Jason Purcell‘s new single “Moon After Moon” delivers more of the majestic & compelling signature sound Jason began with his debut single “I Want To Know” (still available free on the All Products page). Asked to define the evolution of his sound, Jason (22) says he strives for every aspect of his songwriting to connect with listeners emotionally – involving and intertwining but not dominating. “I’ve never wanted to make music that would jar someone out of a thought or emotion,” he says, “instead I’ve tried to write the types of songs that I’d want to hear when it’s early evening and the house is empty and you make a pot of tea and think about things. Music that isn’t intrusive – music that can be a companion to moments of being lost in thought or feeling.”

As refreshing as it is for an artist to aspire that their songs be companions to, rather than controllers of, their listener’s senses, this approach is perhaps not that surprising when you consider Purcell‘s youth in rural Alberta – and the partnership many Canadians feel with the environment that surrounds them. “Growing up here has certainly impacted my writing,” he says, “both musically and lyrically. My house borders the Alberta prairies. Look out the back and it’s grasslands, wheat fields & forests and then out front there’s the edge of the urban landscape that’s the St Albert suburbs. It’s an interesting contrast. There are hot summers with heavy storms and strong winds, and winters that are harsh and deathly cold. Growing up, my bedroom looked out onto an expanse of fields and forests and I spent much of my time alone in my room reading, singing and daydreaming out the window. You quickly realise when you look out into that expanse how much it defines us – and musically I have always tried to be reflective of that relationship – I mean, how could you not? It’s incredibly powerful.”

The bulk of the sessions for Jason’s debut EP “Moon After Moon” have taken place in his St Albert home, in addition to studios in Edmonton and some mixing done by friends from New Zealand he met online. Despite the international input, Jason says creatively it’s a strictly Canadian debut. “There are links to Canada in everything I do that are sometimes hard to explain,” he says. “There’s a perfume when the spring melt starts and the snow turns the dirt to mud. There’s the sound of water rushing beneath a layer of ice. There’s the smell of lilac during the first real heat of summer and more and more I’m trying to tell this essentially Canadian story through the music I’m making.”