ADA LEA RELEASES NEW SINGLE, ANNOUNCES UPCOMING EP

Photo Credit: Thomas Molander // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Montreal’s Ada Lea (the moniker of Alexandra Levy) is announcing her new EP, notes, out November 4 via Next Door Records and Saddle Creek. The celebrated songwriter is also sharing the new single, “come on, baby! be a good girl for the camera”, a song she wrote “while on a very challenging tour that took everything out of me. Over the years, I’ve developed a suspicion that your skin must be made of macho steel to ‘make it’ in the industry—you’ve gotta be able to suck it up, put a nice smile on your face, and do a little dance with a twinkle in your eye. The chorus runs with that belief, in a cheeky, non-committal and playful way.”

Of the accompanying music video co-directed by herself and Lawrence Fafard, Ada Lea says, “I’ve been a fan of Lawrence’s photography for quite some time now. I am in awe of their visual eye and how they combine physical materials to create a textured image.  “Have you ever made a music video before?” I messaged them one day. Their answer was, as I would have hoped, “No, but I’d love to try!” We had two weeks to prepare. The next day, Lawrence called me up with a revelation: “I could approach this video as a combination of beautiful shots”. It was an eye-opening perspective for me, too—to remember that video, at its core, could be broken down simply, into a series of striking images. From there, things moved quickly and everything fell into place. Lolly Poppers was the natural star shining brightly in the sky, and the fact that we created it together, with such a small group and extremely limited resources, gives me goosebumps. It feels really special, and iconic.”

WATCH / SHARE “come on, baby! be a good girl for the camera” HERE
BUY / STREAM “come on, baby! be a good girl for the camera” HERE


MORE ABOUT ADA LEA
Ada Lea is the musical project of Montreal-based songwriter Alexandra Levy. She released her debut album, what we say in private, and her sophomore album, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, both on Saddle Creek and Next Door Records. Ada Lea’s songs feature melodies that are at once classic and unique, and lyrical narratives that are both autobiographical and fictional. After extensive touring with her band, she is now putting the finishing touches on her third record.

PRE-SAVE notes EP HERE

PRAISE FOR one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden

“‘damn,’ from the Montreal-based singer-songwriter Ada Lea, unfolds like a quiet epiphany: a gradual accumulation of feelings and frustrations that, in an instant, snap into a sudden clarity.” - The New York Times

“[‘damn’ is] propulsive, unsettling and exquisite – and an impressive way to kick off an album.” - NPR Music

“[one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden] separates itself from the pack of a lot of similar folk music being made nowadays by being particularly crisp and well-defined.” - Stereogum

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notes EP
01 i95
02 come on, baby! be a good girl for the camera
03 make me a promise
04 serait-il…? 
05 hometown
06 heard you

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ADA LEA PRESENTS NEW SINGLE / VIDEO FROM NEW LP, OUT FRIDAY

WATCH AND SHARE “can’t stop me from dying” HERE

BUY / STREAM “can’t stop me from dying” HERE

NEW ALBUM, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, OUT THIS FRIDAY VIA NEXT DOOR RECORDS

“‘damn,’ from the Montreal-based singer-songwriter Ada Lea, unfolds like a quiet epiphany: a gradual accumulation of feelings and frustrations that, in an instant, snap into a sudden clarity.” - The New York Times

“[‘damn’ is] propulsive, unsettling and exquisite – and an impressive way to kick off an album.” - NPR Music

“[one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden] separates itself from the pack of a lot of similar folk music being made nowadays by being particularly crisp and well-defined.” - Stereogum

PRE-ORDER one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden HERE

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Photo Credit: Kristina Pedersen // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Montreal’s Ada Lea (the moniker of Alexandra Levy) will release her new album, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, this Friday on Next Door Records. Today, she presents a new single/video, “can’t stop me from dying”. Throughout the track, there are subtle sonic flourishes that make it especially compelling. Although other songs feel timeless with a 70s studio sheen, “can’t stop me from dying” sounds completely modern in its use of electronics, sound effects, and pitched vocals. Its video, directed by Katerine DM, reflects this modern feel, mimicking a Sims character wandering through a town before having a wild, dancing-filled night.

About the song’s origin, Levy explains: “I had just come off a difficult tour and was in a kind of trashy mental state and just couldn't shake the weird feeling. I kept imagining this character who dies multiple times throughout the course of a night whenever she makes a mistake, always restarting with a little more clarity than where she began, with the intention of doing things differently the second time around. These versions learn from past mistakes and the takeaway of ‘next time, I’ll do things differently’ is how you win the game - not using the mistakes as justifications to the mountain of shame with which we often use to torment ourselves. We’re gonna mess up, we’re gonna hurt people, nothing can stop that from happening and nothing can stop you from dying!”

WATCH AND SHARE “can’t stop me from dying” HERE
BUY / STREAM “can’t stop me from dying” HERE

Inspired by personal experience, daydreams, and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, the lyrics across one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden center storytelling on a bigger scale. The experience and emotions of a year are communicated through Levy’s vignettes of city life. Her prose is centered in its setting of the St. Denis area of Montreal as it draws up memories from local haunts like Fameux, La Rockette, and Quai des Brumes in rearview reverie. She creates a balance through the album’s year by splitting her songs evenly into four seasons. 

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden charts unavoidable growth that comes with experience. It’s both a collection of walking-paced, cathartic pop/folk songs and a book of heart-twisting, rear-view stories of city life. 

WATCH AND SHARE “partner” HERE
BUY / STREAM “partner” HERE

WATCH AND SHARE VIDEO FOR “damn” HERE

WATCH AND SHARE “HURT” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HURT” HERE

PRE-ORDER one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden HERE

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one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden TRACKLIST
01 damn
02 can’t stop me from dying
03 oranges
04 partner
05 saltspring
06 and my newness spoke to your newness and it was a thing of endless
07 my love 4 u is real
08 backyard
09 writer in ny
10 violence
11 hurt

ADA LEA ONLINE
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM

NEXT DOOR RECORDS

TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK

ADA LEA RELEASES NEW SINGLE / VIDEO FOR “partner”

WATCH AND SHARE “partner” HERE
BUY / STREAM “partner” HERE

ADA LEA’S UPCOMING LP, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, OUT SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 VIA NEXT DOOR RECORDS

“‘damn,’ from the Montreal-based singer-songwriter Ada Lea, unfolds like a quiet epiphany: a gradual accumulation of feelings and frustrations that, in an instant, snap into a sudden clarity.” - The New York Times

“[‘damn’ is] propulsive, unsettling and exquisite – and an impressive way to kick off an album.” - NPR Music

"Sonically weightless and vibrant, [‘damn’] is an indie pop paradise that slowly gets more complicated with each word that Levy sings.” - Stereogum

PRE-ORDER one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden HERE

“partner” video still

Montreal’s Ada Lea (the moniker of Alexandra Levy) releases a new single/video, “partner”, from her forthcoming album, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden, out September 24 on Next Door Records. It’s the follow-up to previously-released singles “damn” and “hurt”. Throughout “partner”, Lea sings as if she’s bright-eyed during a late night. Her narrative lyrics about an introspective evening unfurls over piano, synth, and a drum machine: ‘the cab lets me off at the diner // just for memory’s sake // and I sit at the same booth // with tears in my eyes // begging won't you admit you’re giving up on me too quick’. Levy describes it as “a song about moving through a memory… an involuntary memory that steals up on you the night after a rager (which takes place the morning after the song ‘damn’).” The accompanying cinematic video, directed by Erica Orofino, features Levy as she moves through memories and the city. 

WATCH AND SHARE “partner” HERE
BUY / STREAM “partner” HERE

“partner” is one of the stories that make up the new LP. As a whole, these tracks chart unavoidable growth that comes with experience. On one hand, it’s a collection of walking-paced, cathartic pop/folk songs, and on the other a book of heart-twisting, rear-view stories of city life. The album is set in Montreal and each song exists as a dot on a personal history map of the city where Levy grew up. The city exists as both the location of and a character in many of these songs. 

WATCH AND SHARE VIDEO FOR “damn” HERE

The sounds across the album range from classic, soft-rock beauty to intimate finger-picked folk passages and night-drive art-pop. And the textures are frequently surprising due to the collage of lo-fi and hi-fi sounds that tastefully decorate the album without ever clouding the heart-center of the song. Inspired by personal experience, daydreams, and Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, the lyrics centre storytelling on a bigger scale. The experience and emotions of a year are communicated through Levy’s vignettes of city life. Her prose is centred in its setting of the Saint-Denis area of Montreal as it draws up memories from local haunts like Fameux, La Rockette, and Quai des Brumes in rearview reverie. Levy creates a balance through the album’s year by splitting her songs evenly into four seasons. 

WATCH AND SHARE “HURT” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HURT” HERE

PRE-ORDER one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden TRACKLIST
01 damn
02 can’t stop me from dying
03 oranges
04 partner
05 saltspring
06 and my newness spoke to your newness and it was a thing of endless
07 my love 4 u is real
08 backyard
09 writer in ny
10 violence
11 hurt

ADA LEA ONLINE
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM

NEXT DOOR RECORDS
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK