Here’s the gorgeous new single from Jerome Forde. Beginning with just warm finger-picked notes and Forde’s echoing, ethereal voice, ‘Marigold’ feels like a melodic journey into memory. A minute into the ‘Marigold’, additional instrumentation and a driving rhythm kick in and it becomes insistent, a rolling, stirring song. Forde’s words are full of longing: “Walkin’ on the thinnin’ ice, // lookin’ for a way to heal my mind. // And if I fell through // would you run too // and leave me here on my own?” Despite the bright banjo solo and engaging melody, there’s a darkness to the song that’s genuinely compelling. The accompanying video was shot around Traverse City, Michigan, and there’s a retro, ‘found-footage’ quality to the film that creates a sense of nostalgia. It’s a striking video that suits the dreamy sound of the song.
Forde is the first US artist to sign with Toronto label Weewerk and his self-titled debut is due for release on 21st April 2023. Forde says of working with the label: “My wife and I are big fans of the band Great Lake Swimmers, and when we were thinking about what labels to send the record to, she noticed that they’ve worked with(Weewerk) for a long time. It was just one of those things where we had nothing to lose, and I heard back almost right away from (Weewerk’s) Phil Klygo who said he loved the record and wanted to put it out. I really couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Due to living in an isolated location, Forde has become adept at all aspects of recording and his new album put together in his basement over a three month period while also working in the local post office. Playing all the instruments himself, Forde demonstrates his talent across this absorbing collection. He explains how it was all put together: “I can’t really say that I have any process to songwriting. It’s too random and chaotic for that. I don’t think I’ve ever written a song by trying. I like the way Damien Jurado compares his songs to cats. You can’t force a cat to come to you. They come to you when they want to, and usually when you don’t expect it. I guess you could push that further and compare songs to tigers or some large predator cat. You’ll just be minding your own business, picking a few strings, when a song just pounces on you, ready to eat you whole. I’m not sure if every song is worth being devoured over, but in the moment of writing any song, I think you at least have to believe it is.”
Believe it. Forde is a great new voice in Americana – check it out.
