On November 1st, Montreal-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Geoffroy returns with 1952, the follow-up to his 2017 Polaris Long-Listed debut album Coastline. The rollout of his latest oeuvre mimics the winding two-year journey Geoffroy took to complete 1952. He started with 21 Days, a spiritual successor to Coastline’s title track, then followed with the laid back Woke up Late and the just-released The Fear of Falling Apart, which boldly announces the album’s theme.
A sense of nostalgia permeates throughout 1952, particularly in The Fear of Falling Apart. Geoffroy spent a lot of time retracing his steps, writing in the backyard garden of his childhood NDG home and digging through old family VHS tapes. The Fear of Falling Apart video, directed and edited by close friend Kyle Smith, mixes family footage from these VHS tapes with beautiful shots of Geoffroy playing the piano and wandering in the woods, shot in Beauce and around St-Adrien, QC.
The Fear of Falling Apart is without a doubt the most personal song on 1952, shares Geoffroy. Breast cancer took my beloved mother away from me in 2017, 11 years after the first diagnosis. I wrote this song a few months after her passing. In the last weeks, I told her my next album would be dedicated to her. She smiled. I wish she could hear it, but at least she knows.
Watch and share the video for The Fear of Falling Apart via YouTube.
The track is out now on all music services, and the album 1952 is available to pre-order.
The striking album art, designed by Montreal tattoo artist Dan Climan, is based on an old photo of Geoffroy’s mother, to whom the album is dedicated (1952 was her birth year). The artwork is a beautiful eye-catching image, and a deeper meaning reveals itself once listeners explore the meaning of the lyrics and music. Listening to 1952 from start to finish is a rich and evocative experience layered with textures of organic percussions, bass, guitars, vocals and synths. The new album is a continuation of the conversation started with Coastline, yet so much more. Reunited with Coastline collaborators Gabriel Gagnon, Clément Leduc and Max Gendron, 1952 is the first album completed at the newly christened Homy Studio in Montreal.
Geoffroy will celebrate the release of 1952 with a string of November shows. He’ll hit Montreal on November 15th (the show sold out in less than 24 hours), Quebec City on November 16th, Brooklyn on November 20th, Toronto on November 27th and Ottawa on November 28th. His new tour will resume in February 2020 in Western Canada. See all dates below or on geoffroymusic.com.
Geoffroy released his debut album Coastline in March 2017, earning critical and commercial success and landing on the Polaris Music Prize long list, while also garnering 25 million streams. In the two years since Coastline, Geoffroy and his band experienced a groundswell of support in Quebec, culminating in a sold-out headlining show at Montreal’s MTelus (FKA Metropolis). They toured 1000-2000 capacity venues in Europe with Fakear and Møme, and also started to write the next album. Audiences in Mexico, the United States, Brazil and Germany grew organically and showed enthusiasm for the Montrealer’s music. His single Sleeping on My Own was a big sensation, racking up over eight million streams on Spotify.
By the time he sat down to record 1952, out November 1st, Geoffroy had matured as a musician, becoming a more detailed, research-driven songwriter and producer.
Tour Dates
15/11/19 Montreal, QC - Ausgang Plaza (SOLD-OUT)
16/11/19 Quebec, QC - Secret venue
20/11/19 Brooklyn, NY, USA - Zone One at Elsewhere
27/11/19 Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall
28/11/19 Ottawa, ON - The 27 Club
13/02/20 Kelowna, BC - Blue Grotto
14/02/20 Victoria, BC - Lucky Bar
15/02/20 Vancouver, BC - The Fox
20/02/20 Edmonton, AB - Temple
24/02/20 Saskatoon, SK - Amigos
25/02/20 Winnipeg, MB - Good Will Social