Kalle Mattson sees his new LP, Youth., as a coming-of-age album.
While exclaiming folk is dead, the Sault Ste. Marie-born and Ottawa-based artist nevertheless continues to excel at storytelling as he performed tracks from the new album during this First Play Live session.
Mattson wanted the look of the First Play Live session to reflect Youth., so he and his band performed in front of school photo backdrops. Those backdrops — nostalgic for some, traumatic for others — also highlight the introspective and vulnerable lyrical themes of Youth. Producer Colin Munroe (Drake, Sky Ferreira) provided the accompanying expansive, sonic vistas featuring keyboards and synths on songs like “Once” and “Without You.”
Mattson is joined in this session by Andrew Sowka (bass and vocals), Vince Aquilina (drums) and Martin Charbonneau (keys and vocals). Watch it below.
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First Play Live: Bob Moses, Battle Lines