Haida Gwaii's Carsen Gray Pens Powerful 'Notes to Self' on New EP

Alongside her EP, the singer-songwriter has also shared the new video for "Alive"

BY Kaelen BellPublished Sep 30, 2022

Carsen Gray returns today with Notes to Self, the Haida Gwaii-raised songwriter's second EP of 2022 and the follow-up to January's stirring Each Moment EP. The new EP — her second release for Nettwerk — is described as a "back to basics" affair, luxuriating in subtle string arrangements and dynamic acoustic guitar. 

Alongside the album release, Gray is also sharing the stirring new video for the piano-driven "Alive." In a statement about the song and accompanying video, Gray said:

"The song is about not giving up on your love for somebody just because of the dark seasons you may go through. It's about loving someone unconditionally."

"The music video for 'Alive' has a powerful and universal underlying message that the ups and downs of any relationship are by a grand design," she continued. "Ultimately the world that we live in is governed by Polarity, so we must not get down and give up on something we love in those low points, and learn to weather the storms that come our way to make it to brighter days."

Notes to Self covers a wide swath of sound and feeling across its six songs, from the rhythmic acoustic bounce of "back back," the jaunty sway of "Cracks" or the gentle echo of opener "Everything Is Bless." You can check out the whole EP and the video for "Alive" below.



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