EVANGELINE GENTLE’S NEW LP, WHERE THE DIAMONDS ARE, OUT SEPTEMBER 29
LISTEN / SHARE “BAD GIRLS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BAD GIRLS” HERE
“Evangeline Gentle's self-titled album is a triumph” - Exclaim!
“Gentle's voice communicates an aching warmth that comes with knowing hardness and choosing softness instead… every time I listen to the record, I'm blown away anew by their songwriting and the space they're carving out across multiple genres — indie pop, alt-folk, singer-songwriter — in a way that feels effortless" - CBC Music
"Gentle's voice grabs you instantly with its purity and expressiveness" - FYI Music
Photo Credit : Landon Marchen // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
This September, Evangeline Gentle will release her upcoming album, Where The Diamonds Are, produced by Jim Bryson, mixed by Daniel Ledwell and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova. While early Americana influences remain present in her work, Evangeline takes an energizing leap in the indie-pop direction with this fresh release.
“These 10 songs have provided a container for my peak experiences of joy, resilience, shame, ancestral trauma-healing, grief, love and queerness,” says Gentle. “Each track is an expression of reverence for the resilience of women and femmes in its own way. From the writing process to the recording process, the experience of making Where The Diamonds Are has been an empowering one. My hope is that this album will be empowering for its listeners too, and I can’t wait to share in September.”
Today, Gentle shares the album’s opening cut, “Bad Girls”. “While I don’t subscribe to any particular religion, I’m admittedly a huge theology nerd in my spare time and I’m particularly drawn to the work of feminist, Gnostic Christian scholars,” says Gentle. “There’s a sapphic reimagining of the biblical character Mary Magdalene present in ‘Bad Girls’, and she’s been a muse of mine ever since I read her gospel commentated by Jean-Yves Leloup for the first time. ‘The Magdalene,’ as she is often called, translates to ‘The Tower.’ This is a commanding title that embodies the disruptive, liberating potential of her narrative, a narrative which asks us to re-evaluate the widespread acceptance of male-centric, dualistic spirituality. Reimagining “The Magdalene” as the modern, archetypal ‘Bad Girl’ is my attempt to share what she represents to me: defiant, divine and powerful femininity. I also feel so grateful to be alive during the rise of openly queer pop music, when our voices, historically silenced for their own potential to disturb the status quo and usher in new ways of being, are now heard on large global stages. ‘Bad Girls’ is a sonic contribution to this age of unapologetic sapphic storytelling, and weaving Mary Magdalene into the lyrical content felt aligned.”
LISTEN / SHARE “BAD GIRLS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BAD GIRLS” HERE
“Bad Girls” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
MORE ABOUT EVANGELINE GENTLE
Equally as unapologetic in its celebration of queer culture as opener “Bad Girls” is the track “Gay Bar”, which has us “dressed up and feeling like a shiny star”, and imagining the neon-lit dance floor of a utopian Gay Bar. Inspired by the words of Dolly Parton, “be a diamond in a rhinestone world”, Evangeline claims she’s “where the diamonds are” when in the company of “Radiant [drag] queens adorned in jewels” who provide respite from the “troubled world” outside.
WATCH / SHARE “GAY BAR” HERE
PURCHASE “GAY BAR” VIA BANDCAMP HERE
“Underdog” is the album’s leading feminist anthem and is set to empower relating listeners with lyrics such as “calling me a crazy bitch won’t silence and degrade me, I speak my mind especially when men underestimate me”. Ablaze with Venusian themes of feminine desire and boasting the album’s most powerful vocal moments by both Evangeline and backing vocalist Carleigh Aikins alike, “Waters” is a smouldering, defining track. “Sarah” is a break-up ballad for the still-in-love and features guest vocalist Stewart Legere, while “Bad Kids” is a love song for the tight-knit group of queer youth Gentle spent her teen years with as troublemakers. “High Vibes” brings the spiritual realm of Evangeline’s creative process into sharper focus, its vulnerability opening the door for “He’ll Do It Again”, an attempt to convince a domestic violence survivor to leave. The dark and dream-like sonic landscape of “Deceive Lie Cheat Steal” mimics the relevant emotional wooziness of guilt and remorse. Closing track “Fall Again” is a folk-pop mood-booster and memorable finale.
LISTEN / SHARE “SARAH” HERE
BUY / STREAM “SARAH” HERE
Evangeline’s debut self-titled release earned appearances in Forbes, Under The Radar, Exclaim!, radio play on BBC, CBC, and SiriusXM, She has supported acts such as Kathleen Edwards, Donovan Woods, Whitehorse, Tim Baker, Begonia, Terra Lightfoot, Basia Bulat, Craig Cardiff, and Sarah MacDougall.
WHERE THE DIAMONDS ARE TRACKLIST
01 Bad Girls
02 Gay Bar
03 Underdog
04 Waters
05 Sarah
06 Bad Kids
07 High Vibes
08 He’ll Do It Again
09 Deceive Lie Cheat Steal
10 Fall Again