The All Canadian Soundclash share their eternal grief in their world-weary new ballad and video Tired — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Events in one’s life can be recalled vividly regardless of the distance from when they happened. Ideally, one ends up with more pleasant, happy recollections than tragic ones, but the latter are also part of life. Just ask ACS’s Andrew Michelin. Tired — the gorgeous single from the group’s new four-song EP Nashville — was inspired by a friend who was killed by a drunk driver.
“I wrote the song in about 10 minutes when I was 21 sometime after my friend’s funeral,” recalls Michelin, lead vocalist of the Ottawa roots-rock group. “It’s only now that I had the chance to have it professionally recorded. I think my friend Heather is looking down on me. Proud of the song.”
He should be. Despite the grief bursting through the song’s surface, Tired is a gorgeous tune about the pain of loss. From the tender piano introduction courtesy of keyboardist Dane Bryant to guitarist Troy Lancaster’s fantastic guitar work throughout, Tired is a song that should put The All Canadian Soundclash on playlists internationally.
Fleshing out the cut are the rock-steady rhythm section of bassist Lex Price and drummer Shawn Fichter, while Tim Galloway adds acoustic guitar and Tania Hancheroff contributes delicate but dreamy backing vocals. Listeners familiar with Tom Petty‘s deeper, ballad-leaning cuts or Bob Seger’s Turn The Page can spot the quality emanating from Tired, a recording Michelin says is “a deeply personal and emotional song for me.”
“Young and bright, oh sunflower, please don’t turn out your light.
You’re colorful, so radiant and I know by now you’ve taken flight.
And when you spoke I almost choked fighting back the tears.
Now you’re gone I’ll write this song, inspiring through the years.”
Nashville is a four-song effort that originated from a meeting between Michelin and acclaimed Nashville producer Dean Miller. Miller, who has worked with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard, among others, heard the band’s 2021 album Better Late Than Never. Piqued by Michelin’s songwriting, Miller invited him down to Nashville to record.
In the summer of 2024, Michelin found himself in Nashville’s Sound Emporium, an iconic studio founded by Jack Clement that has hosted everyone from R.E.M. and Jelly Roll to Taylor Swift and Johnny Cash. “I thought, ‘What in the world am I doing here?’ ” Michelin says. “The more I realized who had recorded at Sound Emporium before me, the more I was blown away! My daughter was excited that Taylor Swift had recorded there.”
Watch the video for Tired above, sample the Nashville EP below, and visit The All Canadian Soundclash on their website, Twitter and Instagram.
