Dallas Green, the musical mind behind City & Colour, is ready to release his latest album, The Hurry And The Harm, upon the world this June. First teasing the follow-up to 2011’s Little Hell with a few online snippets and teasers, the first taste of the album came in heart-aching lead single ‘Of Space And Time’.
Last month came another taste of the new album from Green’s solo project, in new single ‘Thirst’, and the songwriter has revealed that the tune was originally intended for a certain NZ-via-Melbourne artist, while also hinting at plans that his latest LP will propel him back down under for another tour, and possibly as early as next year.
Though he was last in the country for the farewell tour of Alexisonfire, the Canadian hardcore band that first brought him to fame, the last visit from City & Colour was as part of Groovin’ The Moo 2012.
Green tells The Music Network that the City & Colour single ‘Thirst’ was originally written for fellow Groovin’ The Moo 2012 artist, Kimbra, explaining that he was approached by the neo-soul singer’s label to pen a song for her, presumably as part of the reworks to her debut album Vows for an American audience (eventually making a cracking debut in the US charts).
“It wasn’t directed from her,” says Green. “it was the label people who were looking for people to write songs, or help write songs.”
“That’s the first time that’s ever happened. I’d never been really approached to do that for someone and I’d never attempted to write something for someone else,” says Green of the commission. “I got a request, through the grapevine that there were people looking for a song for someone and I thought ‘well I can’t do that’. “It was for Kimbra. When you listen to it, there’s things about the vocal lines that you can tell I was thinking about her singing it.” – Dallas Green, City & Colour
“An hour later I’d written a song, and that’s one of the first times I’d ever written a song that quickly,” recalls the Canadian. “I surprised myself. But as time went on we never really heard anything back about it and I started liking the song a bit, as my own.”
“Sometimes you can listen to one of my songs and you can think that I’m singing about something in my own life, because that’s the way I write, I tried to make it as relatable as possible. But where I was coming from with that song is I wrote it from a woman’s point of view because I was writing for a girl,” he continues.
“It was for Kimbra. When you listen to it, there’s things about the vocal lines that you can tell I was thinking about her singing it.” Indeed, the fuzzy bass hook and brassy vocal lines would’ve perfectly suited Kimbra’s vocal acrobatics and attitude, but as it turns out, she never even got the chance to know she’d missed out on adding a Dallas Green-penned tune to her repertoire.
“It’s funny because when I met her [at Groovin’ The Moo last year] I said, ‘Did you hear the song I wrote for you?’ and she was like, ‘Nope’. I said, ‘yeah well, it’s mine now’,” the singer recounts.
“Musically I think the reason why that song is so different is because I didn’t write it for myself, but I ended up liking it, it turned out to be very cool and the first single. It’s a really, really fun song to play and sing and it gave me a chance to explore a different side of me, musically. I like to do that,” he concludes. “I would come there tomorrow (if i could) because I love it so much. So I hope it’s in January, and we’ll leave it at that.” – Dallas Green, City & Colour
The song is a distinct shift from the acoustic, emotive serenades that City & Colour has become known for, but the single should do no harm to Green’s popularity, especially for an Australian audience; his Groovin’ The Moo vist last year proving so popular that extra sideshow dates had to be added to cope with demand.
Fans will be thrilled to hear then that Green is also planning an Australian leg for touring of The Hurry And The Harm, and it could be as early as January 2014.
“I would hope to say that it would be the first month of the new year, because I have a whole bunch of touring booked already for the rest of this year,” Green told FasterLouder in a recent interview. “I would come there tomorrow (if i could) because I love it so much. So I hope it’s in January, and we’ll leave it at that.”
As for whether he would be returning for headline shows or for a festival – with January dates obviously making a Big Day Out 2014 slot a possibility – Green remarked: “Well, if it were up to me I’d do both. But I don’t know yet. We’re looking to come as soon as possible, and if it happens to be around the time of a festival then I’ll be there but I’ll also try and do some of my own shows as well.”
City & Colour currently have dates booked for touring through Europe and America from June through to October. The Hurry And The Harm is out through Shock Records on June 7th. View the album art and tracklisting below.
Tracklisting:
01. The Hurry and The Harm
02. Harder Than Stone
03. Of Space and Time
04. The Lonely Life
05. Paradise
06. Commentators
07. Thirst
08. Two Coins
09. Take Care
10. Ladies and Gentlemen
11. The Golden State
12. Death’s Song
