Canadian folk-rock group Villages have released their latest single, ‘Play the Fiddle All Night’. This is is joyful music: the sound is full and bright and the vocals soar. It’s impact is immediate as we’re swept along by gorgeous melody and the quartet’s excellent musicianship. Although there are Celtic influences, the band blend these with a contemporary indie warmth. The song bursts with energy, and there are absorbing layers and textures, sounds that reveal themselves through repeated listening and anthemic choruses that lend themselves to dynamic live performances.
The band say of ‘Play the Fiddle All Night’: “The song was written after reflecting on the traditional poem ‘The Dark Island’. Stirring up thoughts of mortality and what of our home on Cape Breton Island would be pined for when the time comes. The song presented itself very quickly and we finished it only a few days before we were scheduled to record. There was a striking similarity in themes carried in both the poem and our track-list, so it ultimately gave namesake to the album. The song immediately felt vital to the record and given the spontaneity of it all, it was one of the more exciting experiences in songwriting that we’ve had.” The impulsive feel and spontaneity is certainly evident in the final recording. It’s always intriguing to get a glimpse of, and a feel for, the recording process as we do in the video for ‘Play the Fiddle All Night’. At times the band members are utterly absorbed in the music and the act of creating but it’s also a privilege to see the fun they have and the joy they take in their work.
The single is taken from ‘Dark Island’, the upcoming album that will drop on 17th February 2023. The album’s theme is Villages’ home: Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. ‘Dark Island’ was produced by JUNO-winning composer and producer Joshua Van Tassel (Great Lake Swimmers), who has helped to create a timeless, epic feel and a soundtrack to the wildness of island life. This album promises to be an early highlight of 2023.
