Hailing from Lethbridge in Canada’s Alberta province, Shaela Miller is an artist who spent years making a name for herself in the country music scene. With her live shows, she’s earned a reputation as a beloved performer who brings her own sonic vision to life on stage with grace and flair.
Capturing her sound in the studio, she made her artistic introduction to the wider world with her debut album Bad Ideas back in 2018, unveiling her sound across eleven compelling songs. Followed up by a string of singles, she dropped her sophomore full-length record in 2021 with the LP titled Big Hair Small City.
Winning over fans around the world, her music has found its way onto screens via the likes of HBO’s True Blood as well as securing top festival slots for the artist. With last year’s single “After the Masquerade,” the lead single and title track from her upcoming third record, Shaela revealed a new direction for her music that maintains the echoes of her country music roots while injecting dashes of synth-based instrumentation and pop-focused songwriting into her sound.
Now bringing us the second single lifted from the forthcoming record and continuing her foray into new musical explorations, she shares her brand new track titled “Mourning Tonight.” Produced by Graham Lessard, who’s previously worked with the likes of Stars and Timbre Timbre, at Calgary’s National Music Centre’s Studio Bell and released via the Neon Moon Records imprint, Shaela Miller’s new single is a stunning example of her new genre-fusing style.
Opened by the punchy plucks of bass guitar, joined by warm synth textures, Shaela’s lively voice enters to spin upbeat melodies as the rustling shuffle of drums injects a lively energy. It’s Shaela Miller reimagined in a vibrant new wave pop setting, brimming with catchy hooks, an array of colourful synth tones and bouncy, danceable rhythms.
It’s a charming sound that crystallises an exciting pivot in her decorated musical story, though the delightful twang in her voice and airy slide guitar flutters maintain a thread of the country sound that she’s become known for. Paired with the single is a new music video directed by Shaela herself with editing courtesy of Skye Hepher and Sean Edwards. The music video features a forty foot long crochet skeleton and performers adorned in spooky costumes at the parade for the opening of the Walking Death Arts and Cultural Festival, providing an intriguing pairing to the upbeat sound of the song that provides a more profound accompaniment to the context of the lyrics.
Commenting on the single, she shares, “I wrote Mourning Tonight while I was deep in the throes of grief after losing a dear friend of mine. It’s about the volatile emotions we can feel as we navigate through complex feelings of grief and sorrow whilst juggling day-to-day tasks. When I first began writing the song, it was very slow in tempo. When I came back to it later that evening I decided it needed to be an upbeat dance song. A great example of the unpredictable moods we experience during suffering a loss.”
Watch the music video for Mourning Tonight below
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