ever, but much of the hazy melodrama which ebbs and flows in his previous work is traded for a more streamlined approach. The power of emotive lyricism is amplified by a minimalistic instrumental backdrop, making the album's moments of orchestral intricacy all the more powerful.

Aidan Knight is in many ways too straightforward and symmetrical for the depth of subtlety apparent in Knight's previous work. This being said, there is sophistication in its clarity. The simplified textures amplify his voice, allowing poetic honesty to take centre stage. The result is at once raw and grounded, dreamy and lucid.
(Next Door)

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