Tristan Armstrong listens to you Sing In Your Sleep in his dreamy, romantically rootsy new single and video — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
Reminiscent of Gord Downie, Wilco and Stephen Malkmus, the Toronto singer-songwriter’s ode to simplicity and the modest charms of domestic life is sweet without being saccharine and soothing without making you sleepy, taking an unexpected shift into ’90s rock energy in its third act — and taking its inspiration from his own daily life.
“The first thing I hear every morning is my girlfriend asking me the same question: ‘Did you have any interesting dreams?’ ” he says. “It got me thinking about the seamless quality of dream narratives and how to explore that in a song.”
The astral influence on Armstrong is evident in his lyrics, which evoke the abstract, stream of consciousness scenes that might play out in such a state. “When the ice is falling like swords from the roof / The award for ‘Most Aloof’ will be presented,” he croons. “The thank you speech, I meant it / Cue the orchestra sting, just let the telephone ring.” Set to a rolling train beat provided by Trevor Falls on drums, and guitar playing that is lyrical and charmingly scrappy, the track feels like waking up from a nap on a breezy summer afternoon.
The accompanying video also takes on a dream-like quality as we follow Armstrong through various bucolic landscapes in Prince Edward County, ON, morphing from pastoral fields and woods, to Dunes Beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. Even though it’s the song of your dreams, Sing In Your Sleep will inspire you to get out of bed and get outside.
Sing In Your Sleep is the followup to the Periscope single and video, which premiered HERE in April. Armstrong is a founding member of Canadian roots-rock band The Actual Goners, and has previously released music under the name Stars Algonquin. His music combines a sense of earnest romanticism with poignant introspection, with lyrical subject matter frequently inspired from his upbringing on Vancouver Island.
Watch Sing In Your Sleep above, hear more from Tristan Armstrong below, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
