If you’re a regular reader of HighClouds, then you already know that Toronto’s Rosemary Fairweather has just unveiled her sophomore album today. More than a release, Heavenly: A Second Collection of Songs is almost a miracle as the 25-year-old alternative pop singer-songwriter suffered a severe concussion which has cost her much of the past year, rendering her unable to leave her room. After having shared this with her fans on social media, the artist began releasing a new song each month, including the amazing “Where Birds Fly” and “Feel Better” that we had the honour to premiere. About this new record, she stated:

[su_quote]Heavenly – A Second Collection Of Songs was inspired by my deep love of pop music. At its best, for me, pop music works on the dance floor, but equally well at home on the bed with headphones on. Pop music has saved my life time and time again, and I hope this album makes a difference in that same sort of way for someone somewhere.[/su_quote]

To celebrate this very special release, Rosemary Fairweather has decided to share the closing track as next single. Aptly-named “Heavenly”, it’s another delicate and delightful piece of dream-pop perfection. Listen below and check the whole album on Spotify.

For the past six months, 25-year-old Rosemary Fairweather has released a single on the last Friday of every month leading up to her long-awaited sophomore album, Heavenly — A Second Collection of Songs. Fairweather opened up to fans on social media back in February, explaining that the album was finished, but she had been quietly recovering from a traumatic brain injury and waiting until she was well enough to do the work of releasing the music. 

This month marks the release of her sixth and final single, “Where Birds Fly,” and we’re honored to premiere it for you here at HighClouds before its official release on Friday.

“Where Birds Fly” would feel right at home on Fairweather’s delicate, enigmatic debut album Heavenly – A Collection of Songs. It’s delicate and tough at the same time, and it leaves plenty of lyrical and sonic mystery for the listener to unwind as they listen over and over.

The track begins with an upbeat, light rhythm, adding in reverberating piano chords and a sharp bassline which linger for only a moment before letting Fairweather’s signature angelic voice peek through. She effortlessly toes the line between breathy falsetto and rich vocal fullness throughout, and the effects on her voice build and interlace to create a sense of velvety softness without sounding over-processed. 

The song is breathy yet breathless, conveying a twinge of melancholy and nostalgia without over-relying on words. It brings up a bittersweet sense of wonder, like seeing the faint shape of the moon in the evening light and knowing the day has come to an end. The layered refrain “I need to believe in / what you said / what you saw” rings through the song and will likely ring in your head for hours after your first listen. About the track, she explained:

[su_quote]’Where Birds Fly’ was written as a cure for my nightmares. I was having trouble shaking a recurring dream, and a friend suggested I try and “score” my nightmares in an attempt to take control of them. It really worked, and this was the end result.[/su_quote]

Rosemary Fairweather’s Heavenly — A Second Collection of Songs will be out in its entirety on August 30. Until then, enjoy this advance preview of “Where Birds Fly” below.

As you might have read, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Rosemary Fairweather has been suffering from a brain injury over the last months. Although her second album Heavenly — A Second Collection of Songs was finished before the accident, this kind of recovery is never an easy thing. Now that her health situation seems to be a bit better, she is teasing the album by releasing a new song on the last Friday of each month. The dreamy and luminous “On The Radio” is already the fifth single off of the record, following up on “Feel Better.”

About the story of “On The Radio,” she explained:

[su_quote]I wrote “On the Radio” one morning without words. Originally, I’d intended it as a love song, but on the drive home, I was skimming through radio stations, and kept landing on iconic greats from the past. I landed on John Lennon’s voice first, and then skipped over to hear Bowie. I kept hitting on artists who have passed on, and whom I admire so much. I started to imagine the airwaves as some sort of other heavenly realm that we can’t see or feel, but can listen in on, and this was proof of its existence somehow. It brought me more sense of peace with their deaths, and the mortality that we all share.”[/su_quote]

25-year-old Rosemary Fairweather is on a major comeback. After her delicate, enigmatic 2016 album Heavenly – A Collection of Songs, she went nearly quiet on social media for almost two years. A single called “You Talk Too Much” dropped in June 2017, then “MTV” in October 2018, and then silence.

Finally, in February 2019, the artist took to social media to explain her absence:

[su_quote]In early 2018, I had the great privilege of signing to Universal Music Canada. A while later, though, I accidentally hit the back of my head on a brick wall in my Toronto apartment. (I’ll never know exactly how it happened because I don’t quite remember.) That week my doctor told me I had a concussion. A week and a couple of trips to the hospital later, I was diagnosed with Post Concussive Syndrome.[/su_quote]

She then added:

[su_quote]Those who have gone through a brain injury before, or have watched someone go through one, know that the recovery process can be excruciatingly painful and slow.[/su_quote]

Rosemary Fairweather explained that she had finished her second album Heavenly — A Second Collection of Songs shortly before the accident, and that her label, Universal Music Canada, had been incredibly understanding while she recovered from her injury. She then announced that she would release a new song on the last Friday each month until the full release of the album this August.

HighClouds is honored to premiere today the fourth single from the album: “Feel Better.”

“Feel Better” starts with bright, jangly electric guitars and a racing drumbeat, creating a more grounded sound than the ethereal, ambient vibe of Heavenly. Rosemary’s signature breathy vocal style comes in in layers, bringing back a bit of the dream pop quality from her earlier work. She’s exploring a new style, and it all comes together perfectly.

While Rosemary Fairweather‘s voice is syrupy sweet on this track, her words add a touch of bitterness. “‘Feel Better’ is about someone becoming so reliant on you that you start to feel like their mother. I hope Johnny Marr would like this song if he ever heard it,” the artist said. The lyrics feel especially pointed coming from a person who has had her own fair share of challenges over the past two years: “Who’s to say you’ve got me now? Who’s to say that I could make it all go away? Make you feel better?”

The track is a perfectly balanced treat and we’re so excited to give you a first listen before its official release on Friday. Check it out below.