Gary Edward Allen imparts a vital life lesson in his rapturous new folk-rock single and animated video First Day of School Part 1 — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Bluesy, twangy and reflective, the Toronto singer-songwriter and guitarist’s latest release is an ode to the inner child within all of us. “I like the idea of being true to yourself and knowing that the core of you is just as true at seven as it at 27 or 54 or however old you are,” Allen says.
The lyrics are sparse, with the music — introspective, brooding, and then sunny — conveying most of the feeling and message. Allen originally wrote the song for a band he was in called Ottaway Broder Allen, and it was written as an homage to childhood and reincarnation. It’s a song about feeling like you’ve been here before, as well as about true love — with a bit of an apocalyptic twist.
“I remember when my old band recorded it, I explained, ‘Yeah, it’s about living many lives, constantly searching for your soulmate, finding them, and then the rapture comes and you look at your soulmate and say, ‘OK, we’ve been searching for each other for many lifetimes, we finally found each other, and now we need to get the f*ck out of dodge before the rapture comes.’ ”
That was back in 2014, and Allen’s bandmates looked at him like he was more than a little bit crazy. However, now in 2024 on the heels of a pandemic, First Day of School Part 1 seems pretty darn prescient.
For the song’s “new and improved” version, Allen recorded the track with Tim Bovaconti and AJ Ottaway, and the song is split into three separate sections. The instrumental First Day of School Part 2 was released a little less than a year ago, and Part 3 might also be in the works. “Stay tuned,” Allen says mischievously. “I didn’t deliberately record it out of order, but after I did the rough tracks for the entire thing, I was very much in a lead guitar frame of mind, so that (Part 2) got finished first.”
Allen started playing guitar at seven years old before falling in love with it as a teenager after listening to Queen and KISS. By his early 20s, he was playing clubs. After taking a break and returning to music in his 40s, he recorded his first songs with producer Doug Fury before meeting AJ Ottaway and Jake Broder and recording their debut album Ottaway Broder Allen. He kicked off his solo career in 2017.
Watch the video for Understood above, hear more from Gary Edward Allen below, and follow him on Instagram.
