Canadian indie-folk artist Cat Clyde has announced her brand new studio album Down Rounder, due out February 17, 2023 on her own Second Prize Records. It was produced by Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Public Image Ltd.) at Los Angeles’ famed Sound City studios. Like her “nature punk” contemporary Hurray for the Riff Raff, Clyde’s malleable singing voice—spanning an appealing twang to a lovely, plaintive croon—and contemplative, poetic lyricism espouse an essential connection between our spiritual center and the natural world that surrounds us. “The album is an exploration and expression of self, patterns in the natural and unnatural world, connecting to nature, the turning wheel of life, shedding old selves, embracing new selves, and the ever changing, expanding and contracting nature of love and life,” she explains.
On expansive lead single “Mystic Light,” which arrives alongside an official video today, Cat Clyde takes on existential matters over chiming bells, percussive guitar and melodic vocals that warmly envelop listeners. “It’s a song about wanting to understand my journey and purpose,” she explains. “I’m exploring feelings of adriftness, asking for the mystery or magic of life to show her face so I can remember what it’s all for.” Down Rounder indeed sounds like the work of someone who’s found themselves artistically and holistically. The new collection also represents a bold leap forward for Clyde as an artist, cementing her place on the map as a nourishing and essential voice in today’s musical landscape.
Down Rounder is Clyde’s first proper solo album since 2019’s spellbinding Hunters Trance, but she’s also been plenty busy between now and then. In 2020, she released Good Bones, a set of acoustic reimagining from Hunters Trance as well as her 2017 debut Ivory Castanets; last year, Clyde joined up with fellow Canadian country singer-songwriter Jeremie Albino for the stellar collab LP Blue Blue Blue. She’s also racked up millions of streams across multiple platforms and has been featured on over 40 Spotify editorial playlists, setting the stage for Down Rounder as her widest-reaching album yet.
Cat Clyde’s North American tour with Lissie wraps up tomorrow in Minneapolis. She will join Lissie on a UK tour and open for Bonny Light Horseman at Celtic Connections in February 2023 as well as appearing at Winnipeg Folk Fest in July. Stay tuned for more shows and festival appearances coming soon!
