'Overcoat', the second single from Common Fires, tackles the overdose crisis from a position of both personal impact, and of abstracted story-telling: dark, serpentining layers of sound accompany the tale of a custom overcoat never worn by a tailor's client. With a confident step into deeper textures, Common Fires incorporates stunning melody into a sonic landscape brimming with warped instruments, repurposed sounds, and polyrhythmic accents--'Overcoat' is a sober meditation for both head and heart alike.'

Based with one foot in reality, and another in a fairy tale, "Avery" is the story of a young couple moving somewhere unfamiliar, and perhaps unwelcoming. In my mind, it takes inspiration from my parents relocating our family to Winnipeg in the unfriendly winter of 1997--but I think, at its core, "Avery" is much less literal. 

A Manitoban winter is an apt metaphor, I realize, to the dogging mental health issues I was enduring while writing and recording this song. I don't fancy myself an optimist, and I'm glad this song doesn't treat "take heart--the winter lets up" as a gift bow tied tied on at the end to ensure you don't leave discouraged. The song ends with acknowledgement of trial, and a murmur of self-doubt: "just promise me you'll stick around". It can be hard to believe in the love of others when the wool is over your eyes. 

This one's dedicated to anybody who sticks it out through the winter--whatever the winter is for you. It always comes back, but at least it lets up occasionally.