Claire Coupland - New Light (2023) Hi-Res

Like many other artists, the stasis of the pandemic left Claire Coupland with a substantial period of reflection. Without live performance and the usual music engagements, her creative focus was turned inward towards a collection of partially written songs that had long been lying dormant in her imagination. Deeper, darker and more vulnerable song writing exploration unearthed stories of fragile family dynamics, the struggle to belong, homesickness, painful goodbyes, and hope for the future. After an album's worth of songs were written and demoed at home during lockdown, Claire took a chance and emailed one of her favourite artists in hopes of collaborating. It turned out to be an excellent decision…

After half a year of email and phone correspondence, Covid 19 vaccine rollouts and easing of border restrictions, the stars finally aligned and Coupland made a trip to Los Angeles to join creative forces with Juno award winning musician and producer Sam Weber (Bahamas, Terra Lightfoot, Madison Cunningham). Together, with a hand picked selection of LA’s finest musicians (including members of Dawes, one of Claire's biggest musical influences), the team laid down a collection of exciting new songs with bluegrass, folk, soft rock and grunge flavours. From the tender folk musings of "Sailor Boy", to "The Flame", a genre bending 'Carly Simon meets Nirvana' adult contemporary journey through temptation, to harmonies rich and lyrically tense Simon & Garfunkel influenced "Truth", the album showcases Coupland's musical versatility, heart breaking stories and a voice that cuts deep to the heart. Engaging in a slightly different approach of album production with little to no band rehearsal before each song, the band captured spontaneous and organic interpretations of her songs with raw emotion, fresh arrangements and even some birds singing! All the while supporting Claire's signature folk finger picking and evocative vocals, and jazz influenced chord progressions, the album is her most impressive recording to date showing her growth as a writer and artist, all captured within the ever inspiring Laurel Canyon atmosphere.