We have seen many of our favorite artists cranking out new music during this pandemic filled year, but if there was ever a race to see who could turn out a seemingly endless stream of new singles, which Canadian artist would you be placing bets on right now? For me, one of the clear frontrunners has to be Montreal, QC singer-songwriter Peter Katz, whose previous single from last month, “KTOTM,” (reviewed by GDW’s Jess just a couple of weeks ago) followed a string of releases dating back to early April, including “I Will Never Leave You,” “Like We Used To Be,” “Book Of Truths,” and “Paper Thin.” These are indeed busy times for this JUNO nominated bilingual artist, who today shares one more teaser of new tunes with this latest single, “Take Mine.”
The arrival of this latest single is not as random as you would imagine, however, timed to coincide with the release of Peter’s brand new “City of Our Lives” album – the physical version available from today, with the digital version scheduled for November 25th. Joining forces once again with fellow JUNO nominated producer Derek Hoffman (The Trews), “Take Mine” continues the overarching theme of Peter’s newfound synth-centric sound and musical direction. “I know / What’s on your mind / ‘Cause we have both been hurt so many times / We hold / Our hearts so tight / But you gotta let it go / Sometimes,” he recites, his soft vocal style in sync with the soft synth keys that are a little more up-tempo than I anticipated. “If you need a heart to put your love in / Take mine, take mine, take mine / If you need a heart to put your love in / Take mine, take mine, take mine.”
Written and composed with GRAMMY Award winning singer-songwriter Rich Jacques, Peter remains ever faithful to this continued exploration of human relationships. “I think when you’re really young and new to love, it doesn’t come with too much baggage. You’re just open, willing to throw open the doors of your heart and let anyone in without going through security first,” he offers. “But after a few too many heartbreaks, you start to put your guard up. This song is about trying to recapture that bold open-heartedness, to let go and be free from the past hurt, and be willing to risk it all again.”
“You’re strong / I know / But you don’t have to take it all alone / You could wait / All your life / But you gotta take a chance sometimes,” Katz continues, his every word dancing around the analog and soft synths from Hoffman, and the echoes from Nico Ormiston’s guitar. “There’s so much that I’ve put into the lyrics and I’m proud of every single work, but this time around I wanted the music to exist in such a way that you can just have an experience with it musically,” Peter shares about his new music in general. “That’s exciting to me. That I can make something where, hopefully, the experience of it is made of authentic stuff from inside me, but it’s made in a way that you can just enjoy it first and foremost.” “If you need a heart to put your love in / Take mine, take mine, take mine / If you need a heart to put your love in / Take mine, take mine, take mine.”
Photo Credit: Justin Broadbent
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
