WATCH / SHARE “HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD” HERE
"Raphael's languid instrumentals are all too easy to melt into." - Exclaim!
"Raphael indulges by opening up that affecting guitar-vocal pairing to a lush bridge with added horn, guitar and drums." - CBC Music
"The track seemingly blooms from a spacious and rustic folk sound into something far more lavish." - Under The Radar
"Tranquil melodies flow over electronic and acoustic instrumentation." - American Songwriter
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Today, Dubai-born, Montreal-based songwriter Edwin Raphael shares his first single and video of 2022. “Have You Been Told” is a track that “steers through the fixation of constant repetitive cycles from a place that is ‘all blown up’ to ‘all so bare’,” says Edwin. “It’s the conflicting pursuit of stimulation vs stability. The phrase ‘have you been told’ suggests the idea of keeping the devil on your shoulder at ease by satisfying it in small doses as well as constantly sort of reminding yourself to check yourself. Essentially the song explores a medium ground where there is a balance between the two.”
The single arrives today complete with a video directed by Raphael, Jonathan Frydman, and Ben Del Vasto. “The music video matches both the spiraling instrumentation of the song and Raphael’s lyrical vision, showing him navigating between two different worlds,” notes Complex.
“The vision for the music video was to find a visual language that expressed what I felt when I heard the song,” says Bel Vasto. “As production went along the vision changed slightly but what remained and what was later found in the editing room was the story of our protagonist existing in two different settings/worlds, with fragments from each informing the other. A mix between a dream and a journey.”
Frydman adds, “Edwin and I really tried to put forward a strong narrative for the song and with the song being this hypnotic loop, it was essential to flow in tandem with the various melodies on display. What we came up with was a storyline where the protagonist finds himself in between two places connected through a portal (the painting), where he realizes neither world is quite right as much as he'd like to believe it. The balance has to be found within oneself.”
WATCH / SHARE “HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD” HERE
“Have You Been Told” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
MORE ABOUT EDWIN RAPHAEL
How do you anchor yourself when occupying multiple geographic identities at once? For Edwin Raphael, it requires an intentional and intensive form of world-building. By developing an unmistakable style of folk that merges Eastern scales with the Western pop canon, Raphael reimagines his music as a exploratory tool that allows him to construct an interior and sacred home to retreat into.
Growing up in Dubai, as the son of parents who immigrated from the city of Cochin in India’s coastal Kerala state, Raphael studied classical guitar before deciding on the keys. As he developed an affinity for John Mayer and Ben Howard, he felt at odds with Dubai’s distinct sense of “placelessness” — and the bewildering feeling of being immersed in a culture where everyone claimed an alternate homeland. It wasn’t until he moved to Montreal to pursue a business degree that he felt a sense of stability, and became deeply entangled with the city’s indie bedroom pop scene.
His debut EP Ocean’s Walk (2015) paired stirring, melancholic instrumentals with a fierce self-reckoning. It would set the stage for a string of releases that would dive deeper into the psyche; like confronting the aftershocks following a significant heartbreak, or relearning your emotional baseline as you mature. Subsequent releases, Cold Nights (2017), his acclaimed debut Will You Think of Me Later? (2019), and its follow up Staring at Ceilings (2021), reveal an artist devoted to sharpening his ability to translate his experiences into ubiquitous statements, and saw him open for Hollow Coves, JP Saxe, Noah Kahan.
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BUY / STREAM STARING AT CEILINGS EP HERE
WATCH EDWIN RAPHAEL PERFORM LIVE ON CBC MUSIC’S ‘THE INTRO’ HERE
MORE PRAISE FOR STARING AT CEILINGS
“'Sea of Things' feels primal, mimicking the ocean with cyclical, crashing movements, patiently building itself up and washing itself back out." - FLAUNT
"Calming ambience and angelic vocals." - Lyrical Lemonade
"Chill pop with a touch of folk." - EARMILK
"Weightless and ethereal" - Indie Shuffle
"The instrumental and harmonic components provide the same floating-in-space feeling we love from Fleet Foxes." - Culture Collide
"Offers an escape from anxiety." - Kajal
"Incredibly raw and emotional." - C-Heads
"A gently addictive soundscape, all wistful energy and patient." - Beats Per Minute
"Notes of Bon Iver and Frank Ocean come to a glorious head to create something moving, exciting and fresh." - The Rodeo