So very happy to report that the new album is poised for release (finally!) and the formal release date (here in Beijing) is March 27th, 2021. The venue is called Cloud 9 and details can be found here.

Entitled “Mid-March Meltdown,” (front and back covers pictured here), I will soon announce a pre-release download page where you can get the tracks before they’re officially released through all the usual outlets (Spotify, iTunes, etc.) Until then, here’s a snippet of the story behind the title as well as a few words from an independent reviewer in Montreal.

about the album title:

Everyone will assume this album was named after March of 2020, when the world went into lockdown (three months after China, though!) and then those lockdowns very quickly turned into meltdowns for many families and individuals. It’s true that this album title is apropos after the year we’ve had! But the truth is that the meltdown in question came from the same month in the year 2018–the kind shaped by broken shards of heart.

about the album theme:

Meltdowns are often what determine what the next steps are in life. For me, those steps were regarding where home should be (“Be My Home”) and when accepting darkness should become a priority (“It’s Like That”) and why hope should always be allowed to lead (“Broken Thing”). Along the way, there have been some moments of wanting to give up (“I Don’t Care”), wanting to detach (“Skin on Skin”), and wanting the fantasies (“Paris”) to lead me into a purposefully fuzzy perspective like the font on my song titles–unclear to the point of manipulation (“Illusion”). So imagine life is in a transition and these are the songs here to remind us to resist the temptation to be our own obstacles (“Knockin'”), to kick out uncertainties (“Ambiguity”) and to fight the urge to settle for what will never steady us (“Castaway”).

about upcoming videos:

I purposely didn’t talk about “I Don’t Love You,” my first single from the album, because I said enough in a recent podcast interview on The Point with Haig Balian. It will be accompanied by a very fun video directed and produced by François Nadeau of Montréal and might just feature an unusual wild animal… Just sayin’!

I also didn’t mention “Cricket Heart,” a fable-like song that will be accompanied by an amazing animation to be launched next month by the infinitely talented (also) Montréal-based artist, Stephanie Heendrickxen, who designed my previous 2017 album Sticks & Stones.

Finally, “Broken Thing,” our third track on the album and the song voted “most likely to make you cry” by all the early listeners of this collection, will be accompanied by an official video as well, directed and produced by Gabriel Beaudoin (my guitarist and co-producer on this album), as his debut “film” production. I must admit, this video is incredible. You’ll never believe he’s never made a video before. That guy’s talents just keep stacking up! Did I mention he’s originally *ALSO* from Montreal? Seems that my home country, and particularly Québec, is all over this release!

about the music & lyrics:

An independent reviewer (also from Montréal–what?!) had this to say about the album:

“With her 13th album, Mid-March Meltdown, Beijing-based Canadian indie artist Ember Swift has created her most musically memorable recording yet. From the soulful funk of It’s Like That to the blues-seeped pop of Castaway, Mid-March Meltdown is a collection that is simultaneously contemporary and timeless. With genuinely outstanding songcraft and alluring production, Ember’s sparkling singing is not a mere exercise in vocal gymnastics; it’s an expressive instrument of a full range of human emotion.

In spite of sad lyrics that permeate a number of songs on the album, their musical treatment – and that voice – elevates them with a quality that is nothing less than joyous. Reflective and sorrowful perhaps; but there’s no hint of maudlin sentiment when you have songs that are so filled with life. Equally enticing is the album’s sheer level of musicianship, frequently highlighted by the muscular and melodic guitar playing of Gabriel Beaudoin, who co-produced Mid-March Meltdown with Ember.” ~ Gerry Lipnowski, Montréal Canada

Stay-tuned. This album is literally just weeks away from release. I’m giddy with excitement!

~ Ember