Country-folk artist Spencer Burton releases a new single titled “Memories We Won’t Soon Forget” about loss, greed and change. The warm visual from the newly signed Still Records artist was filmed on a Super 8 camera by photographer and friend Vanessa Heins.
“Vanessa accompanied me on a drive down to Nashville in the fall of 2019 where I was to be recording at Andrija Tokic’s studio named The Bomb Shelter,” Burton reflects. “She took shots of me at various stops during moments of interest or beauty. It’s crazy the things one can get up to on a 13 hour drive.” Equal parts gentle and powerful, Burton leans into his country roots with this ballad-esque slow jam that stands out as some of his best songwriting yet. The former Attack in Black and Grey Kingdom musician recognizes that “we’re losing the things that matter.
Our small towns, and with them the memories we’ve created here. No Sunday drive reminders if there’s nowhere to drive but the mall. On a weekly basis, I see old homes torn down for mansions, corn fields removed for subdivisions, and small businesses washed away for big box stores. It’s a sad thing to see. A most unwelcome change. ” From his punk rock roots as part of Attack in Black to the darker country-inspired sound of his two first solo albums under the name Grey Kingdom, Burton’s multifaceted musical trajectory has branched into indie and rock aesthetics while maintaining his folky sound. In 2012, Spencer dropped Grey Kingdom in favour of his own name, moving towards a more natural country folk sensibility.
Hailing from Southern Ontario, Burton has toured nationally, and in the United States, with City and Colour, Daniel Romano, Jenn Grant, and more. He has always been strongly connected to the natural world, carrying with him an insatiable wanderlust and deep respect for nature. After years of living mostly in the city between long touring stints, Burton was feeling drained and uninspired. The constant hum of the city promoted a lifestyle that was entwined with work and networking, an energy that could easily push oneself into the ground. Coupled with the transient existence of a touring musician, he felt the need to plant roots. That pull led him to ‘flee the city’ for a quieter existence in the country. This simpler reality led him even closer to the earth and to the powerful freedom solitude brings. His move to Niagara coincided with his becoming a father, a shift that has permanently shaped his life and his music. His latest release, 2019’s The Mountain Man, is a children’s album created with his family in mind. With his hankering for hankering for travel, farm life and the great beyond, Burton’s upbringings are as sincere as his demeanor.
