Today, jazz and R&B producer, composer and musician Harrison announces his self-produced third album Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees. Featuring “Float” with Kadhja Bonet, this new album will be out April 28 via Last Gang Records.Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees demonstrates the evolution of the Toronto-based artist’s sound since releasing his first two JUNO-nominated albums, as well as Harrison’s recent composition work on video games (Nintendo Switch’s LOUD) and commercials (NERF, Play-Doh). The musical polymath performed every instrument on the piano-centric record, in addition to writing, producing and mixing the album in its entirety. Drawing from his artistic roots, love of old cartoons, and musical influences ranging from instrumental hip-hop to American jazz piano a laVince Guaraldi and Charlie Brown, this album is a nostalgic ode to the music Harrison dreamed about making as a kid.
Like his previous two albums, Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees sees a handful of guests seamlessly stepping into the producer’s technicoloured world. Veteran emcees MED & Guilty Simpson are featured on today’s track “Bump,” while the rest of the album boasts features from the likes of Kadhja Bonet, TOBiand Nanna B. Also out today is the funky instrumental “Inthecoupe.”
“‘Bump’ Is a love letter to some of my favorite rappers growing up,” Harrison says. “MED and Guilty have been huge influences on me since I was 16. Understanding their beat choices on producers they worked with was a really helpful growing tool. The instrumental for BUMP was actually originally different. They found the pocket I was looking for on this new joint. I’m floored that they were kind enough to join me on this album. ‘Inthecoupe’ is a reminder to myself to not be so serious all the time. My love for jazz is very deep but I still love making fun dance music. A playful song revolving around a brass synth and a bounce.
When Harrison (Harrison Robinson) began working on his third album in his modest Toronto studio in 2019, the producer and composer felt a strong desire to honor his artistic roots. “I knew I wanted to just make what I thought was cool, regardless of it being cheesy,” he says of the piano-centred compositions that would become Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees. “Chick Corea had a quote along the lines of ‘you have to find what sounds beautiful to you’ and that really struck a chord with me.”
At only 27, Harrison has accomplished more than many artists twice his age, all while not being afraid to take himself too seriously. After getting his start making beats and putting sample-heavy songs on Soundcloud, he found a following and global community of like-minded producers and collaborators including Ryan Hemsworth, Star Slinger and more. Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Treesfollows two critically acclaimed albums, 2016’s JUNO Award-nominated Checkpoint Titanium and 2018’s Apricity. His versatility has led him producing for some of Canada’s most boundary-pushing artists including al l i e, Daniela Andrade,DijahSB, Sean Leon, and TOBi.
Growing up in a musical household, the self-taught producer fell in love with acts including Japanese producer and instrumental hip-hop artist Nujabes and American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (best known for his work scoring A Charlie Brown Christmas and other Peanuts specials), and sought to capture the same warmth and childlike sense of wonder with Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees.
To help complement his artistic vision, the producer enlisted the help of illustrator Elijah Anderson, whose single artwork recalls classic Blue Note covers and classic Saturday morning cartoons like Schoolhouse Rock!. The pastoral album cover comes courtesy of Tokyo-based illustrator Kento IIDA. “It’s the happiest I’ve ever been with the visual aesthetic,” says the producer. Taken as a whole, Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees is an assured and joyful statement from a young artist evolving and finely honing his craft. Or as Robinson himself puts it, “It’s the music that I dreamed about making as a kid.”
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