Montreal artist Patrick Watson, recently dropped his full-length album Better in the Shade, via Secret City Records. Along with the release, Watson has also shared a stop-motion music video for the title track directed by Elisabeth Perrault.

Better in the Shade arrives after a busy couple of years for Watson, releasing multiple songs (“A Mermaid in Lisbon”, “Que reste-t’il de nos amours”, “Lost with You”) following-up his album, Wave, released in 2019. More recently, Patrick played in London, UK at the Barbican with the BBC Orchestra and is currently playing shows throughout Quebec over the next month.

In Patrick’s words, Better in the Shade “is about negotiating a world where you don’t know what’s real anymore.” “I really spent a lot of time reading to improve my lyrics for this record”, he says. “I was very inspired by Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson, The Waves by Virginia Woolf and Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin. The lyrics are a collection of little thoughts that were pacing in my head. We worked hard on rebuilding the tones of our arrangements and we brought a bigger electronic component to the music” he continues. “With the addition of modular synths, we were able to find a warmer and more touching approach to the electronics, that feel as acoustic as the rest of the instruments and move like liquid. Basically, I went back to school for the last two years to be able to bring something new ha-ha. Andrew Barr from the Barr Brothers joined us on drums for this record, it’s a pleasure to play music with such a great musician”.

Of the video, director Elisabeth Perreault, who also created the album artwork, reveals, “I met Patrick last May at the Projet Pangée gallery, during my exhibit. As a sculptor, I wasn’t planning on directing a music video this year. Patrick’s trust in me deeply touched me. This collaboration introduced me to the world of animation, which I always admired without being very familiar with it. Seeing my sculptures come to live to the sound of his music was such a joy. Flowers seeking their balance throughout various dreams, as reality becomes indistinct from fantasy”.

Patrick Watson 2022 Tour Dates

04/23: Église du Village @ Verchères, QC
05/27: Domaine Forget de Charlevoix @ Saint-Irénée, QC
05/28: Centre culturel Desjardins @ Joliette, QC
05/29: Théâtre des Grands Bois @ Saint-Casimir, QC
06/01: Centre des arts Juliette-Lassonde @ Saint-Hyacinthe, QC
06/02: Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne @ Terrebonne, QC
06/04: Auditorium Massey-Vanier @ Cowansville, QC
07/08: SherBlues Festival @ Sherbrooke, QC
07/09: Festival d’été de Québec @ Quebec City, QC
07/14: Les Francofolies de La Rochelle 2022 @ La Rochelle, France
07/18: The Montreux Jazz Label @ Montreux, Switzerland

Order Better in the Shade by Patrick Watson HERE