Jon McCann’s love goes the distance in his romantic and rootsy new single Too Far From Here — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
The opening title track from the multi-talented Toronto artist’s upcoming (and long-overdue) solo debut, Too Far From Here honours the kind of absence that makes the heart grow fonder — delivered via a shadowy marriage of twangy roots, country-rock style, garage-rock vibes and psychedelic haze.
“An ode to love that distance cannot divide,” is how McCann describes it. “Set to a swirling organ and a western motif reminiscent of Italian spaghetti-western movies of the late ’60s, (it’s) wistful, yet hopeful: ‘Forever my love will endure…’ ”
For his part, McCann knows from endurance. Born a musician, he has served as a drummer with several artists over the years. Some of the more notable ones include Guided By Voices, Tangiers, Blurtonia, 13 Engines and most recently Sarah Harmer. McCann’s last songwriting efforts culminated in two records with his band Nassau which were released in the early 2000s. Both records offset their beating rock ’n’ roll heart with a dash of psychedelic melancholy.
This October, McCann returns with the full-length Too Far From Here. Recorded over the fall of 2021 into the winter of 2022 in Toronto at the cozy Lincoln County Social Club, with John Dinsmore at the helm, the album takes twists and turns like a long drive in a 1979 Mercury Cougar built for comfort, not for speed.
Inspired by The Byrds, Neil Young and The Jesus and Mary Chain, Too Far From Here plays like an old movie in its own genre: Cosmic Western Noir. Tracks like Dreams to Be, Always Tomorrow, Too Far From Here and Miles High // Centuries Wide shimmer with moody lap steel courtesy of Christine Bougie (Bahamas), and are punctuated with pulsating Hammond organ and bar-room piano thanks to Jason Sniderman. Meanwhile, Here Come the Changes, The Right Time and Time Forgot conjure ’60s California, anchored by McCann’s jangly guitar playing, vocal harmonies and Dinsmore’s serpentine bass lines.
The previously released first single Dreams to Be, featuring a co-vocal with Kate Boothman, is a tale of love meant to be that never was. Channeling a modern-day Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, the tune is also available on all streaming platforms. Too Far From Here’s 10 tracks will be available digitally and on vinyl Oct. 26.
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