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
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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
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“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
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