Ahead of upcoming album release shows in Saint John and Fredericton this weekend, Kylie Fox shares her latest single, Face, taken from her debut full-length album, Green.
Matt Carter
We’re all familiar with the expression, “Slow and steady wins the race,” but what exactly does that mean? How slow? How steady? When we apply this term to artists – specifically, musicians releasing and promoting music – slow and steady for an album release cycle could mean a few months. Maybe six. Mmmaayyybbeee a little more. I suppose if we’re talking about big acts, the kind that play big tours in big venues, then maybe “slow and steady” could take a year or more. But when it comes to local artists, often they’re on to the next project by this point.
Not Kylie Fox. Thanks in part to today’s pandemic climate, she’s been working on promoting her debut full-length album, Green, since it was released back in September of 2020. If MusicNB or the ECMAs gave an award for Slowest and Steadiest Album Release Cycle, Fox would be a shoe-in.
But there’s something to be said and appreciated about taking one’s time to get things done. And doing things right. Making an album, afterall, is a massive undertaking and a huge investment, so it’s not the kind of thing to blow off over a few unforeseen complications.
With live shows being the gamble they are these days, Fox has devoted much of her time to supporting the record in other ways. Like music videos. Beginning with Cool Feet in May of 2020, followed by supporting videos for Avocado, Glowstars, Horny and Bored, Spend the Morning With Me and now, Face, Fox has demonstrated not only her unwavering determination and commitment to these songs, but also just how far an artist can adapt when they have to.
Each new video Fox shares reflects the deep and honest emotion and humour that has defined her songwriting from the very beginning. They might make you laugh. They might make you cry. Feelings of some sort are a guarantee. With her latest video for the song Face, directed by award-winning Fredericton filmmaker Ariana Marquis, Fox continues to treat Green with admirable respect some 16 months after its official release.
And providing the world holds steady for the next few days, she’ll also be performing long-overdue album release shows this weekend in Saint John and Fredericton after previous attempts in October 2020, December 2020 and March of 2021 had to be shelved because of COVID-19 outbreaks.
“It’s ironic that I’ll be going through with these shows and the COVID count is higher than ever,” said Fox.
“In most cases, we play our album release shows when the album releases, and we have yet to see how the songs will grow, where the album will take us, and what songs will make an impact. These album release shows are special, because now they’re reflective. These songs are now becoming the places I’ve played them, and the people who have reached out to me telling me their baby is the size of an avocado.”
Fox says that following this weekend’s performances, she will finally have a sense of closure with Green, and will be able to move on knowing she saw the project through during one of the most difficult times.
“I am also so excited and ready. Everyday I am grateful to my band,” she said. “They are the most impressive group of players and we’ve grown to love each other so much since I first hired them to play the one-off release show last October.
“The album will still live, but I finally feel closure with it, and that I can rightfully begin working on my next.”
Upcoming Performances:
Dec. 17 | Kent Theatre | w/ Jerry-Faye and Dylan | Saint John, NB | 7:30 p.m. | View Event
Dec. 18 | Charlotte Street Arts Centre | w/ Jerry-Faye and Dylan | Fredericton, NB | 8:30 p.m. | View Event
Photo by Nienke Izurieta.
