WATCH AND SHARE “GOT ALL NIGHT” HERE
LET ME SLEEP OUT JUNE 4, 2021 VIA GHOST PEPPER RECORDS
PRE-ORDER LET ME SLEEP HERE
“Alyson McNamara's 'Let Me Sleep' Makes for a Peaceful Dream” Exclaim!
"incredibly intimate, open, thoughtful...a feeling of peace and quiet" Laurie Brown, Pondercast
“What beautiful, soft and sonorous voice here, absolutely outstanding” Indie Tapes
Tomorrow, Alyson McNamara is releasing her new LP, Let Me Sleep, via Ghost Pepper Records. In celebration, the acclaimed songwriter is sharing the video for album track, “Got All Night”. On the song, McNamara says, “I had my own place in Toronto for a few years and my friends and I would always refer to the house as ‘Garbage World’. It housed a lot of musicians over the years and we all just enjoyed it for what it was, leaky ceilings, rickety balconies, scary mystery rooms and all. It was a bit of a celebrity house on the block due to its constantly tarped-up porch and spooky look. I talked my way into some very cheap rent and loved it there, but it came with a few caveats, namely not having a lock on my apartment door and inheriting a pile of strange clutter that I wasn’t allowed to get rid of. ‘Got All Night’ is a bit of an homage to this weird and mystical place - the story is about inviting someone over for the first time, knowing they’ll likely be a bit hesitant and assuring them that it’s nice in my place at the top. I wrote this song in a little hut at a songwriting residency in the mountains and it felt so much easier to paint a picture about living and dating in the city once I had removed myself from it.”
The video for “Got All Night” was produced by McNamara who used to work as a children’s puppeteer. “I wanted the video to be fun, so it seemed like a great opportunity to make a silly little sock puppet. Our back porch shares a parking lot with a daycare and at times we had a very captive audience watching us from their yard. The kids were grasping the chain-link fence desperately trying to see what was going on, so I went over and said hello with the puppet - it was the closest I’ve gotten to performing live in a long time!”
WATCH AND SHARE “GOT ALL NIGHT” HERE
MORE ABOUT LET ME SLEEP
Produced, mixed, and engineered by Daniel McNamara and recorded in a whirlwind week at Taurus Recording in Toronto, Let Me Sleep sees Alyson moving from a four piece band to a trio with her longtime collaborators, Daniel McNamara (bass) and Kevin Richards (drums). The stripped-down sound overhauled the direction of Let Me Sleep. “Through performing as a trio, I realized how much space there was left for my vocals,” Alyson explains. “I was always curious about where the middle ground was between having that full-band sound and maintaining the intimate feeling of watching a singer songwriter.”
WATCH AND SHARE “WAITING” HERE
BUY / STREAM “WAITING” HERE
Let Me Sleep was written in various locations including The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and a sun-soaked apartment in Toronto. No matter the place, Alyson was alone during her writing sessions. “My favourite ideas always seem to arrive freely when the house is empty.” she says.
WATCH AND SHARE “SHUTTING DOWN” HERE
BUY / STREAM “SHUTTING DOWN” HERE
This solitude culminates in an album full of thoughtful musings on love and regrets, and reminds listeners to be patient with both themselves and others. “That’s Today” finds Alyson talking through her mistakes with her shadow but on the interlude “Worry Not”, Alyson is alone playing the piano and, showing off her incredible vocal control, assures us: ‘worry not for me’.
“I think music and songwriting is so important for me because I have a very jovial personality in social settings, but my music is so pensive and calm - it’s a real part of my true self,” Alyson says. “Sharing my songs is an opportunity to be seen fully.”
WATCH AND SHARE “AFTER HOURS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “AFTER HOURS” HERE
Despite the solitariness behind the lyrics, there’s a heartening communal feeling to Let Me Sleep. On “Won’t Be Sold”, Alyson touches on the heart of this feeling when she assures listeners, ‘You are not the only one who’s feeling lonely.’
“I want people to see me when they listen to Let Me Sleep,” says Alyson. “But I also want people to be able to listen to the record and see themselves.”
PRE-ORDER LET ME SLEEP HERE
Alyson has toured across Canada with JUNO Award-winning band Said The Whale accompanying on-going collaborator Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club). She has recorded and performed with Canadian supergroup Anyway Gang and has opened for artists such as Sloan and Gregg Allman. She has accompanied and shared the stage with Canadian trail blazers Catherine Maclellan, Kaia Kater, and Sarah MacDougall. Alyson has appeared on Paste Magazine NYC, BTR Live Studio and CBC First Play Live and has recorded with acclaimed producers Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck), Gus van Go (Sam Roberts, Whitehorse) and Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, U.S Girls).
LET ME SLEEP TRACKLIST
01 After Hours
02 Waiting
03 Shutting Down
04 I’m Right Here
05 It’s Only Time
06 Got All Night
07 That’s Today
08 Faithful Company
09 Worry Not
10 Won’t Be Sold
11 It’s Easy
