At long last, Tess Roby is ready to make her first full-length statement. Today the Montreal-based electronic-pop artist announced Beacon, her debut album that will arrive via Italians Do It Better on April 20.
Roby's debut album was written in 2015, following the death of her father, a press release explains. She collaborated on the record with her brother Eliot to create "a kind of spiritual homage — both to her father and to the Beacon, where the family travelled often."
For those unfamiliar with the Beacon, the structure and Roby's connection to it is explained like this: "The Beacon crowns Ashurst Hill in Dalton, Lancashire, looming over the verdant English countryside nearly six hundred feet above sea level. This spartan brick monolith was erected in 1798 as a watch tower to warn of French invasion during the Napoleonic War — and there it silently remains, keeping infinite vigil."
In a statement, Roby herself recalled of visiting the monument, "All the while the Beacon remained effervescent in my mind. Visions of it ablaze on the hilltop, standing motionless while I searched for understanding."
The resulting album finds Roby recording with the drum machines and synthesizers she found in her late father's recording studio. And for a taste of what's in store, she's shared a new video for album track "Catalyst," which you can watch down below.
Also below, you can find Roby's upcoming tour dates, which include album release shows in both Montreal and Toronto, as well as the the album's tracklist. That's the cover up above.
Beacon:
1. Given Signs
2. Ballad 5
3. Catalyst
4. Plasticine Hills
5. Beacon
6. Tripling
7. Air Above Mirage
8. Borders
Tour dates:
04/19 Montreal, QC - Sala Rossa (Album launch show)
04/21 Toronto, ON - 918 Bathurst (Album launch show)
05/18 Durham, NC - Moog Fest
05/19 Durham, NC - Moog Fest
05/21 Washington, DC - Union Stage *
05/24 Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst *
05/25 San Diego, CA - Whistle Shop *
05/26 Los Angeles, CA - Resident *
05/27 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
05/28 Arcata, CA - The Minplex *
05/29 Portland, OR - Holocene *
05/30 Seattle, WA - Timbre Room *
* with Carla Dal Forno
Roby's debut album was written in 2015, following the death of her father, a press release explains. She collaborated on the record with her brother Eliot to create "a kind of spiritual homage — both to her father and to the Beacon, where the family travelled often."
For those unfamiliar with the Beacon, the structure and Roby's connection to it is explained like this: "The Beacon crowns Ashurst Hill in Dalton, Lancashire, looming over the verdant English countryside nearly six hundred feet above sea level. This spartan brick monolith was erected in 1798 as a watch tower to warn of French invasion during the Napoleonic War — and there it silently remains, keeping infinite vigil."
In a statement, Roby herself recalled of visiting the monument, "All the while the Beacon remained effervescent in my mind. Visions of it ablaze on the hilltop, standing motionless while I searched for understanding."
The resulting album finds Roby recording with the drum machines and synthesizers she found in her late father's recording studio. And for a taste of what's in store, she's shared a new video for album track "Catalyst," which you can watch down below.
Also below, you can find Roby's upcoming tour dates, which include album release shows in both Montreal and Toronto, as well as the the album's tracklist. That's the cover up above.
Beacon:
1. Given Signs
2. Ballad 5
3. Catalyst
4. Plasticine Hills
5. Beacon
6. Tripling
7. Air Above Mirage
8. Borders
Tour dates:
04/19 Montreal, QC - Sala Rossa (Album launch show)
04/21 Toronto, ON - 918 Bathurst (Album launch show)
05/18 Durham, NC - Moog Fest
05/19 Durham, NC - Moog Fest
05/21 Washington, DC - Union Stage *
05/24 Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst *
05/25 San Diego, CA - Whistle Shop *
05/26 Los Angeles, CA - Resident *
05/27 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
05/28 Arcata, CA - The Minplex *
05/29 Portland, OR - Holocene *
05/30 Seattle, WA - Timbre Room *
* with Carla Dal Forno
