Toronto, ON indie-folk band Ptarmigan shares their striking new music video and single “Rounder”. The second single from the band’s third album Cocoon (set for release November 19) begins with atmospheric drones and grounding fingerpicked banjo. Haunting vocals then appear, ushering in a chorus of lush three-part harmonies and rich nylon string guitar strums. The scene changes quickly as drums kick in and gritty keyboards drive ahead. All blended seamlessly together, this grounded and visceral song forms a perfect introduction to Ptarmigan’s songcraft – emotionally lucid lyrics and richly textured instrumentation coming together to form a refreshingly unique take on modern folk music. In Rounder, Ptarmigan songwriter and vocalist Peter McMurtry mourns the loss of a long term relationship that has come to its painful but natural conclusion: “The chorus speaks to being a ‘rounder’ or wanderer roaming from place to place trying to find the truth about a relationship you know deep down is not working. I also use the rather unique metaphor of a tyrant or authoritarian leader knowing everything about someone to convey how we can often scrutinize and investigate every trait of those close to us.”
Filmed on the windswept shores of Georgian Bay, Ontario, the music video follows a mysterious protagonist as she hides dear personal objects throughout a forest and beach in autumn. The video speaks to how we keep parts of ourselves hidden in different places, finding meaning and home in places that are only our own. When we keep these from someone they inevitably come bubbling back up to the surface. Directed and shot by Ptarmigan’s Peter McMurtry, the video features Natalie Leventhal as protagonist.
“Rounder” was produced and recorded in Toronto by Ptarmigan’s own Sam Gleason (Tim Baker, Charlotte Cornfield) with Peter McMurtry on vocals and banjo, Aaron Hoffman on vocals, keyboards, Sam Gleason on nylon string guitar and bass, Robert Alan Mackie (Bella White) on upright bass and fiddle, and Evan Cartwright (The Weather Station, Andy Shauf) on drums.
music won't save you 