Expressive and fun-loving, Trevor Sloan’s colorful new single “Faces I Love” is a cheerful psych-folk dream rooted in appreciation and gratitude.
Stream: “Faces I Love” – Trevor Sloan
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Toronto’s Trevor Sloan is almost certainly an “old soul”: In an era of uncertainty and disconnect haunted by questions of identity and purpose, the seasoned singer/songwriter radiates calm security and self-knowing. Expressive and fun-loving, Sloan’s colorful new single “Faces I Love” is a cheerful psych-folk dream rooted in appreciation and gratitude.
While my brother played the
black grand piano in the corner
I was holding a seashell up to my ear
The room was full of books and things,
glass ashtrays and paintings
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Faces I Love,” the lead single off Trevor Sloan’s forthcoming album Cicada Songs (independently out May 10, 2019). Having spent the past two decades deeply rooted in Toronto’s singer/songwriter world, Trevor Sloan shouldn’t be a new face – though he probably is. The artist released six albums under the moniker Phono d’enfant, switching to making music under his own name for 2018’s Seven Robins in the Snow. Cicada Songs is Sloan’s second release “as himself,” a graceful undertaking whose radiant songs fill the air with fresh energy.
“Faces I Love” has an almost Grateful Dead air to it, with a frolicking melody reminiscent of “Touch of Grey” and a wholesome outlook that easily induces a smile.
“Faces I Love” is a breezy song that offers wistful glimpses of various people and scenes from my life,” Sloan tells Atwood Magazine. “When I was making the album Cicada Songs, I had my son in mind. Some of the songs were written for him and others just share moments from my life, parts of my soul, people I have known. The songs are kind of like gateways into different seasons, from youth to adulthood, with all the relationships they bring. “Faces I Love” begins with a specific moment from my childhood where I am holding a seashell up to my ear while my brother plays the piano. This moment in my piano teacher’s house is like a starting point and it unfolds from there.
Among the faces, among the lonely looks
I went looking for your face in someone else’s yearbook
These are the faces I love
This is the stuff I’m made of
The thought of someone or the mention of a name
ripple in my mind like a puddle hit with rain
hit with rain
Sloan’s deceptively simple, yet easily accessible poetry helps his music feel direct and personal, while also relatable. He sings with a twinkle in his eye, his vocals positioned slightly underneath the jaunty piano and guitars so as to create an almost whispy, ghostly earthen effect. Meanwhile, light, lilting vocal harmonies amplify Sloan’s every word to ensure the audience’s understanding of his message: Though he himself may not be heard front-and-center as in a pop song, “Faces I Love” still hits its mark.
“Faces I Love” is the perfect introduction to a special album for Trevor Sloan. “I would say the inspiration for this album came from many places: hearing the cicadas at the end of summer, seeing my son run through a forest, the morning light on a city street, a visit to my parent’s house and the town where I grew up, riding my bike to a northern beach… But I think the overarching theme is the passing of time and the seasons of life,” he explains.
Continuing, he muses: “I think it is real. The lyrics are honest. I’m getting older and you can hear it in the songs. And the sound is natural and warm.”
Trevor Sloan’s “Faces I Love” is music wrapped in the beauty of a moment. At a brisk 2:41, the song seems to fly by; if you’re not careful, you may miss it – but how could one not sink themselves into Sloan’s sound? Espousing a near tropical warmth, the Canadian songwriter blends feelgood folk with just the right amount of bright, immresive psychedelia to lift listeners out of whatever funk we may be presently experiencing, and into our own memory-dream fusion.
Stream “Faces I Love” exclusively on Atwood Magazine! Trevor Sloan’s new album Cicada Songs is out May 10, 2019.
These are the faces I love
This is the stuff I’m made of
Stream: “Faces I Love” – Trevor Sloan
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