Ottawa's Halcyon Phase are a collaboration between singer-songwriter Frank Smith (Sills & Smith) and producer/multi-instrumentalist Phillip Victor Bova. They released their LP Tendrils back in March, and now the duo have shared a video for the album track "Emergency."
Though the songs were written prior to COVID-19, "Emergency" definitely carries more weight in this context. Smith's smoky vocals convey the urgency of a dire social situation atop a rich soundscape of muscular pop-rock and swelling orchestral flourishes. A cast of seasoned session musicians make the track larger than life, as Smith's lyrics are both grimly specific (touching on arts funding and climate change) and darkly symbolic (describing a "demon" and a "curse").
The video for "Emergency" was illustrated by BC's Jesse Stasiuk, who has directed and animated several music videos for artists across North American in the last five years.
In a statement, Stasiuk said, "I created an Orwellian nightmare society which seems perfect for the lyrics and tone of this Halcyon Phase song and speaks to a decided tilt to the ultra-right in our real-world politics. Faced with an ecological crisis, the proposed solution of the society is driven by short term greed; a chemical solvent to purify the contaminated water. Of course, the process to create the solvent is generating more pollution than the product can hope to contend with."
Watch the video for "Emergency" below. Tendrils is out now.
Though the songs were written prior to COVID-19, "Emergency" definitely carries more weight in this context. Smith's smoky vocals convey the urgency of a dire social situation atop a rich soundscape of muscular pop-rock and swelling orchestral flourishes. A cast of seasoned session musicians make the track larger than life, as Smith's lyrics are both grimly specific (touching on arts funding and climate change) and darkly symbolic (describing a "demon" and a "curse").
The video for "Emergency" was illustrated by BC's Jesse Stasiuk, who has directed and animated several music videos for artists across North American in the last five years.
In a statement, Stasiuk said, "I created an Orwellian nightmare society which seems perfect for the lyrics and tone of this Halcyon Phase song and speaks to a decided tilt to the ultra-right in our real-world politics. Faced with an ecological crisis, the proposed solution of the society is driven by short term greed; a chemical solvent to purify the contaminated water. Of course, the process to create the solvent is generating more pollution than the product can hope to contend with."
Watch the video for "Emergency" below. Tendrils is out now.