TOUCHING REVEAL ROCOCODE REMIX OF ALBUM TRACK FROM LITTLEWORLDS


WATCH / SHARE “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) HERE

BUY / STREAM “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) OUT EVERYWHERE TOMORROW 

TOUCHING’S (AKA, MICHAEL FALK (EX-LES JUPES)) NEW ALBUM, littleworlds, OUT NOW VIA HEAD IN THE SAND

BUY / STREAM littleworlds

“All I Need, about the last day of a manufacturing plant, paints a poignant, John Samson-esque picture of existential struggle, while Caught in the Middle is a classic tale of unattainable love and Tony Called the Muscle is an uptempo study of how the mighty fall that will likely sound huge when played live. Here’s hoping…” - WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Touching, the artistic alias of Michael Falk (formerly of Les Jupes), recently released his new LP, littleworlds. Today, the Winnipeg-based  songwriter and producer is sharing a remix of album closer “Unbelievable” by Rococode (Laura Smith and Andrew Braun), which arrives complete with a video from Daniel Murphy.

“Rococode was the first non-Manitoban band I ever signed to my old label Head In The Sand, and I've long appreciated Laura and Andrew,” says Falk. “They've made some great music over the years. Artistically and personally, they felt like the right people to ask to mess with one of the songs on the record, and I really love what they've made. I like how they've somehow managed to make the song even more introverted and lonely... its glitchy in the best David Lynch ways possible. Daniel Murphy has been making all of our cover artwork, and it was great to get him involved on the video side now too. His work often feels ever-so-slightly, purposefully out of balance, like a pretty picture that's just fucked up enough to keep you guessing a bit.”

“When Mike asked us to reimagine a track, we came up with the concept of ‘what if Radiohead’s ‘Everything in its Right Place’ was on the Nine Inch Nails album The Fragile?’,” says Smith. “With these, admittedly way too lofty, sonic goals in mind we set about trying to create a new but complimentary narrative out of the song’s raw materials. 

We wanted to encapsulate the moodiness of the lyrics and to juxtapose the beautiful piano of the original with something harsh and hypnotic. We started by taking a couple of bars from the piano outro and looping it into a grinding pulse. Next we chopped up lyrical phrases and messed with Mike’s voice to create a fragmented and multi-voiced inner dialogue that eventually comes together in a moment of serene clarity. We made 8 minute versions and 3 minute versions. We tossed in a four on the floor 909 kick, surprise bass notes, muffled vocals, and dug out our e-bow. We didn’t listen to any Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails.

It took us some time to agree on the effectiveness of most of these moves so the process, much like the remix itself, was somewhat tense before finally finding its way to a moment of release. On our final listen before sending it off, some teenagers walking home from school saw us dancing in the living room and made awkward eye contact. We took that as a good sign and in the end, like always, we agree it was worth the ride to make something we both believe in.”

WATCH / SHARE “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) HERE

BUY / STREAM “UNBELIEVABLE” (ROCOCODE REMIX) OUT EVERYWHERE TOMORROW

MORE ABOUT littleworlds
In late Spring of 2020, Touching began sharing 10 songs over 10 weeks, a project that was unveiled serially with a one-shot video for each track filmed and released every seven days, eventually released as the project’s debut album, Isolation Blues. With its relatable lyrical themes of loneliness, depression, and disconnection, Exclaim! described the collection as “a greatest hits of pandemic moods.”

Hot on its heels now comes littleworlds, a new album aiming to disinfect the darkness with sunlight. The sophomore release from Touching is built on feelings of hope, simple joys found amidst conflict, and the anticipation and fear of becoming a parent. Its 12 songs were written during the same period as Isolation Blues as Falk stepped away from touring and various other collaborative projects. Using this opportunity to build a studio in his basement, he centered his efforts on writing and recording.

WATCH AND SHARE “TONY CALLED THE MUSCLE” HERE

At the heart of littleworlds is Falk’s rich baritone. His striking voice soars with the passion of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, coasts with the coolness of Marker Starling’s Chris A. Cummings, and plumbs the emotional depths of Richard Dawson. Musically, the album injects the downtempo electronic ambience of Massive Attack (“I’m inspired by their late career stuff that no one thinks about,” laughs Falk) into the high drama indie-rock of Editors, Manchester Orchestra, or We Were Promised Jetpacks.  

WATCH AND SHARE “ALL I NEED” HERE

WATCH AND SHARE “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” HERE

From his home in Winnipeg, the multi-hyphenate musician has organized festivals, run a studio, and operated a record label, juggling countless roles within the local scene. As a performer, he has toured with acclaimed acts including Les Jupes, The Liptonians, and rapper/CBC host Ismaila Alfa. Yet since becoming a father, Falk has consolidated his lifelong pursuit into a renewed, singular focus: Get back to making music. And lots of it.

BUY / STREAM littleworlds

Photo Credit : Samanta Katz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

TOUCHING ONLINE
WEBSITE
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM

TOUCHING SHARES THIRD RING-SIDE VIDEO FOR “ALL I NEED”, NEW LP OUT FRIDAY


TOUCHING’S (AKA, MICHAEL FALK (EX-LES JUPES)) UPCOMING ALBUM, littleworlds, OUT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29 VIA HEAD IN THE SAND

WATCH AND SHARE “ALL I NEED” HERE

BUY / STREAM littleworlds OUT EVERYWHERE TOMORROW


Photo Credit : Samanta Katz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Tomorrow, Touching, the artistic alias of songwriter and producer Michael Falk (formerly of Les Jupes), will release his new LP, littleworlds. To celebrate the release, Falk is sharing the final installment in a trio of videos he directed, featuring a boxing ring in the historic Burton Cummings Theatre. 

“All I Need” sees the song’s main character “walking out of a factory on his last day of work, staring back into the void and wondering if the life he's spent slaving away at was worth anything in the end,” says Falk. “Did anyone actually benefit or care? Is the world a better place? 

For the video, we deployed that character as the young boxer from the Tony video, now old and the janitor at his boxing club. He just can't let go of the ring, and his relationships suffer as a result.

Only recently did I clue in to realizing that it might be my subconscious challenging my own fears as an artist, asking if there’s even a point to continuing to make art? Or, alternatingly, if my purpose is indeed an artist above all else, and everything else needs to be laid aside in the quest to make art? Existential crisis! Ha. 

Alasdair and I wrote this one together - our first co-write. It all started with him jamming on some bass line ideas and me jumping in ‘Hey, that’s great -  Let’s use that!’ and we started building from there. Writing lyrics and melodies over harmonic structures that are different than what I would normally write myself is a fun learning process and a welcome challenge.”

WATCH AND SHARE “ALL I NEED” HERE

MORE ABOUT littleworlds

In late Spring of 2020, Touching began sharing 10 songs over 10 weeks, a project that was unveiled serially with a one-shot video for each track filmed and released every seven days, eventually released as the project’s debut album, Isolation Blues. With its relatable lyrical themes of loneliness, depression, and disconnection, Exclaim! described the collection as “a greatest hits of pandemic moods.”

Hot on its heels now comes littleworlds, a new album aiming to disinfect the darkness with sunlight. The sophomore release from Touching is built on feelings of hope, simple joys found amidst conflict, and the anticipation and fear of becoming a parent. Its 12 songs were written during the same period as Isolation Blues as Falk stepped away from touring and various other collaborative projects. Using this opportunity to build a studio in his basement, he centred his efforts on writing and recording.

“I bottomed out last year and had a desire to reconnect with my own path of self-fulfilment,” Falk explains. “The only way to become a role model for my son was to show him that I know how to walk the walk by living the life that I want to live. You can tell kids whatever you want, but in the end they’ll look up to what you actually do.”

WATCH AND SHARE “TONY CALLED THE MUSCLE” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TONY CALLED THE MUSCLE”

At the heart of littleworlds is Falk’s rich baritone. His striking voice soars with the passion of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, coasts with the coolness of Marker Starling’s Chris A. Cummings, and plumbs the emotional depths of Richard Dawson. Musically, the album injects the downtempo electronic ambience of Massive Attack (“I’m inspired by their late career stuff that no one thinks about,” laughs Falk) into the high drama indie-rock of Editors, Manchester Orchestra, or We Were Promised Jetpacks.  

Driven by thunderous drums, squelching synths, and massive choruses, first single “Tony Called The Muscle” digs into the turmoil of separating from a former creative collaborator. “All I Need”, set on the last day of work at a manufacturing plant, questions the worth of a life spent working on things that people don’t seem to value, while trying to connect to what really matters. The cycling synth arpeggios of “Spark” create a feeling of propulsion as Falk meditates on the intentions to become his best self. Taken as a whole, these songs point to a lighter, warmer, more connected future than Isolation Blues’ view from the muck.

WATCH AND SHARE “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE”

“I had to turn inwards to refocus on my songwriting, becoming a dad, and getting my mental health back in relative order,” says Falk. “I wanted my relationship with my kid in the first few years to be really grounded. I want him to grow up seeing his dad doing what he loves meaningfully and successfully. If you really value something, I want to show him that you can figure out the path to make it work.”

From his home in Winnipeg, the multi-hyphenate musician has organized festivals, run a studio, and operated a record label, juggling countless roles within the local scene. As a performer, he has toured with acclaimed acts including Les Jupes, The Liptonians, and rapper/CBC host Ismaila Alfa. Yet since becoming a father, Falk has consolidated his lifelong pursuit into a renewed, singular focus: Get back to making music. And lots of it.

BUY / STREAM littleworlds OUT EVERYWHERE TOMORROW

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

littleworlds TRACKLIST
01 Still Slow
02 Tony Called The Muscle
03 The Same Way
04 Nothing Can Change Your Mind
05 All I Need
06 Spark
07 Diamond In The Light
08 Two Solitudes
09 Caught In The Middle
10 Unbelievable

TOUCHING ONLINE
WEBSITE
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM

TOUCHING RETURNS TO THE RING IN NEW VIDEO FOR “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE”

TOUCHING’S (AKA, MICHAEL FALK (EX-LES JUPES)) UPCOMING ALBUM, littleworlds, OUT OCTOBER 29 VIA HEAD IN THE SAND

WATCH AND SHARE “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” HERE

BUY / STREAM “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” (AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE TOMORROW)

Photo Credit : Samanta Katz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Touching, the artistic alias of songwriter and producer Michael Falk (formerly of Les Jupes), is sharing the second single and video from his upcoming LP, littleworlds. Following the first single “Tony Called The Muscle”, album track “Caught In The Middle” swoons with slow-paced reverence, exploring the complex feelings that emerge with the coming of a first child.

Directed by Falk, the video for “Caught In The Middle” is the “second in our little trilogy set around a boxing ring,” says Falk. “While the song was written before becoming a father, this video was made after having a few years of papa-hood under my belt. I wanted to tell a story about the ‘rupture and repair’ that enables trust and relationships, like muscles, to grow. Kids push their parents away, and pull them close. Emotions can run hot, and children are the ultimate truth-tellers. It’s humbling and beautiful. Sometimes parents have to grin and take it - the shot of Christa gritting her teeth while Sophie punches her stomach feels like a pretty universal lived experience and gets me every time.

 Early in the video there’s a shot of actors, Christa and Sophie Rust, slowly raising their head. It's subtle, but it’s a direct reference to AG Rojas’ video for Florence + The Machine’s “Hunger”. A little nod to the inspiration for our aesthetic on these videos.”

WATCH AND SHARE “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” HERE

BUY / STREAM “CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE” (AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE TOMORROW)

MORE ABOUT littleworlds
In late Spring of 2020, Touching began sharing 10 songs over 10 weeks, a project that was unveiled serially with a one-shot video for each track filmed and released every seven days, eventually released as the project’s debut album, Isolation Blues. With its relatable lyrical themes of loneliness, depression, and disconnection, Exclaim! described the collection as “a greatest hits of pandemic moods.”

Hot on its heels now comes littleworlds, a new album aiming to disinfect the darkness with sunlight. The sophomore release from Touching is built on feelings of hope, simple joys found amidst conflict, and the anticipation and fear of becoming a parent. Its 12 songs were written during the same period as Isolation Blues as Falk stepped away from touring and various other collaborative projects. Using this opportunity to build a studio in his basement, he centered his efforts on writing and recording.

“I bottomed out last year and had a desire to reconnect with my own path of self-fulfilment,” Falk explains. “The only way to become a role model for my son was to show him that I know how to walk the walk by living the life that I want to live. You can tell kids whatever you want, but in the end they’ll look up to what you actually do.”

WATCH AND SHARE “TONY CALLED THE MUSCLE” HERE
BUY / STREAM “TONY CALLED THE MUSCLE” (OUT EVERYWHERE TOMORROW) HERE

At the heart of littleworlds is Falk’s rich baritone. His striking voice soars with the passion of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, coasts with the coolness of Marker Starling’s Chris A. Cummings, and plumbs the emotional depths of Richard Dawson. Musically, the album injects the downtempo electronic ambience of Massive Attack (“I’m inspired by their late career stuff that no one thinks about,” laughs Falk) into the high drama indie-rock of Editors, Manchester Orchestra, or We Were Promised Jetpacks.  

Driven by thunderous drums, squelching synths, and massive choruses, first single “Tony Called The Muscle” digs into the turmoil of separating from a former creative collaborator. “All I Need”, set on the last day of work at a manufacturing plant, questions the worth of a life spent working on things that people don’t seem to value, while trying to connect to what really matters. The cycling synth arpeggios of “Spark” create a feeling of propulsion as Falk meditates on the intentions to become his best self. Taken as a whole, these songs point to a lighter, warmer, more connected future than Isolation Blues’ view from the muck.

“I had to turn inwards to refocus on my songwriting, becoming a dad, and getting my mental health back in relative order,” says Falk. “I wanted my relationship with my kid in the first few years to be really grounded. I want him to grow up seeing his dad doing what he loves meaningfully and successfully. If you really value something, I want to show him that you can figure out the path to make it work.”

From his home in Winnipeg, the multi-hyphenate musician has organized festivals, run a studio, and operated a record label, juggling countless roles within the local scene. As a performer, he has toured with acclaimed acts including Les Jupes, The Liptonians, and rapper/CBC host Ismaila Alfa. Yet since becoming a father, Falk has consolidated his lifelong pursuit into a renewed, singular focus: Get back to making music. And lots of it.

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

littleworlds TRACKLIST
01 Still Slow
02 Tony Called The Muscle
03 The Same Way
04 Nothing Can Change Your Mind
05 All I Need
06 Spark
07 Diamond In The Light
08 Two Solitudes
09 Caught In The Middle
10 Unbelievable

TOUCHING ONLINE
WEBSITE
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM