Patrick Watson, is back new single called “Silencio,” featuring singer/songwriter November Ultra. The song was inspired by an experience Watson, had in which he couldn’t speak or sing for nearly three months. “Silencio” explores some of the impressions that came to him during this time: does he talk too much? The anxiety that comes with reliving a conversation, learning to be a better listener and the power of silence. The song is available today via Secret City Records (La Force, Richard Reed Perry).

“I think you like me better since I lost my voice,” Watson sings, over a mysterious and ethereal orchestration of arpeggiating guitars, softly touched drums, piano and burbling synths. He wrote the song with longtime collaborator, co-writer and bandmate Mishka Stein and November Ultra. Watson and November Ultra first met while taping a radio show at France Inter together in Paris, where they were booked on the same day (they will return to the same radio show – Côté Club – together for the release of “Silencio”). The song was recorded in a painter’s studio in Paris (Studio Alterio of artist Ruben Alterio), overlooking Montmartre. “With an enormous window and so much old Parisian charm and ghosts,” he says. The loft called for a classical guitar, so Stein ran to a nearby music shop and in one of several examples of kismet around this recording, found a beautiful instrument to feature on the recording.

“Silencio” is sung in both Spanish and English, with November Ultra starting the song with her otherworldly and delicate vocals. Watson describes the process of making it as “magical.” “Her wonderful wit and beautifully soft caring tone was very inspiring. The song just kind of wrote itself, AS THOUGH IT WAS A CONVERSATION WE HAD BEEN HAVING OUR WHOLE LIVES. It was lovely,” he says.

“The lyrics are made up of two different stories,” continues Watson. “Nova was having a tricky moment and so was I. As for her part of the story, well, she’ll tell you all about it. My part of the story was about how I couldn’t talk for two and a half or three months. Since I talk too much in general, it was kind of good for me. The song is built on a bunch of impressions I had during this period.

“I realized a lot of the things I wanted to say to people, but couldn’t, were probably not that interesting to them anyhow. It made me wonder, maybe I was talking to myself, and not other people a lot of the time.

“I noticed my interactions with people were so different when I left them the space and they filled the void left by my silence. I realized that you’re much more vulnerable when you’re the one talking, versus the one that just listens. I do have my voice back 100%. I think I talk 7% less which is still a win.”

November Ultra adds that, “When I met Patrick, we talked about our voices, our fears of losing them… what would we do if it happened? What would we learn in this forced silence? It happened to Patrick, and then it happened to me as my body shut down after my first tour – I could hardly breathe and had to relearn.

“I realized the silence humbled me and also made me listen more carefully, to my surroundings, to others… What do we answer when someone asks us how life’s going? How many times should we ask until the other person feels like they can gift us with honesty? That’s what this song “Silencio” felt to me, honesty through silence.”

Patrick Watson and the FILMHarmonic Orchestra

November 2 – Meridian Hall – Toronto, ON
November 20, 21, 28, 29, 30 – Place Des Arts – Maison Symphonique – Montréal, QC

order “Silencio” HERE