Great Lake Swimmers: Alone But Not Alone
The internationally-acclaimed Toronto folk-rockers tease a new album with this single. Inspired by '60s AM radio rock, it is breezier than most GLS fare, though mainman Tony Dekker's plaintive voice remains recognisable.
By Kerry Doole
Great Lake Swimmers - "Alone But Not Alone" (Nettwerk): The Toronto folk-rockers will release a new album, The Waves, The Wake on Aug. 17. One its tracks, "Alone But Not Alone," has just come out as a single.
In a label press release, GLS' principal singer/songwriter, Tony Dekker, describes the song this way: "It is a straighter shooter than some of the other tracks on the new album, with a little more of a familiar 12-string jangle, and it’s a bridge back across our fifteen-year, seven-album catalogue. We set out to make a breezy, 1960’s AM radio-inspired kind of thing, with a few twists and turns, because it seemed to be what the song was asking for, in the midst of experimenting with sounds for some of the other new songs.
"As for the lyrics, sometimes it can be easy to find yourself in a crowded place but still feel utterly alone. This song is a reflection on that sense of suffocating connectedness while still feeling disconnected at the same time. In the end, it’s a pretty lonely place, but there’s a resolve to keep an open heart and mind.”
Dekker's distinctively plaintive voice is in excellent shape here, and the track certainly whets the appetite for the new album.
North American tour dates begin on July 15 in LA. A 10-date Western Canada tour starts on Sept 13 in Regina and is followed by shows in Thunder Bay and Sudbury. A 24-date US tour then runs from Oct. 3- Nov. 11, followed by a hometown show on Nov. 23 at the Danforth Music Hall.
Links
Publicity: Ken Beattie, Killbeat
