DINAH THORPE ANNOUNCES FORTHCOMING ALBUM FOR THE BIRDS SET FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 27
SHARES LEAD SINGLE THE SPRING FLOWERS TODAY
PRE-ORDER FOR THE BIRDS HERE
Toronto, ON – October 9, 2020 – Dinah Thorpe has been called “a composer of infinite cleverness”, a singer with a “gorgeously deep and weary alto”, “a wicked multi-instrumentalist”, and “provocative and supremely artful”. Drawing on a diverse range of influences – from folk to trip-hop, orchestral to techno – the Toronto-based artist has created a musical style that is unmistakably her own. Today, she announces the release of her fifth project, For The Birds, which is set for release on November 27, and shares the album’s lead track, The Spring Flowers. Have a listen and pre-order the album here.
For The Birds showcases the work of an artist who has arrived. It is thoughtful and danceable, intricate and beautiful, and like the album’s music, Janet Kimber’s iconic cover photographs display both Thorpe’s softness and her muscle. The record is comprised of 10 new fully original tracks, all written by Thorpe herself, as well as an enchanting cover of the Kacey Musgraves song, Slow Burn, and album closer, Karpas, which features words from the Haggadah.
For Thorpe the album title has three meanings. “First, I realized I was singing about birds a lot, and joked that I should name the album for them. Then I learned the meaning of the phrase – worthless, unimportant, like horse droppings in the street – and I liked the double meaning,” she explains. “It’s a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference to life as a working artist. Most recently, I realized that “for the birds” can also mean “for the women,” and so of course I am down with that one as well. It’s all sort of serious and sort of a joke, which is perhaps a good introduction to my artistic work more generally.”
“I wrote The Spring Flowers in the early days of COVID in Toronto,” Thorpe adds. “Everything was shutting down and life was really scary and uncertain. In the midst of it, the most spectacular spring arrived. It was the strangest time of terror and beauty.”
Thorpe has shared a stage with Jeremy Dutcher, The Cliks, Sondre Lerche, Eternia, and Buck 65. Her festival appearances have included POP Montréal, Hillside, NXNE, Europride, In the Dead of Winter, Mayworks, and Ladyfest. Thorpe’s music has been featured on MTV's Sixteen and Pregnant, Anderson Cooper Specials, NBA Inside Stuff, and the soundtrack for the film Love American Skin. She has also received two JUNO Award nominations for Recording Package of the Year and an Independent Music Award nomination, and recently inked a publishing deal with hard Music Design.
Thorpe’s side projects include The Mistress Class – a workshop series organized with the Canadian Music Centre and the Songwriters Association of Canada, and Superbutch – parties and performances that celebrate queer masculinities. Thorpe is also an active community member, delivering free food by bike and marshalling anti-racist demos with The Toronto Bike Brigade and The People’s Pantry.
Stay tuned for more from Dinah Thorpe as this is just the beginning of a stand-out season for the captivating musician!
FOR THE BIRDS TRACKLIST:
1. The Spring Flowers
2. For the Birds
3. Pottery Rd
4. Barely
5. Pipes
6. Slow Burn
7. Whippoorwill
8. Come, Let’s Do Everything
9. Almost All the Leaves
10. 19/3/20
11. Untitled #3 (stripped)
12. Karpas
