Ottawa-born, Montreal-based singer-songwriter Myriam Gendron has announced her third studio album, led by new single "Long Way Home."
Following the artist's previous two records, 2021's Ma délire - Songs of love, lost & found and 2015's Not So Deep as a Well, Mayday arrives May 10 via Chivi Chivi / Thrill Jockey / Feeding Tube Records. Blending both traditional and avant elements — as well as both English and French — the record is described in press notes as creating "new vistas of sound while maintaining a feel that is both intimate and familiar."
Across most of Mayday, Gendron was accompanied by guitarist Marisa Anderson and drummer Jim White (Dirty Three). It also sees additional appearances from Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Bill Nace (Body/Head) and Zoh Amba.
Of the lead single, Gendron said:
This was one of the first songs I wrote for the album. I wanted to write a song with verses and a chorus, which was a bit of a challenge for me, as I’m more used to ballads without a chorus. I also wanted to continue the work I’d started on Ma délire, where I’d begun to experiment with songwriting inspired by tradition. But the aim of such a process is to go beyond a mere exercise in quotations. The result has to be internally coherent and reflect emotion in a way that’s fair and true. And it has to be a pleasant song to listen to, even for those who don’t know my sources of inspiration. I feel I’ve met that challenge with "Long Way Home," which is, in a way, my first pop song, thanks to the contributions of Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Jim White and Marisa Anderson. We made jokes while recording it in the studio. Jim isn’t used to playing in this style, and it made him smile a lot. He said he felt like Mick Fleetwood!
Listen to the ambling "Long Way Home" below, and keep scrolling for the full album tracklist, as well as Gendron's tour itinerary.
Mayday:
1. There Is No East or West
2. Long Way Home
3. Terres brûlées
4. Dorothy's Blues
5. La Luz
6. La belle Françoise (pour Sylvie)
7. Lully Lullay
8. Look Down That Lonesome Road
9. Quand j'étais jeune et belle
10. Berceuse
Myriam Gendron 2024 Tour Dates:
03/22 Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
04/02 Minneapolis, MN - The Cedar
04/04 Rock Island, IL - Rozz Tox
04/05 Milwaukee, WI - Wilson Center
04/06 Chicago, IL - Judson & Moore
04/26 Williamstown, MA - Clark Art Institute
05/16 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge *
05/17 Keene, NH - Thing in the Spring *
05/18 Montreal, QC - Lion d’Or *
05/20 Portland, OR - Holocene *
05/22 Seattle, WA - Rabbit Box *
05/23 Vancouver, BC - St. James Community Square *
05/24 San Diego, CA - The Loft *
05/25 Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon *
05/26 Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall *
06/28 Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall ^
* with Jim White & Marisa Anderson (duo)
^ with Kurt Vile & the Violators