Hayden, the long-heralded king of downcast Canadian indie-folk, is today sharing his new single“Miss Fort Erie” – out via Arts & Crafts. “Miss Fort Erie” is amongst the legendary singer-songwriter’s first new music since his 2015 album Hey Love, following the recent single “East Coast”, a forlorn ballad inspired by Leonard Cohen. Written, produced, and mixed by Hayden, “Miss Fort Erie” sets sail under grey skies for this “tale from the road” – an electrified yet bittersweet tune led by his gravely, familiar tenor, spanning the full range of joys between a hometown show (“Oh, the whole place rang”) and a short jaunt down to play Buffalo (“for ten people”). Shuffling acoustic guitar underscores a major chord progression with a stormy outline, the low register resonance of Hayden’s piano and lightly frayed electric guitar accents draped around his signature plaintive vocal – a perfect blend of the heavily imbued emotion and light-hearted catharsis that Hayden has mastered in his songwriting.
Speaking about the track, Hayden says: “’Miss Fort Erie’ has been in my back pocket for a while now. It was written and recorded pretty quickly up in my attic in the summer of 2016. At the time, my mind was on balancing a young family and being out on the road. Something I’m weighing again now and in the coming months. I thought it a funny idea to describe a conversation between a couple, where the traveler always plays down their adventures so as to not make the one at home feel left out. As per usual, there’s a twist ending. Musically, I had a blast playing all the parts, and for an artist with a catalogue lacking in middle eight’s or bridges, I’m particularly proud of the changes throughout the song.”
“Miss Fort Erie” is accompanied by a wistful and reflective music video self-directed by Hayden during the morning of a recent tour stop in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Hayden sets the scene: “I checked into room 6 at the Captain’s Quarters hotel with my camera, a tripod and my guitar. I wanted a classic hotel room with an old tube TV. My friend Jud made some calls ahead of time and found the perfect setting for my tale from the road. As I play guitar and casually flip through the channels, we see segments of pretty well every music video I’ve been in over the years. Some that I’ve made myself, others with the help of many talented friends.”
Hayden, a Toronto indie rock mainstay, has been making gorgeous and affective folk inflected music since his timeless debut, 1996’s Everything I Long For. His honest and heartrending songwriting has been likened to the greats such as Neil Young and Leonard Cohen, while his sonic acuity is mentioned in the same breath as seminal indie bands like Pavement and Sebadoh. Over the course of three decades, Hayden has built a cult following on earnest and soulful indie rock – “Miss Fort Erie” points to the best being ahead of him yet.
Hayden heads west for a slew of tour dates beginning tomorrow in Winnipeg. See below for full details. A new album is anticipated for spring 2023, with more news soon to follow.
