There are two ways you can approach nostalgia: You can either reject it as a seductive illusion, or you can concede that it may have a point. Fredericton, NB, alt-rocker Kylie Fox opts for a little of both on her new double-A-sided single, “Confetti/Alberta,” which offers a pair of distinct yet complementary visions of yesterday.
A jaunty, jocular “no” to the specters of the past, “Confetti” finds Fox fielding the sudden, unexpected entreaties of an old boyfriend who had dropped her like a hot potato after deciding there might be more opportunities for “glitter on [his] sleeve” without her around—but who is now having second thoughts:
There is no alternate universe for us, babe
I’m not your Scorpio, you aren’t my twin flame
So don’t waste my time with elegies of you and me
I was there too
I remember it clearly
The rose and the rust, and the end of the story
“It’s a bright and brooding alternative rock ballad that speaks to the nostalgia of novelty,” Fox explains. “I was thinking about how the newness of romance can fall and simply be swept away—like confetti.”
For many East Coasters, heading west to work as tree planters is a quintessential part of the Canadian experience—exchanging the warmth of home for the endless expanse of Alberta’s straight roads and BC’s winding hills. Like Fox’s reflection in “Alberta,” this journey often brings a mix of longing and resilience, as they navigate the vast, unfamiliar landscapes while yearning for the comfort of the life they left behind, pining for a more familiar and comforting life in “the winding hills of British Columbia.” In her mind’s eye at least, that’s highly preferable to her current environment, where “the roads are long and the roads are straight” and there are “no gas stations or corner stores/ Just trees on trees on trees on trees on billboards.” In retrospect, the life she used to know was far more livable:
Though the work it was hard
And the mountains they were cold
Still I had arms to hold around me
I’m worried about Alberta
The music is somewhat slower and more somber than “Confetti’s,” yet every bit as captivating. What we have here are two instant earworms that are the perfect commercial conduits for Fox’s alternately homey and obscure lyrical sentiments.
The videos for the two tracks likewise represent opposite sides of the same thematic coin. On paper, both focus on the performing charisma of singer/guitarist/pianist Fox and her band (lead guitarist Sean Hutchins, bassist Camilo Villamizar, keyboardist Kelly Waterhouse and drummer Ryan Barrie). But the “Confetti” clip adds a layer of thrift-shop glamour to a group rehearsal, whereas “Alberta” is a more naturalistic, video-verité montage of life on the road.
Both songs are from Fox’s new album, Sequoia, and each in its way buttresses the album’s central philosophical motif: acknowledging those moments in life when we don’t realize what we have, while simultaneously uplifting love and life as blessings to treasure.
Even the title of the record was no arbitrary choice. Sequoia is a nod to the summer vacations of Fox’s past, several of which she spent planting trees in British Columbia. More directly, it references a recent news story she had read about firefighters who worked throughout the night to save a Sequoia tree from a forest fire.
“It resonated with me how severely nature and time have been taken for granted,” she says.
Produced by by six-time ECMA-winning producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones, The Good Lovelies) and funded with the help of ArtsNB, Music New Brunswick and the Canada Council for the Arts, the new album is deeply rooted in the folk-Canadiana elements Fox is known for, while also dipping its toe into folk-rock and jazz-pop fusion.
The artist herself describes the overall effect of the record as “‘70s Sesame Street meets Sharon Van Etten.” Divine Magazine is a little more straightforward—and effusive—in its assessment: “Get ready to be transported to a world of lush soundscapes and poignant storytelling with Sequoia, an album that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on your musical palate.”
Then again, Fox has been turning heads and pricking up ears ever since she dropped her debut EP, Balcony, in 2017, then followed it up with her first full-length album, Green, in 2020. Those releases laid the foundation for an extensive tour of Canada, in which she shared stages with the likes of Bahamas, The Strumbellas and Joel Plaskett. She’s also showcased at the East Coast Music Awards, Folk Alliance International and the Canadian Song Conference (all in 2021). In 2020, she participated in the Banff Centre for the Arts International Songwriting Residency, and she’s been featured on lineups for festivals like the Cavendish Beach Music Festival (2022) and Area506 (2021). Fox was named “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the 2020 PrixNB Awards and “Innovator of the Year” at the 2023 PrixNB Awards.
Next up for her is celebrating the launch of the new album with a Saturday, September 14 gig at the Harvest Festival in Fredericton. Just over a month later, on Thursday, October 24, Fox will be opening for Matt Minglewood at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John. It’s going to be a busy sprint indeed until the end of 2024, capping a year of major growth spearheaded by her new manager, Joe Bamford (The Kings, Glass Tiger, The Headstones, Leslie Spit Treeo). And just about everybody in the industry is sitting up and taking notice.
“Her lens is finely focused,” says Rob Pinnock of Bounce 105.3. “It’s quite clear Kylie Fox is poised to become an important East Coast artist.”
She sure is. As long as she keeps one eye set squarely on the future and one foot planted firmly in the past.
KYLIE FOX ONTARIO DATES:
September 25, 2024 Early Bird Coffee, Woodstock
September 26, 2024 Parkwood, Owen Sound
September 27, 2024 Midnight Run Café, Waterloo
September 30, 2024 Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa
October 2, 2024 Moonshine Café, Oakville
October 3, 2024 Cameron House, Toronto
October 4, 2024 The Bunker, Stratford
October 5, 2024 Casbah, Hamilton
October 6, 2024 Homegrown Hideaway, Norfolk County
