GEOFFROY is a Quebecois singer-songwriter, surname elsewhere Sauvé, who has a brace of lush EPs and a similar number of albums under his belt for Bonsound. He’s one of those artists – and there’s so many on the Canadian scene over the past years, let’s cite Leif Vollebekk, Sing Leaf, Patrick Watson as just three – who, one listen, smitten; he has it.
He’s got his third full-length release, Live Slow Die Wise, pencilled in for a release next year; but way ahead of time he’s revealed a track from that, “Cold World”; you can watch the self-produced video, directed by Jérémy Nolet, below.
A portentous, old-school and cut-glass English sample, burrowing right to the heart of the topsy-turvy world we live in; “when the wrong man uses the right means, the right means work in the wrong way.” That gives way to that desolate, naked vocal delivery from Geoffroy; I mean, just check that first verse, all the emotion, the humanity he packs in, understated but mournfully soulful; arrowed straight to the core of your being in the way the first Bon Iver album did, that Grace did; right inside you, so you catch breath. Sparse guitar and piano ebbs and flows, teasing out just enough of the melody. Again.
Geoffroy explains: “Intimate and reflective, “Cold World” puts forward a reflection on the state of the world today and the faulty belief systems anchored at the core of our society.
“The song delivers a criticism of a society based on individualism and egoism, driven by greed and an endless pursuit for growth, innovation and profit. But at what cost for humanity?”
Live Slow Die Wise has that reflective touch running all the way through it, as does his catalogue to date; and while citing musical inspirations such as Buckley jr., Nick Drake, Ry Cooder, he also lays claims to philosophical influences such as the zen theologian Alan Watts, the self-empowerment teacher Eckhart Tolle and the environmental writer Michael Pollan; there’s an architecture of deep thought and contemplation at play.
The new album was penned during isolation in 2020, and was brought to life in the studio with help from legendary French Canadian producer Louis-Jean Cormier.
We’re told Live Slow Die Wise “…represents a specific state of mind. It’s about taking the time to live freely and consciously. It’s about being aware and embracing the ephemerality and fragility of life.”
Geoffroy’s “Cold World” is out today on digital streaming platforms. We recommend that while you wait for the new album, you investigate his back catalogue, available at Bandcamp.
