5 May 2022

Artists: MEAR (Toronto)
Who: A collaboration between musicians Frances Miller and Gregory Harrison.
Together their music combines pop melodies with an experimental underpinning.

Debut album: SOFT CHAINS

Frances Miller: “In 2014, I lost the ability to do a lot of things I’d previously taken for granted.
I wrote “The Order” during my early experiences living with a post-viral chronic illness, at a time when I was grieving the loss of my health. I found I couldn’t read for more than a few minutes a day and a short walk around the block could leave me bedridden. “The Order” was an attempt to voice some of the pain and loneliness of that; of not understanding what was happening to me.”

Key words: Often physical pain leads to psychological pain feeding doubt, despair and anguish. Often musicians use their work to process adversity. That’s what happens here also with pondering balladry (The Order / Second Sight/ Words) fervent ardor (Soft Chains / Pinhead / I’ll Love You) and ambient fragments (Dust I and II).

The layered synth orchestrations add melancholic warmth and here and their guitars gently weep while Miller‘s voice is the wandering star in the middle. An enticing debut
with a harrowing, human touch.

Single and grand highlight with avid saxophone flashes…

– I LOVE YOU –

Stream/buy the album here…

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MEAR: Facebook