An eight track counting piece of expressive art was released by The Night Owls, their self-titled album is a stunning folk pop-driven collection of songs. Co-written by both Simon Arsenault and Marianne Bourgeois, the duo’s self-titled album was developed throughout the pandemic. This collection came together in the most natural of ways, being forced by an abundance of time on their hands.
Out of the pandemic came a beautifully crafted sound that weaves together like a colourful tapestry of sounds. The first single of the album, ‘The Night Owls’ is driven by stunning vocal harmonies and a soft and subtle soundscape, and this theme comes back throughout the entire record. The Montreal-based singer songwriter duo seem to have found a sound that is natural and without unnecessary frills, and their debut album is the beautiful product of their combined talents. They combined Simon’s educational background and experience in prog rock band Innerspace with Marianne’s gorgeous voice and poetic way of song writing, which resulted in a mesmerising indie folk, rock, and country-infused album.
We hear a hint of Americana, some bluesy guitar lines and the noises of the sea on the first two songs, while ‘Like You Promised’ is a ballad-like folk pop song that allows a little more space to breathe and take in their sound. ‘Dead End Romance’ is a favourite with its upbeat and subtly festive soundscape and more indie rock-inspired sound. It is hard not to move along to ‘Dead End Romance’ and its funky rhythm! A hint of Celtic folk enters the scene on ‘I Want You Close’ which builds slowly and sounds and breathes like a dark and foggy forest mid winter. On ‘I’ll Stay’ the duo turns it down a notch, yet without losing the integrity of the album, ‘Under The Stars’ has us return to the mid-winter forest that is filled with forest creatures and soon gets joined by warm vocal harmonies, like a soft chant. Enchanting is the word that comes to mind.
The song that ends this debut album is a soft indie folk song, with beautifully shimmering guitar chords, and a charming intro. Marianne’s vocals shine brightest on ‘When The Sun Rises Again’ and lock in this most mesmerising feeling we got while listening to The Night Owls. The Night Owls creep up on you, are behind you without much notice, and as soon as they sing their first notes, you realise you never want them to leave.
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