City and Colour – acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Dallas Green – recently released his highly-anticipated 7th studio album The Love Still Held Me Near via Still Records, an imprint of Dine Alone Records. The album is a deeply personal and cathartic offering, and the most musically expansive in the celebrated City and Colour canon.
“Sonically speaking, the song ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ was a breakthrough,” recalls Green. “When I discovered that the wandering synth line was intersecting with the jagged guitar harmoniously, I realized It was still possible to be amazed at the wonder of creating a song. It gave me the jolt of inspiration I needed to dig into the ineffable nature of what I was trying to work through emotionally with the songs.”
Directed by Michael Maxxis, the latest video is the fourth instalment of a moody, and formidable cinematic series of videos that accompany every song on the new LP. “Dallas’ walls are down on this album, and I wanted to capture that on film,” says Maxxis. The series was shot in Detroit, Michigan over 3 days on 16mm film.
The full visual album will premiere at 3:00pm ET on Friday, April 7. All 12 videos will be shown followed by a YouTube Afterparty at 4:00pm ET with Green and Michael Maxxis in conversation. The afterparty is exclusive to YouTube Premium members.
Produced by Green and longtime band member and collaborator Matt Kelly, the 12 songs that comprise The Love Still Held Me Near follow the most difficult period in Green’s life, including the tragic loss of his best friend and longtime engineer Karl Bareham in 2019. Mixed by three-time Grammy-winner Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain and others), the album features Green’s voice louder than ever before, supported by arrangements that are at once delicate and nuanced but also enormously powerful.
City and Colour has amassed a legion of passionate fans worldwide who connect with the depth and intimacy of Green’s songs. The Love Still Held Me Near finds the songwriter revealing more of himself amidst new textures, arrangements and soundscapes not previously heard on City and Colour albums. While it was born out of navigating a trying time, it is an album of hope, redemption and inspiration, taking a trip from the emotional depths through the other side and finding a way to, as the closing track says, “Begin Again.”
Green recently announced his return to Toronto’s Budweiser Stage for one night only on August 25, 2023. Joining as direct support is three-time Grammy-award-winning artist Ben Harper, with neo-soul artist Katie Tupper opening. The show will notably be Green’s 11th performance at the iconic venue, the most for any Canadian artist with the exception of Blue Rodeo and OVO Festival, and the only independent artist to do so. Tickets are available here.
City and Colour has partnered with PLUS1 so that a portion of proceeds goes to supporting organizations bringing dignity, equality, and access to communities who need it.
Connect with City and Colour:
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings