Mikhail Laxton’s new self-titled album is full of the faults, foibles, and flourishes that make life interesting, challenging, and rewarding. The Aussie-born, Canadian-based singer-songwriter mines Americana, roots rock, folk, and soul territory, landing somewhere at the confluence of these neighboring genres, and we’re enamored of every note. As Laxton explained to us, it’s about isolation and silver linings, with hope being a key component in the narratives he weaves here. Anyone with an affinity for excellent storytelling will appreciate Laxton’s fine collection of songs, and we sat down with him recently to discuss the finer points of this outstanding album.
Hi Mikhail! You have a terrific new album out August 18th called “Mikhail Laxton.” How did these songs come together and what broad strokes can you tell us about the collection?
Thank you. I appreciate that!
You know, the more interviews I do, I feel like I get a new sense of what the album is really about, and as I’m writing this, I’ve literally just realized this album is inspired by isolation and the journey through it to truly appreciate the reality that life is tough but beautiful. I know that particular word -isolation – is a buzzword for what we all experienced during the pandemic. However, when I look at these songs, it’s my story of isolation that began long before the pandemic. The isolation I felt all my life from the absence of that “Four String Cowboy,” my father. Or how I felt the day he died (“Dying to Let You Go”). The loneliness I felt being betrayed by my woman, my best friend, and an entire community of people I loved (“Leaving You With Less”), and the despair I felt when I lost my mother in 2020 (“What Can I Say”).
As much of a downer as this all seems to be, this album is also about silver linings and knowing that on the other side of a dark night, there is the day in all of its glory, giving us hope again.
One of the songs on your new album, “Dying to Let You Go,” is really great and stood out to me. What can you tell us about this song? What inspired you to write it and what is it about?
This song started forming 10 years after my dad passed away. I had a verse and half and a chorus on paper before I realized what the song was about. As soon as I wrote the lyric “I’m dying to let you go,” I was kinda taken aback! At that point, I had been letting whatever words came out of me just be what they were, and when I saw those lyrics, it made me stop and think for a second. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I closed my eyes, and this character appeared. It was my dad, but, in this version of his story, he battled his demons and won.
What was it like recording this album overall? What was the vibe in the studio, and how did this song, in particular, come together?
Instinctual.
Making this record felt very natural. We pushed where we felt we needed to, and we just trusted our first instincts. It was very easy to have fun on this record, musically speaking.
For “Dying to Let You Go,” we just trusted each other and in each of our abilities to do what was right for the song. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s not hard when you have a bunch of incredibly skilled and passionate musicians led by a producer, Aaron Goldstein,who completely gets you.
Since you started out, how has your songwriting changed — both musically and lyrically? Do different things inspire you now? Where do you tend to get your biggest inspiration from these days?
Well, one way my songwriting has changed is that I’ve spent some time collaborating with other great writers and artists. I’ve also gotten older, so the content of what I’m writing has evolved. If you’re paying attention, anything and everything around you will give you inspiration, and it’s then up to you and your perspective to choose what to interpret and how. I feel my writing has become more and more honest, which, for some reason, as a songwriter,has become paramount.
Songwriting can be a really personal endeavor. Is it tough to share that stuff that usually might be private if you weren’t writing a song about it? Does unveiling the songs publicly, when you release a single or an EP or album, make you anxious, or is it cathartic to have the songs out there?
Songwriting is an incredibly vulnerable artform. You’re telling people how you feel, and most of the time nobody has asked for that. If a stranger came up to you at a bar and you randomly started telling them that you’ve “hit rock-bottom, the walls are closing in on you, sometimes you feel like you wanna die,” most people would be like, “Ah… ok, sorry about that. I’m gonna go now.” That’s awkward! No one wants to hear you complain about your life. But, put it to a good tune and a half-decent melody, and there’s a good chance folks might receive it. And, on a good day, some will begin to feel what you’re feeling.
I don’t get anxious about people hearing my new songs. Whether they like it or not is up to them. I hope they do. I hope that they will love it!
The cathartic part for me is not the release. It’s in the writing process because I must explore what’s behind the sounds, the mumbles, and the words that are finding their way out of my mouth.
What is one word you’d use to describe how you feel about releasing this album?
Finally.
It’s not uncommon for an artist to be working on something new while promoting an album. Do you have anything in the pipeline to follow this album? What’s next from Mikhail Laxton?
Right now, I’m focusing most of my efforts on getting ready to play this album for the world out there.
I’m always thinking of that great next lyric, the next show, and the next opportunity to do what I love. And I hope you’ll join me in whatever’s next for me.
