September 29, 2023 Montreal-based singer-songwriter Loryn Taggart is proud to officially release her debut album The Lost Art of Pulling Through, which can be streamed everywhere HERE or ordered in physical form HERE. Loryn will celebrate the album with a release show at Lion D’or in Montreal on October 2. Tickets are on sale now HERE.
Following the unfathomable grief of losing her father, Loryn Taggart began creating The Lost Art of Pulling Through as a concept album, bringing the listener on a journey through loss and how creation can bring you back to life and out of the depths of anger, self doubt and writers’ block. This album reflects what comes after the pain, that there is another side to grief – through your healing journey you will discover happiness again. Through storytelling and musical exploration, Loryn intertwines jazz ballads with moving instrumental composition, a touch of blues and pop elements, with contemporary folk.
While this is a Montreal album, it wasn’t meant to be. The journey began in Boston and found its way to Montreal through pure happenstance. It was 2018, and Loryn was backpacking through the United States when she was introduced to her couch surfing host, a producer and studio owner. With an instant bond over music their friendship grew and in 2019 Loryn flew back to Boston to record two tracks – In My Company and The Wedding Song – both of which found their own success through award season, songwriting competitions and playlisting. With that accomplishment, it was decided that the two would record a record together. “I wanted to call it OHIO,” explained Loryn, “which stands for Okay Hand It Over. This was a statement I made to an old manager through the trials and tribulations of growing in the music industry. I wrote OHIO based on my fear of pursuing music.”
And as the story goes, right when they were planning the recording, COVID hit the world and Loryn was unable to travel to Boston. “In the isolation of my Montreal home, I wrote the opening track, Boston In The Fall, as an ode to Boston being the birthplace of my record.” The Lost Art of Pulling Through opens with Boston In The Fall and ends with Ohio, acting as bookends to the story of this impeccable debut record, and thankfully, through the support of FACTOR, Loryn was able to change gears and create this album at home in Montreal. The official video for Boston In The Fall was also released today, and can be viewed HERE.
The Lost Art of Pulling Through was chosen as the name of the album after Taggart had written the song Tell Me How, where the title is pulled from the lyrics. Loryn wrote this song about her father, and decided the link between all of the songs on the record was about pulling through in some way, healing and surviving life’s hurdles. Boston In The Falls sees loss of connection, projects failing or trying new ways to move on, and wanderlust. Tell Me How is deeply rooted in the earth shattering experience of parental loss. Scandal Monger tells a story of friendship breakups, while Heat is inspired by real breakups and long distance relationships. Lighthouse talks about sobriety and Egy Dal Apanak about grief. To round off the record, Ohio is about anger and resentment turning into art.
“All of these songs have a hopeful tone to them, because I didn’t want to write a song that sounded sad, or angry, or defeated,” says Loryn. “I wanted to write an album that showcased the healing that took place around these events in my life.”
The Lost Art of Pulling Through was produced by Marcus Paquin (Tim Baker, The National, Stars), Daniel Lacoste, and Joe Moralez, while Loryn produced three tracks on her own and co-produced three others. The 10-track LP features collaborations with notable Canadian musicians such as Jadea Kelly, Isaac Symonds (Half Moon Run), Loryn’s brother Matthew Taggart and many others.
“When I started this album, I was determined to be the only songwriter. I saw great value in that,” said Loryn. “In the end, the songs that were co-written by other artists are my favourite songs. Opening up to co-writing was hard, but now I can’t get enough of it.”
Loryn pre-released five tracks from the album, and was met with rave reviews. Her intimate, personal track Tell Me How, which features a lush horn section, has seen placement on CBC Music’s Top 20, her jazz heavy hits have received commercial radio play on Toronto’s Jazz FM, Roots Music Canada describes her music as “lush, dreamy contemporary folk-pop”, while Guitar Girl Magazine said her vocals have “crème de la crème timbres, nuanced and dripping with sumptuous ambiance.” She’s received countless reviews and radio play right across North America and beyond. Loryn Taggart showcases her unprecedented talent, from her vocal range to the exquisite production, this debut album is an impressive feat.