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By David Farrell
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DF
The gothic folk singer-songwriter passed away suddenly on April 14.
Canadian folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Kirk has passed away at the age of 44.
Kirk served as the main singer and songwriter for the gothic folk band Timber Timbre — a project that began as a solo endeavor and evolved into a collaborative band.
In a statement to Exclaim!, a representative for Kirk confirmed that the artist had suddenly died early last week, on April 14.
“Taylor William Kirk, 44, of Orono, passed away suddenly on April 14th. We are devastated by the profound loss of Taylor and we will miss him immensely,” the statement reads.
“Beloved son to Donna and David, brother to Caley and Emma, uncle to Arden, partner to Linda, nephew to Steve, Arlene, Randy, and Les. His memory will live on through his music that we are fortunate to have for the rest of our lives.”
On Instagram, Canadian musician Chad VanGaalen offered his condolences to Kirk's bandmates and family.
"Sometimes you get asked to work on projects for magical people. Taylor Kirk was one of those magical people…I feel lucky to have made a video for Timber Timbre," he wrote. "I really didn’t know him beyond sharing a few heartfelt moments on stages with him at festivals or seeing his incredible songs played live with his bandmates. Absolutely crushed, my condolences to his friends and family. This beautiful world of music he has created will live on through us."
Hailing from Ontario, Kirk emerged in the mid-2000s, cultivating the group's scattered yet atmospheric soundscapes, often blending elements of folk, blues and experimental genres. The moniker of Timber Timbre refers to an early series of recordings that Kirk made in a timber-framed cabin set on the outskirts of Bobcaygeon, Ontario.
Over Kirk’s two decades with the band, they put out seven studio albums and two EPs. Timber Timbre released two albums independently, while their third release, 2009’s self-titled record, was distributed under the now-defunct Toronto indie label, Out of This Spark.
Following the album’s success, they were subsequently signed to Arts & Crafts and chose to re-release the album under the indie Toronto label. Timber Timbre went on to further receive critical acclaim and was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. It featured the tracks “Magic Arrow” and “Demon Host,” both of which have soundtracked notable TV shows and films like Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, The Gambler and more.
Their following two releases, 2011’s Creep on Creepin' On and 2014’s Hot Dreams, were short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize, further cementing their acclaim across the Canadian music industry. Both records peaked at No. 20 and No. 21 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, respectively.
The latter album featured their hit "Run From Me,” which earned major synch placements in Orange is the New Black, Good Girls and Barry. During this time, Timber Timbre embarked on multiple tours supporting artists including Arcade Fire, Feist and Laura Marling.
Succeeding the release of Hot Dreams, Kirk and band members Simon Trottier, Mathieu Charbonneau and Olivier Fairfield played three songs from the record on NPR’s Tiny Desk. The set, which is elevated by Kirk’s deceptively sweet voice, brings an eerie, mysterious vibe to the concert series — their performance currently sits just shy of half a million views.
In the late 2010s, Timber Timbre parted ways with Arts & Crafts, signing with indie Berlin-based record label City Slang Records. They released the group’s sixth studio album, Sincerely, Future Pollution, which landed at No. 94 on the Canadian Albums chart. Timber Timbre’s latest release was 2023’s Lovage.
