WATCH / SHARE “PICKING THE NUMBERS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “PICKING THE NUMBERS” HERE
JESSE NORTHEY’S NEW LP, ONION KNIGHT, OUT TODAY VIA VICTORY POOL RECORDS
CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN THIS WEEK
BUY / STREAM ONION KNIGHT HERE
Photo Credit : Heather Saitz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Jesse Northey’s new record Onion Knight is officially released and the celebrated songwriter, producer, and engineer will set off on the road for a run of tour dates beginning tomorrow. Full tour dates can be found below.
To celebrate the album’s release, Northey is sharing the new video for “Picking The Numbers” from director Laura La France. “This song is a personal deep dive,” says Northey. “It's about an affinity for keno, vague memories of driving around rural Montana as a child, the family dog going to ‘the farm’, and an affirmation that we're going to win big later down the road!”
La France adds that, “the song is about gambling, getting rich, and a dog being put down. When we planned to do the shoot in Vegas, I decided to just wing it and see what we came up with. When the film came back from the lab, I knew we had something as overwhelming and over the top as Sin City itself. I don't think we could have planned it better if we tried.”
WATCH / SHARE “PICKING THE NUMBERS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “PICKING THE NUMBERS” HERE
MORE ABOUT ONION KNIGHT
If one was to analyze the DNA of Jesse Northey music, its double helix might look an awful lot like a sharp insider's take on the world of capital “P” pop songcraft. A decade and change into his career, Northey has long established his own voice as a songwriter, but the music palpably pulses with inspiration from the decades' worth of tune-smiths that have come before him. In tandem with lyrics that explore the myriad ways in which we need to dismantle the artifice of masculinity, societal norms, and creativity-sapping careerist ambitions, this is music firmly rooted in the classics, but cut with a clear-eyed contemporary viewpoint.
WATCH / SHARE “SOUL SEEKER” HERE
On his new album Onion Knight, Northey presents a widescreen distillation of these influences, brought to life with exceptional warmth and attention to detail by ace producer Thomas D’Arcy (The Sheepdogs, NOBRO, Yukon Blonde) at Taurus Studios in Toronto. “Onions are associated with crying,” Northey says. “I wanted to conjure an imagery that confronts the stoic heroism associated with masculinity and take a jab at it.” And he's done just that: the feel of Onion Knight is classic but also urgent, tackling modern anxieties and buffered by a warm, rich psychedelia that is inviting as it is pristine.
The drums are lush and up front, the bass melodic and McCartney-esque, and the songs are driven by piano, vintage keyboards, and shimmering synths. All of these elements readily bring to mind titans of song such as Elliott Smith, Harry Nilsson, Aimee Mann, and Spoon, as well as contemporaries such as Chris Cohen and Andy Shauf.
WATCH / SHARE “BOTH EYES CLOSED” HERE
MORE ABOUT JESSE NORTHEY
Northey has maintained a parallel career behind the curtains of the music world. His work as an engineer and producer has afforded him plenty of time to hone his studio skills, and his place on the High Priestess Publishing roster has led to songs appearing in far flung places such as the Amazon's documentary on Pete Buttigieig, former Indiana Mayor turned presidential candidate. As the leader of Jesse & The Dandelions, he has shared stages with Hollerado, Said the Whale, and July Talk, and toured extensively in Japan. And since 2020, he's been the man behind Victory Pool Records, a record label and management company, helping to shepherd an impressive variety of acts such as Witch Prophet, The Deep Dark Woods, Marlaena Moore, Ghost Woman and Ombiigizi.
BUY / STREAM ONION KNIGHT HERE
TOUR DATES
Aug 11 - Edmonton, AB - 9910 w/ Aaron Parker (Band)
Aug 12 - Lethbridge, AB - The Owl w/ Starpainter Band
Aug 13 - Calgary, AB - The Palomino w/ Kue Varo
Aug 16 - Nelson, BC - Hume Hotel Beer Gardens
Aug 18 - Squamish, BC - The Brackendale Art Gallery w/ Out East
Aug 19 - Vancouver, BC - The Railway Club
Aug 20 - Victoria, BC - Vinyl Envy w/ Peach Pyramid
Sep 02 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison w/ The Secret Beach
ONION KNIGHT TRACKLIST
01 Soul Seeker
02 Picking The Numbers
03 Both Eyes Closed
04 Do You Like Me Now
05 Is This Real Love
06 Hold On
07 I Am An Island