My sister and I recently took a road trip to the northeast tip of Maine as an escape from our busy lives. We needed a break to allow our minds to rest and to recharge our souls. Very fitting to our excursion is Tennyson King’s latest single, “Slow Down,” as that’s exactly what we did for a couple of days. This Chinese-Canadian singer-songwriter from British Columbia is a nomadic indie-folk rock musician who captures the essence of chillaxin’ in his songs.
Tennyson expresses the core of “Slow Down,” taken from his upcoming album “Good Company,” due out early next year: “When we all live too fast, when there is so much chaos happening in the world, too much hate and not enough love … sometimes we just need to slow everything down and be in the moment.” And that is exactly what my sister and I did; we took a break from the chaos, disconnected from social media for a while, drove to the mountains, and enjoyed every moment of doing nothing but taking in the majestic view and the crisp fall air.
“I started writing this song when I got back from tour back in March 2020,” King recalls. “The past year was a bit intense as I had toured in Hong Kong during democratic protests, then went to Australia to tour during some of their biggest fires in a long time, then went into Vietnam for shows just as COVID was becoming prevalent in Asia. It just seemed like everyone was looking for answers but there weren’t any, people seemed angry at the wrong things, and there was just a lot of hate and not a lot of peace and love … I realized that there is nothing I could say to make anyone feel better or much I could do. I felt that all we can really do is slow down our pace of life, listen to each other, be there for each other, try to enjoy the small things, and do the small things to be kind to each other.”
Tennyson also released an official video that accompanies this single so beautifully. He shares, “The video is a reminder of how amazing our world is and that we should take the time in our lives to appreciate everything, slow down our pace and really live in each single moment.” Filmed by Chris Noble (Noble Productions) and directed and edited by Cesar Barbosa (Hot Point Pictures), the music video shows off some of Canada’s natural beauty to inspire the viewers to appreciate and protect Mother Earth. True to his insight, “Slow Down” reminds us to do just that: “Slow down / We’ll take the long long way around / Slow down / Yes my friends and I, we float through town / Slow down / Yeah, we’ll make it work somehow / It could be alright.”
It’s easy to forget how to enjoy the little things in life when we let it pass by too quickly, and Tennyson’s “Slow Down” is a great way to take five minutes for yourself. Or maybe it will inspire you to take the long way home or the scenic route next time you are out. You don’t even have to drive to Maine, but I’d recommend it!
Update: Tennyson King released a “Live Lakeside Acoustic Video” just yesterday, which is the video we are sharing in lieu of the previous official video. Filmed on Okanagan Lake in BC back in the spring of 2021, this lyric video features local musicians, Dan and Rachelle Marcellino (Two’s A Pair). “Being out in this area was important for me mentally and emotionally as I was adjusting to the new way of life as a musician,” Tennyson shares. “We decided to film right in front of the water which truly inspires us to really ‘slow down’ and take in the little things.”
Photo Credit: Savannah Bagshaw
Jess has always enjoyed a wide range of music genres and eras. Connecting deeply with classical music, she played cello from grade school through high school, and although no longer actively playing, her affinity for finding an emotional connection to music is still strong. Residing in central PA, she is new to the Canadian music scene and enjoys listening to new artists as a way to break away from “the usual.” Jess is an avid yogi who often finds a sliver of peace while on the yoga mat with good music playing in the background.
