Montreal's Leif Vollebekk is at last returning with a follow-up to his 2017 Polaris Music Prize-nominated Twin Solitude. The follow-up album is called New Ways, and it will arrive on November 1 via Secret City Records. For a glimpse of what's in store, you can watch the video for the newly shared album track "Hot Tears."
"New Ways is the sound of desire in its unfolding. Two years ago, things were changing so fast, and the songwriter didn't want to forget," a press release explains.
Vollebekk himself added, "I often think of Leonard Cohen's line, 'I hope you're keeping some kind of record.' So I did."
The results are said to make for a louder, rawer album from the songwriter, giving us "a portrait of beauty, desire, longing, risk, remembrance — without an instant of regret."
"Anything that I wouldn't ever want to tell anyone — I just put it on the record," Vollebekk said. "That last record I made for me. This one is for somebody else."
The first song to arrive from the record is "Hot Tears," which comes via a video. Vollebekk had this to say of the clip:
"Hot Tears" is a song that was written when my senses were much more focused and I saw colours much more vividly. The sky often looked like it could have easily been pulled from scenes of [Terrence Malick's] The Tree of Life. It was the last song I wrote for the record. It was all recorded live: vocals, drums and piano. I wanted this song to sound as hot and rough as possible and make the lyrics fight their way through.
The video, beautifully directed by long-time friend and collaborator Kaveh Nabatian, was Leif's idea. For months I had been imagining a video with golden light pouring out behind a silhouette when the minor chord hit. Kaveh introduced me to Axelle Munezero — she moved the way I heard the music. Needless to say, when I saw Axelle's choreography for the first time, I was blown away.
Watch the video to "Hot Tears" below, where you'll also find the album tracklist and Vollebekk's upcoming tour dates. That's the album art above.
New Ways:
1. The Way That You Feel
2. Never Be Back
3. Hot Tears
4. Transatlantic Flight
5. Phaedrus
6. Blood Brother
7. Change
8. I'm Not Your Lover
9. Wait a While
10. Apalachee Plain
Tour dates:
06/25 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade (Early Show)
06/25 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade (Late Show)
09/11 Los Angeles, CA - Morrocan Lounge
11/06 Bristol, UK - SWX *
11/07 London, UK - Electric Brixton *
11/08 Glasgow, UK - The Garage *
11/09 Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz *
11/12 Groningen, Netherlands - Lutherse Kerk
11/13 Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso *
11/16 Cologne, DE - Live Music Hall *
11/17 Hamburg, DE - Markthalle *
11/19 Berlin, DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg *
11/21 Munich, DE - Technikum *
11/22 Vienna, AU - Arena *
11/23 Zurich, CH - X-Tra *
11/24 Stans, Switzerland - Chäslager
11/26 Paris, FR - Le Trianon *
11/27 Brussels, BE - AB *
11/29 Montreal, QC - Le National (Album Launch)
* Supporting Half Moon Run
"New Ways is the sound of desire in its unfolding. Two years ago, things were changing so fast, and the songwriter didn't want to forget," a press release explains.
Vollebekk himself added, "I often think of Leonard Cohen's line, 'I hope you're keeping some kind of record.' So I did."
The results are said to make for a louder, rawer album from the songwriter, giving us "a portrait of beauty, desire, longing, risk, remembrance — without an instant of regret."
"Anything that I wouldn't ever want to tell anyone — I just put it on the record," Vollebekk said. "That last record I made for me. This one is for somebody else."
The first song to arrive from the record is "Hot Tears," which comes via a video. Vollebekk had this to say of the clip:
"Hot Tears" is a song that was written when my senses were much more focused and I saw colours much more vividly. The sky often looked like it could have easily been pulled from scenes of [Terrence Malick's] The Tree of Life. It was the last song I wrote for the record. It was all recorded live: vocals, drums and piano. I wanted this song to sound as hot and rough as possible and make the lyrics fight their way through.
The video, beautifully directed by long-time friend and collaborator Kaveh Nabatian, was Leif's idea. For months I had been imagining a video with golden light pouring out behind a silhouette when the minor chord hit. Kaveh introduced me to Axelle Munezero — she moved the way I heard the music. Needless to say, when I saw Axelle's choreography for the first time, I was blown away.
Watch the video to "Hot Tears" below, where you'll also find the album tracklist and Vollebekk's upcoming tour dates. That's the album art above.
New Ways:
1. The Way That You Feel
2. Never Be Back
3. Hot Tears
4. Transatlantic Flight
5. Phaedrus
6. Blood Brother
7. Change
8. I'm Not Your Lover
9. Wait a While
10. Apalachee Plain
Tour dates:
06/25 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade (Early Show)
06/25 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade (Late Show)
09/11 Los Angeles, CA - Morrocan Lounge
11/06 Bristol, UK - SWX *
11/07 London, UK - Electric Brixton *
11/08 Glasgow, UK - The Garage *
11/09 Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz *
11/12 Groningen, Netherlands - Lutherse Kerk
11/13 Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso *
11/16 Cologne, DE - Live Music Hall *
11/17 Hamburg, DE - Markthalle *
11/19 Berlin, DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg *
11/21 Munich, DE - Technikum *
11/22 Vienna, AU - Arena *
11/23 Zurich, CH - X-Tra *
11/24 Stans, Switzerland - Chäslager
11/26 Paris, FR - Le Trianon *
11/27 Brussels, BE - AB *
11/29 Montreal, QC - Le National (Album Launch)
* Supporting Half Moon Run