With over a year into the global pandemic, the social exhaustion of trying to get by in everyday life has never been so prominent. It’s a comfort to know, however, that this experience is a collective one. Nova Scotia natives Hillsburn have penned the soundtrack to this collective fatigue with their new album, Slipping Away.
Slipping Away dances the line between joy and sorrow. Many of the songs are rooted in a setting of dire circumstances, but even the bleakest of lyrics are brightened with optimism. The record serves as a finale to founding member Paul Aarntzen’s tenure with the band, after announcing his departure in July of 2020. Even without that fact looming over the album’s release, it’s safe to say that the lyrics he’s written for this project are some of his most poignant.
Lead vocalist Rosanna Burrill does her part to make those lyrics shine and does it brilliantly. Even when she’s belting her heart out, her cadence is warm and comforting. The outro of “On A Monday” has her running the gauntlet from passionate belting to a soft croon, and she accomplishes both with stunning ease.
In fact, all of the moving parts here mesh just as well. Rosanna’s brother Clayton complements her own vocals, and the heartbeat percussion from drummer Clare MacDonald and the dreamy keys from Jackson Fairfax-Perry gel into something magic. It’s a necessary formula for the songs to be as emotionally compelling as they are. They navigate the lack of linearity that comes with pain and healing. “Pain” is a more somber track, but the message is inherently hopeful.
“All the pain I had is unravelling now,” Burrill sings. “Every day I’m getting better.”
It’s followed up by the track “Fadeout”, which acts as its reverse. The tempo is more upbeat, but the lyrics are decidedly darker as Burrill convinces herself, amidst the pain, “One day I will sleep through the whole night.” Even more mundane visions, like the moody and futuristic “My Machine Heart”, sift through the complexities of the everyday with the same level of vulnerability.
On the lead single “Waking Up”, Burrill’s feathery vocals couple with a hazy synth that brings to mind Canadian indie-pop darlings Alvvays. It’s also got a frantic 80’s synth-rock pacing that makes its appearance in other tracks as well, like the earlier track “Emma”. Though still graced with that reflective lyricism that runs through the whole album, fun tracks like these definitely give the album some legs to stand—or dance—on.
The album runs full circle with the opening and closing tracks. “Die With You” is a euphoric opening, a bouncy start to a day with Burrill chanting, “Wake up, wake up, wake up” and going on to express a newfound joy for a previously dismal life. Likewise, “Under The Rainbow” dreams of bluer skies and ends with a sleepy refrain, “Goodnight, goodnight.” It’s a reflective moment that ties this album’s journey together—the constant pull and push of pain and healing, the coexistence of it all. Hillsburn celebrates all of it, tying it together with a glossy, dreamy finish.