We Say…
Montreal-based songwriter and vocalist Camille Delean first appeared onto the Canadian music scene back in 2017, with the acclaimed release of her debut album, Music On The Grey Mile. After spending the following three years touring on both sides of the Atlantic with an ever-rotating cast of backing musicians, Camille is set to return next month with her follow-up LP, Cold House Burning, out via E-Tron Records.
Discussing the record, Camille has noted the difference between her two records, while Music On The Grey Mile was a touring album, “a reflection of some disoriented years on the move”, Cold House Burning, flips the theme. The record is a discussion on settling down, a record of isolation and homebound routine, that accidentally couldn’t feel more apt for our current climate. The record was written in a period of near solitude and it’s a theme that permeates much of the lyricism, yet musically it walks a different path; Camille’s initial sketches, fleshed out by a host of trusted collaborators, allowed to sing with densely arranged backing vocals and intriguing instrumental textures. If it’s all sounding a little dark and close to the bone, there’s also a lightness here, a record that doesn’t feel hopeless; it may be stuck, yet it still finds beauty in the world and feels undefeated as a result. An album about keeping on in spite of what ails you, it might just be the perfect soundtrack to these unprecedented times.
They Say…
FTR: For those who don’t know who is Camille Delean?
I am from Toronto, I park my stuff in Montreal. End up in Hull a lot, and am very grateful for the Amtrak Adirondack line. I write songs and sing them with my favourite people from that triangle.
FTR: What can you remember about your first show?
I was a child, it was a francophone singing competition in a church hall in Oshawa, Ontario. I think I tied for first place. I wish I could say it was Whitby Idol, but that was the fifth or sixth show.
FTR: Why do you make music? Why not another art form?
I put all of my time and energy into dance when I was growing up, and I love and miss it dearly. But that 1st place was even more elusive. They even made me into a side-stage singer in one group piece. Upsetting as the church hall tie was, it seemed more promising. Follow the 1st place…and your nose. Mostly your nose. Music always distracted me from everything—it seems like a good idea to do what you’re going to do anyway.
FTR: What can people expect from the Camille Delean live show?
Hopefully that it can happen again soon. And that it’s different every time. The band is from a small pool of people that end up combined in different ways, so everybody knows the material really well but it keeps us on our toes.
FTR: What’s next for Camille Delean?
I really hope we can play live again soon. It’s really at the center of what we do and there is so much learning and exploring left for me there. But there’s another record under way already, so in the meantime I imagine we’ll work on that. I guess just seeing my bandmates’ faces again (or anybody’s face) would be a good start.
They Listen To…
R.E.M. — Perfect Circle
Absolutely Free — Geneva Freeport
Mary Margaret O’Hara — Year in Song
Djeli Moussa Diawara — Moya
Fairport Convention — The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood
Cold House Burning is out June 5th via E-Tron Records. Click HERE for more information on Camille Delean
For The Rabbits 