After introducing herself as a Merge artist last fall with “Hawks Don’t Share,” Carson McHone is sharing details about her third album and first release with the label. Still Life, out February 25, quivers like a tightrope, with songs about existing within tension and surviving beyond the breaking point. These are stories of sabotage, confusion, and surrender. Still Life invites us to gasp at our own reflection and acknowledge the unsettling beauty in this breath.
Today, Carson McHone shares “Still Life,” the album’s title track and a song that plays out an anguished spiraling, complete with an outro overloaded with fuzz guitar and violent, incessant piano. She directed the accompanying music video, as well as the one previously released for “Hawks Don’t Share”; this time, McHone’s in front of the camera but her face still eludes the frame. Check it out today before pre-ordering Still Life on CD, LP, and purple Peak Vinyl in the Merge store. Vinyl Me Please also has an exclusive opaque red vinyl version available for purchase.
Carson McHone had this to say about her “Still Life” video: “We drop in on a body in motion, in and out of the light. When language fails, and there is only the feeling, the body has to keep moving.”
The songs of Still Life were written in quiet moments between tours and recorded away from Texas in Ontario with Canadian musician and producer Daniel Romano. McHone says of the session, “Daniel is a perceptive player, and his response was intuitive and organic. Shadows sharpened and came to life as full vignettes that felt familiar in a magical way, a product of keeping things emotionally open. I think we picked up on things that were unwritten.” Together in a home studio they cut almost the entire record themselves, calling on two friends, the versatile Mark Lalama on accordion, piano, and organ, and David Nardi with some savvy saxophone, to round it out. The phrasing and tones recall John Cale, The Kinks, Richard and Linda Thompson—like-minded artists of the late ’60s and early ’70s, another era of transition and innovation.
Following the release of Still Life, McHone and Romano have announced a massive tour that sees both artists sharing and joining each other’s backing band, with dates in North America and Europe. Get your tickets and pre-order Still Life today! Stay tuned for more updates, and follow Carson McHone on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Carson McHone on tour:
Feb 24 Detroit, MI – El Club*
Feb 25 Bloomington, IN – Blockhouse Bar*
Feb 26 St. Louis, MO – The Old Rock House*
Feb 28 Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge*
Mar 01 Tulsa, OK – Mercury Lounge*
Mar 02 Dallas, TX – Ruins*
Mar 03 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall*
Mar 04 Austin, TX – 3TEN at ACL Live*
Mar 06 San Antonio, TX – The Lonesome Rose*
Mar 09 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress*
Mar 10 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar*
Mar 11 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon*
Mar 12 Santa Cruz, CA – The Crepe Place*
Mar 13 San Francisco, CA – The Chapel*
Mar 17 Portland, OR – Bunk Bar*
Mar 18 Seattle, WA – Substation*
Mar 19 Vancouver, BC – Venue*
Mar 20 Victoria, BC – Capital Ballroom*
Mar 24 Calgary, AB – Commonwealth Bar & Stage*
Mar 25 Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Lounge*
Mar 26 Saskatoon, SK – Louis’ Pub*
Mar 27 Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre*
Mar 28 Regina, SK – The Exchange*
Mar 30 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry*
Mar 31 Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club*
Apr 01 Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village*
Jun 24 Mannheim, DE – Brandherd*
Jun 25 Luzern, CH – Suedpol Lucerne*
Jun 27 Berlin, DE – Privatclub*
Jun 29 Nijmegen, NL – Doornroosje*
Jun 30 Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Vredenburg*
Jul 01 Groningen, NL – Vera*
Jul 02 Haarlem, NL – Patronaat*
Jul 03 Den Haag, NL – PAARD*
Jul 06 Östersund, SE – Storsjöteatern*
Jul 09 Göteborg, SE – Pustervik*
Jul 10 Degerhamn, SE – Carlas Café*
Jul 12 Stockholm, SE – Galejan, Skansen*
Jul 13 Umeå, SE – Droskan*
Jul 14 Karlstad, SE – Karlstad Museum Pool*
Jul 15 Kristiansand, NO – Ravnedalen Live*
Jul 16 Oslo, NO – John Dee Live Club*
Jul 17 Löderup, SE – Solhällan Löderup*
Jul 26 Krefeld, DE – Kulturrampe*
Jul 28 London, UK – The Lexington*
* w/ Daniel Romano’s Outfit
