In recent months we’ve introduced Hold Time, the new album from Toronto-based songwriter Kyla Marlena with idée fixe records, with a couple of singles. “Marlena explores themes of memory and time in a manner which subverts expectations,” we wrote of single ‘21‘, “forgoing the hazy dreaminess which so often accompanies such ideas in favour of something more immediate, scrappy and raw.” ‘Bit the Bullet‘ continued this vibe, embodying the dynamism and purpose of the release. “The song embraces a slightly less mature take on the end of a relationship to harness the energies which stem from immediate reactions.” The record is informed by a classical background yet beholden to no stylistic conventions, and it is this dynamic sensibility which leaves a lasting impression. A certain volatility from song to song, or even within a song, that carries an undeniably organic quality. “To me, this record feels alive,” as Marlena puts it. “Like it has a pulse.”
Breaking a habit of working solo, the record was the first in which Kyla Marlena invited outside support, assembling of band from some of the city’s most talented musicians. Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), Julian Psihoigos (Georgia Harmer, Katie Tupper), Felix Fox (BADBADNOTGOOD, Jonah Yano), Jasper Smith (Benjamin Dakota Rogers), Karen Ng (The Weather Station), Noah Williamson (Sonder) and Jaiden Davis-Jones all contribute, with Jonas Bonnetta (Evening Hymns) mixing and Kevin McPhee mastering the result. The aforementioned energy is amplified by this collaboration, each moving part contributing to the momentum of the sound and its myriad of left turns.
With the album set for release later this week, Kyla Marlena has unveiled latest single ‘In Paint’, and the track speaks to these ideas both stylistically and thematically. A song which not only sits central to the meaning of the album, but also serves as a kind of meta-commentary on its creation. “‘In Paint’ is about the tension between wanting to outgrow our ingrained patterns and fearing the loss of control that comes with that, as well as the added complexity of navigating that alongside another person,” Marlena explains. “There’s a lot of unease and dissonance in that, which the instrumentation mirrors. We rarely play on top of one another, but there’s a constant sense, almost a threat, that we might. When all that tension finally erupts at the end, it acts as a sort of wish fulfilment. The music resolves something the lyrics don’t quite manage to.”
Watch the video below, directed, shot and edited by Jo Hirabayashi, and co-directed by Kyla Marlena:
Hold Time will be released on the 6th November via idée fixe and you can pre-order it now from the Kyla Marlena Bandcamp page.
Photo by Tess Disturnal, cover art by Eric Tkaczyk