Where Do They Swim? is the new single from Adam Mowery and Pierre Cormier’s interprovincial songwriting project Papal Visit.
Matt Carter
What began as a long distance songwriting partnership between two Saint John musicians has grown to become a lot more. When Adam Mowery moved to Halifax after years of making music in Saint John, he and his friend and bandmate Pierre Cormier formed Papal Visit, a project that would help them both stay connected and creative despite no longer sharing a jam space. Five years on, Papal Visit’s discography includes a staggering number of original songs spread out across eight singles, two albums and a live EP. There is also a full band version of the project as well, with a lineup boasting many of Saint John’s most active performers and collaborators.
This week welcomed the release of Where Do They Swim?, the first new single from the group in more than a year.
“It’s basically a summer celebration song,” said Mowery. “I’m always up for a swim wherever I go. That’s a big part of summer in the Maritimes. This song was also inspired by a trip home to Saint John the summer before last. It was one of those great visits where you just find yourself running into people constantly, some you haven’t seen in years.”
Like all songs from this project, Where Do They Swim? was recorded in both Saint John and Halifax without Mowery and Cormier never being in the same room together.
“This is a pure Papal Visit song,” said Mowery. “Pierre recorded the beds with Geoffrey Smith and I believe Chris Braydon. I did the vocals here in Halifax with a friend who has a nice little recording setup. Jason Ogden put the video together and I think he’s working on one for the next single now.”
Where Do They Swim? is one of nearly 30 songs Papal Visit have completed and ready for release. Between now and the fall, the Mowery and Cormier plan to release a few more singles in the lead-up to releasing a full album on Monopolized Records sometime near the latter portion of 2020.
“We’ve had this album done for a long time now,” said Mowery. “It’s a 25 song record and we’ve been whittling it down to a length that will fit on vinyl. We’ve been making some tough calls for sure. The singles we’re releasing will have an A side and a B side. The A sides will be on the album and the B sides will only be available on the single release. We’re traditional record nerds that way.”
Where Do They Swim? was released May 1, 2020.
