Rozalind MacPhail puts an ethereal folktronic spin on Jill Barber‘s track In Perfect Time with her new single and video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Artists often pay tribute to those who have inspired them by covering their material. But often those renditions are run-of-the-mill, note-for-note efforts that rarely push the creative envelope. Not so with Toronto-born, St. John’s-based indie pop singer and flutist MacPhail. She pays homage to beloved Canadian jazz-pop singer Barber with this sensational, chic cover of a song the latter released on her 2004 EP Oh Heart.
MacPhail was inspired to cover the song during a residency on Twillingate Island in 2021. “Her melancholic melodies and heartfelt vocals paint a poignant picture of love lost and the ache of moving on,” she says. “Jill’s song has comforted me during many heavy moments throughout my life. Her lyrics speak to my soul.”
MacPhail plays omnichord and flute on the track to complement her vocals. Brad Weber, known for his work in his group Pick A Piper and for drumming with Juno winners Caribou, adds electronics for a mystical, atmospheric vibe. Terry Barrow recorded MacPhail’s vocals in St. John’s while she recorded some tracks for the song in the rural Salt Harbour. Jason Jaknunas mixed the song and Noah Mintz mastered it.
In Perfect Time alters the roots-based, train-chugging backbeat of Barber’s version, instead giving it an eclectic electronica flavour reminiscent of Emily Haines and Metric, Florence + The Machine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O or even Marianne Faithfull. It hits all the right notes in all the right places while taking the song in an entirely different but marvelous musical direction.
The video for In Perfect Time was shot in Twillingate by Julian Earle and Joshua Caine. It shows an elderly woman with dementia waiting for her husband (who passed years prior) to return from work, forgetting he has died. “I lost my own grandmother to dementia, and my husband and I are currently caring for other family members who are experiencing different stages of dementia,” MacPhail says. “It’s a heartbreaking experience to witness their mental decline, but there are also many touching moments we experience where we get a glimpse of how our loved ones are still there. These tiny moments of clarity give us hope. This was our attempt to help those experiencing it with their loved ones feel less alone.”
In Perfect Time is the first single from MacPhail’s upcoming album Push & Pull. It marks MacPhail’s first time branching out into more vocal-oriented material after previously focusing on flute instrumentals. The album was inspired by “a sense of urgency” to document the local history and stories from Twillingate and its residents.
MacPhail has produced several albums in addition to film scores. Her first album was 2007’s Edgework. Since then, her releases include 2013’s Head First, 2016’s From the River to the Ocean, 2017’s Sunset Sunrise, 2018’s Love and Let Be, 2019’s Don’t Let Me Fall Too Far, and 2021’s single Never Let Go. The artist has received five ECMA nominations for Electronic Recording of the Year to go alongside four MusicNL nominations for Instrumental Recording of the Year. She has toured internationally while winning MusicNL’s Music Educator of the Year Award in 2022. In 2023, MacPhail earned an ECMA Industry Innovator of the Year nomination.
Watch the video for In Perfect Time below, check out more from Rozalind MacPhail below, and catch up with her on her website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
