LISTEN AND SHARE “THE STRONGEST PEOPLE HAVE TENDER HEARTS” HERE
TOUR DATES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 27
SELF-TITLED LP DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 13 ON COAX RECORDS
“The soft beginning of lead single "Sundays" leaves ample space for Gentle's powerhouse voice...The rich country tone to "Sundays" might put "country music superstar" back in those cards, but whatever the space they create for themselves, Gentle's debut album is evidently just the beginning.” - CBC Music
“Some artists live up to their names...Evangeline Gentle would seem to be one of them,
based on the soothingly beautiful roots-pop and earthy,
Stevie Nicks-style vocals of Sundays” - Tinnitist
Photo Credit : Samantha Moss // DOWNLOAD HI-RES
This Fall, Evangeline Gentle will release their self-titled debut album on Coax Records and then take it on the road with a run of tour dates beginning on September 27. Full dates can be found below with more tour dates to be announced in the near future.
Today, Peterborough-based songwriter is also sharing another new track from the LP. “The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts”. Gentle says the song “declares that staying kind in the face of hardship is beautiful and courageous.”
LISTEN AND SHARE “THE STRONGEST PEOPLE HAVE TENDER HEARTS” HERE
Produced by Jim Bryson and mastered by Grammy Nominated Philip Shaw Bova, Gentle’s debut LP is rich, sweet, and lush with vibrato – only a few of the unmistakable qualities that constitute Gentle’s fervent timbre. Their songwriting possesses an authenticity and depth as rare and unique as their own journey. Born on the Northeast coast of Scotland, Gentle’s family lineage tells all. A descendent of the Codona Circus family, they have live performance in their blood and were given an unequivocal name for the stage too. Gentle has already been awarded Emerging Artist at the 2015 Peterborough Folk Fest and Best Female Vocalist of the year at the 2015 Wire Awards.
Gentle began writing their debut LP over the course of three years, collaborating with Bryson and slowly working on demos together. “During the writing years I trudged my way through deep periods of self-doubt, often wondering if I should quit music entirely,” says Gentle. “I’ve been in love with music my whole life. As a child I thought becoming a female country music superstar- long blonde curls and all was my inevitable fate. Somewhere along the way I internalized a lot of messaging about my queerness as being something that would hold me back, something that made me inherently less gifted and valuable as an artist, that I wasn’t enough for the industry and my spirit got broken. Each song on this record is a landmark on the journey toward re-establishing this spirit. I dream like a child again and though I have long since reconciled with my 11 year old self that becoming a country music superstar is not in the cards for me.”
Recorded at Bryson’s Fixed Hinge studio together with percussionists Pascal Delaquis and Matthew Greco, and vocalist Carleigh Aikins, the process for the LP began with tracks “So It Goes”, a nostalgic story telling of Gentle’s last teenage years, and “Even If”, documenting an unhealthy relationship and later distressing break up with their local dive bar.
LISTEN AND SHARE “SUNDAYS” HERE
Album opener “Drop My Name” was born out of working at a corporate fast food chain on top of another day job to try and earn enough money to make this album. “The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts” reflects on the time the #MeToo movement was taking off. “I mustered up every drop of compassion I could find and wrote that song to honour the ridiculous amount of strength it takes to stay soft in a world that can harden you with a single headline,” says Gentle. The album’s second track, “Ordinary People”, continues on that theme and was written for the “person/people in my life that keep me going when getting up in the morning is hard because I’ve spent too long reading news articles on my facebook feed,” says Gentle.
Lead single “Sundays” and album track “Neither Of Us” are love songs written around a common theme of being gentle with someone’s insecurities and affirming that they are more than enough. “Long Time Love” is a love song too, but about the magic moment where you just know the person who has stepped into your life is going to stick around.
The LP rounds out with the self-sabotaging “Digging My Grave” and “Good And Guided”, a song based on the “idea that we’re all trying our best to be good people with the information and experiences we have in the moment,” says Gentle. “That’s an idealistic view of the world, but it’s a spiritual one that I cling to to get through the day and stay open to connecting with life around me.”
PERFORMANCE DATES
Sep 27 - Folk Music Ontario Conference - The Campsite
Oct 4 - Peterborough, ON - The Theatre On King
Oct 5 - Barrie, ON - The Common Good
Oct 10 - Kitchener, ON - The Rich Uncle Tavern
Oct 18 - Ottawa, ON - Bar Robo
Oct 25 - Toronto, ON - The Painted Lady
Nov 10 - St. Catharines, ON - Mahtay Cafe
EVANGELINE GENTLE TRACKLIST
01 Drop My Name
02 Ordinary People
03 Sundays
04 Even If
05 So It Goes
06 The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts
07 Long Time Love
08 Neither Of Us
09 Digging My Grave
10 Good And Guided
