Nearly two years after the release of Terra Spencer’s stunning debut album, Other People’s Lives, the Nova Scotian singer-songwriter still has something more to say about her favourite subject matter. “Saigon” is the second single off of Spencer’s upcoming album, Chasing Rabbits, and, as usual, it seems that she’s once again unravelling the other people’s heartstrings to beautiful effect.
As Spencer describes it, Chasing Rabbits forms its own auditory infinite loop. From beginning to end it tells a story about distances, from people to places, comfort zones, and even the distance between you keep between you and a wild animal, Spencer also notes that if you let the album play through, there’s a cycle that starts all over again.
Without explicitly spelling out who Spencer sings of, she makes reference to a snowbird and “country man” who has fallen for a city girl in Vietnam. The song fails to end happily, with the unnamed snowbird returning on his regular migratory route, but such is the nature of snowbirds.
“‘Saigon’ is a story from opposites sides of the world, about someone seeking warmth and love and not being sure what to do with it when they’ve found it,” says Spencer.
“I had been sent so many bits and scraps of the story as it unfolded and told that it would be good songwriting fodder (which happens often), but at a certain point, it just tipped over and was one of those fifteen-minute exorcisms. It probably took longer to write out the horn parts than the words. It is a spooky, satisfying feeling.”
There’s a strange authenticity to “Saigon,” as there is with all of Spencer’s song. She’s a caring storyteller, and even if the stories aren’t necessarily her own, she’s able to share them with heartfelt compassion, leaving listeners ready to ask “and what then?” with a fair expectation of receiving a genuine answer.
“The moral of this song is,” says Spencer, “that I have still not completely let go of other people’s lives, I guess.”
Chasing Rabbits, the sophomore album from Terra Spencer, is set to be released on November 13, 2020.
Tour Dates:
11.14.20 – Berwick, NS @ The Union Street
11.19.20 – Halifax, NS @ The Carleton
11.28.20 – Montague, PEI @ Copper Bottom Brewing w/ Catherine MacLellan
12.05.20 – Liverpool, NS @ Route 3 Cellar w/ Eric Stephen Martin
12.06.20 – Halifax, NS @ Bulwark Cider
12.12.20 – West Brooklyn, NS @ West Brooklyn Speakeasy