Toronto Singer Songwriter Octoberman Releases Heartwarming tribute 'Harry Nilsson', ahead of New Album Release

Photo Credit: Remi Thebault

Edited by Anselm Anderson

Toronto-based indie folk-rock outfit Octoberman returns with Chutes, their seventh full-length album, due later this year on Ishmalia Records

The band has marked the news with the release of its advance single and video, “Harry Nilsson,” out Today. The track draws inspiration from the late singer’s iconic take on “Without You.” “I had recently lost my mother, so I was hyper-aware of mortality and how things can turn on a dime,” says songwriter Marc Morrissette. “Losing an ever-present person in your life makes you more afraid of it happening again, especially as a father and husband. In the end, it’s like losing a part of yourself that never comes back.” The band's brand of jangly pop and daydreaming soundscapes is on display in the single’s video, which pairs the song’s airy, powder-soft tones with faux vintage footage from filmmaker and extreme skier Nick Steers. “I remembered a conversation with Nick about the relationship between ageing and our passions,” says Morrissette. “For him, it’s about constantly preparing your body to be able to ski down mountains at high speeds. For ageing musicians, there’s a physical aspect, but I’d say the bigger challenge is psychologically navigating this ever-evolving world around us.” That same curiosity and vulnerability ripple through the full album, which opens with the line, “It’s hard to know just how to grow old”—a kind of thesis statement for a record that navigates change, grief, and reinvention with quiet grace.

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“Harry Nilsson” was recorded live to two-inch tape at Little Bullhorn Studios in Ottawa, with longtime collaborator Jarrett Bartlett co-producing the album alongside Morrissette. “We didn’t use a click track or a computer screen—it was all about the feel,” he explains. The core band comprised Marshall Bureau on drums, Tavo Diez de Bonilla on bass, and Morrissette, who all recorded live together. J.J. Ipsen contributed guitar, and Annelise Noronha added background vocals and banjo, recording their parts from home studios across Ontario. The mixing was done by Bartlett, and the album was mastered by Philip Shaw Bova.

Octoberman has garnered high praise from notable publications such as Pitchfork and Uncut, building on a dedicated fan base in Canada and around the world. The band has appeared on television shows like Grey's Anatomy and has toured internationally alongside artists like Julie Doiron and Mount Eerie. Throughout their journey, they have quietly evolved into one of Canada's most enduring folk-rock collectives.

You can stream the single here

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