THE HOPE STATE RELEASES NEW ALBUM BURN OR BLOOM TODAY
WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE AUSTIN HERE
ARTISTS AND FRIENDS OF LATE MUSICIAN TAYLOR JOHNSON TO PAY TRIBUTE WITH SPECIAL PERFORMANCES OF THE SONGS FROM BURN OR BLOOM
TUNE IN THIS WEEK ON INSTAGRAM FOR PERFORMANCES FROM MEMBERS OF THE STRUMBELLAS, JEREMIE ALBINO, THE BALCONIES, WHALE AND THE WOLF, LAURENT BOURQUE, AND DAVID NEWBERRY
Toronto, ON – October 14, 2020 – Today, on what would have been his 33rd birthday, the life and music of Toronto indie-rock artist, Taylor Johnson – aka The Hope State – is celebrated with the release of Burn or Bloom. Honest and heartbreaking with a silver lining of hope, the new album deals with universal themes of struggle, depression, anxiety, addiction, regret and loss, as well as the ever-important love and hope.
“Music has always been my way of dealing with these types of things internally, but it was only recently that I found myself being able to help others and process things more clearly when I can write. I’m often able to find the words and solutions in song, when I’m unable to speak, and no one else is speaking either. Sometimes they come out as fictional stories, sometimes not. Burn or Bloom of course also deals with love, something I often shy away from writing about for my own songs, but couldn’t help myself this time, it felt right. It also helps balance out the other themes. Lastly, it deals with hope, which is what this project has been about since day one. At the end of the day, I want people to feel happy.
The songs are universal… Everyone seems to feel lonely or lost, dealing with silent struggles of mental health, often times with no support. When people contact me to tell me songs they’ve heard are helping, it’s an incredibly powerful thing that I don’t take lightly. I try to be as honest and literal as I can when writing, and I think that is refreshing to a lot of people. The feedback we’ve been getting at shows often helps me point things in the direction they need to go next, and with every song, I can’t help but feel we’re getting closer to where we want to be.” – Taylor Johnson, The Hope State
Comprised of six new songs, Burn or Bloom was recorded in Toronto with Producer/Engineer, Dajaun Martineau (Moist, Cancer Bats, Havelin). The album was completed earlier this year, before Taylor’s sudden passing in May, due to an undiagnosed health condition.
"Taylor walked into this record with a set of songs that immediately resonated with me leaving little to no editing needed,” reflects Martineau. “This worked out great in the studio because he also had a very unique sonic vision. From day one of pre-production, he knew exactly how he wanted to tell his stories and had a pretty good idea of how he wanted them to sound. That’s not to say this wasn’t a collaborative effort, once the foundation was laid, we had the most fun really diving into creating the sounds he heard in his head, mixing different instruments/synths and elements together, trying different techniques and working with a great cast of musicians. I am really proud of the work that we did together, and I am thankful he was able to see the record all the way to completion before he passed. He was a true artist and this record was exactly the one he wanted to make."
In celebration of the release and Taylor’s music, fellow artists and friends will be performimg each of the songs from Burn or Bloom. Starting today and running for a week, members of The Strumbellas, Jeremie Albino, The Balconies, Whale and The Wolf, Laurent Bourque, and David Newberry, will take to Instagram to share their renditions of the new music. See below for a full schedule, and tune in at each artists’ account, and at @burnorbloom.
Spending his formative years in the prairies of Saskatchewan where he cut his teeth writing songs and performing in various indie rock bands, Taylor relocated to L.A. at the age of 18 where he studied music business and began writing songs professionally for leading songwriters and artists in pop, country, hip hop and rock, which topped the charts in territories around the world. Although always thankful to be continuously working in the music industry, Taylor felt a large part of his artistic freedom and general happiness were being compromised working as a ghost writer. A longing for writing more personal, meaningful songs and performing said songs was ever present. After battling with the decision to stay employed, or work on his own material, Taylor ultimately took the leap and left to pursue what he knew made him the happiest. With that, he began writing and performing as The Hope State.
BURN OR BLOOM TRACKLIST:
Should Have Called You More
Austin
As A Ghost
Burn or Bloom
Snow Angels
Lifetime
BURN OR BLOOM PERFORMANCES:
Wednesday, October 14 @ 12:00 p.m. ET – The Strumbellas – Austin
Thursday, October 15 @ 7:00 p.m. ET – Jeremie Albino – Burn or Bloom
Friday, October 16 @ 7:00 p.m. ET – The Balconies – I Should Have Called You More
Saturday, October 17 @ 7:00 p.m. ET – Whale and The Wolf – Lifetime
Sunday, October 18 @ 7:00 p.m. ET – Laurent Bourque – As A Ghost
Monday, October 19 @ 7:00 p.m. ET – David Newberry – Snow Angels
