Toronto-based songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and long-time Fast Romantics member Kirty returns with a new single and video titled “This Year’s Been Hell”. Although written before the pandemic hit, the aptly titled tune provides a timely backdrop to this incredibly tumultuous year. “This Year’s Been Hell” was inspired by Kirty’s decision to press pause on her own life to work through the struggle of a close relative in their final chapter of life. Co-produced with long-time collaborator Josh Van Tassel and Fast Romantics bandmate/songwriting partner Matthew Angus, the dreamy, early 90s-inspired pop rock track provides a first glimpse into her eagerly anticipated third solo album set for a 2021 release through Postwar Records. Featuring Kirty’s lush, ethereal vocals, paired with moody guitars and warm, glassy retro synths, “This Year’s Been Hell” is premiering now via Indie88 and is available on all major DSPs. Click HERE to listen and purchase.
“It’s a wild, wild coincidence that I wrote and recorded this song and held onto it long enough to release the track in the middle of a pandemic, civil unrest, environmental crisis, and a political circus,” shares Kirty.“This Year’s Been Hell’ is about working through pain and loss and understanding that there are times when you need to put everything else in your life on hold. Just for a bit, and focus on the people around you. It’s about witnessing someone experience their final chapter of this grand ol’ life, and the mix of feelings that bubble up from that experience.”
Kirty’s forthcoming LP follows her 2016 acclaimed self-titled sophomore release which the Toronto Star dubbed “your new favourite thing” and the National Post praised “it makes a fine soundtrack for everything from a walk in the park to an evening under the stars… and fits right in on a playlist with the likes of Jenny Lewis, Lana Del Rey and Neko Case.” The release found success on CBC Radio’s Top 20 chart and garnered international placements in commercials and TV including landing lead single and one of CBC Music’s Songs You Need To Hear “That’s Not Me” on a global marketing campaign for EOS, as well as notable sync features in popular teen drama Riverdale and Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience.
About Kirty
For Toronto-based singer-songwriter Kirty, making records is the art of making time capsules of your own life. She’s been at it since she was a kid, growing up on a hobby farm outside of Orillia, Ontario. A middle child in a large musical family, from a young age she was taught the country, folk, and rock n‘ roll standards, sparking in her those natural, timeless kind of songwriting instincts that can only be cultivated from the pop songsmiths of the 20th century. After making several homemade “time capsule” albums on her own, Kirty signed with Postwar Records in 2016 and released her first official album.
Around the same time, Kirty joined acclaimed indie-rock band Fast Romantics as a singer and multi-instrumentalist, and quickly became a core member, co-writing several songs for the group and touring internationally and relentlessly in the years that followed. All of these experiences brought her to 2019, and after a whirlwind of new musical influences reached a climax, she began working on a new record of her own. Songs came fast and furious, marking in time her experiences on the road, the passing of close family members, and a growing relationship — both musical and romantic — with her Fast Romantics bandmate and songwriting partner Matthew Angus. The pair teamed up with long-time Kirty collaborator Josh Van Tasselto round out a production team, and began work on recording the new songs, mixing her newfound affection for the sounds of 90s garage and synth-rock with more modern dream-pop influences. Album details and further singles will be released in the first months of 2021.
Photo credit: Jen Squires
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Apple Music | Spotify
