The world feels full of mystery—especially right now—and it is often art and music that help us process and make sense of it all. Toronto-based alt-rock/pop songwriter Jon Stancer is doing exactly that with the release of his six-song EP In Light Of, a project that dives into the emotional weight of living through such uncertain and difficult times.
To coincide with the release last week, Stancer also shared the video for In Light Of Everything, the title track from the EP. With its ethereal synth layers, delicate minor-key melodies, and slow-burning arrangement, the song carries a melancholic, abstract quality reminiscent of Radiohead. Stancer describes the video as an exploration of emotional extremes: “Darkness and light, stagnation and progress, confusion and clarity, anxiety and euphoria. The character on the train is going through it all, all at once, and everything is apparently coming to a head.” In Light Of follows earlier singles including These Arms (Won’t Let You Go), a touching reflection on the loss of childhood innocence, and This Cannot Wait (Until Tomorrow), which Stancer calls “a poignant plea to act fast on climate change,” released back in August with a provocative and powerful video.
We caught up with Stancer to talk about the new EP, the inspirations behind his music, and how the strange reality of the past two years has shaped his songwriting. Be sure to listen to In Light Of now, available on all digital platforms.
Jon, congratulations on your new release! ‘In Light Of’ covers a broad range of heavy topics: mental illness, relational strife, general disillusionment, etc. Has the process of composing and releasing this material helped you work through some of the internal questions you were grappling with on the album?
Thank you very much.
I think so. Certainly, that process can help towards developing a clearer understanding or perspective on things, because you’re devoting time and energy to acknowledging and expressing whatever thoughts and emotions, rather than suppressing or burying them. It’s a form of therapy. Or at least, it can be.
Tell us a little bit about the writing and recording process of ‘In Light Of.’ What is your writing process like? What do you find inspiration from?
I wanted to try writing differently than I had in the past. I was conscious of song structure and thought to change that up a little from what I’d done previously. I opted not to sit with a guitar and write music and lyrics together, as I had before. I wrote as I recorded, just music first, mostly on a keyboard, tracking whatever progressions I liked or felt had some promise. I would edit pieces together and omit sections that weren’t working. I’d then overdub other tracks on top - a drum pattern, a bass part, maybe a string line… I had full-blown arrangements for most of the songs before I had any lyrics for them.
A few months into the pandemic, I started taking long walks. I would listen back to demos as I walked, and hum or sing to them and jot down whatever words or ideas came to mind. I’d come back, and try fleshing some of those ideas out…
Inspiration can come from just about anywhere or anything. But it seems lately, a prime motivation has been outrage. “This Cannot Wait”, “One.Six” and other recent songs of mine such as ‘Chase the Moon” and “Not far From the Truth” were all conceived out of feelings of disbelief, frustration and a tinge of angst.
We hear a broad range of influences on the new EP, from Radiohead to Elliot Smith. Who are some of your biggest creative inspirations outside of music?
Samuel Beckett, Andy Kaufman, Agatha Christie, Banksy.
We loved the way you incorporated your own home movies into the video for “These Arms (Won’t Let You Go).” If your kids could take away one message from your recent release, what would you hope it to be?
Thank you.
We live in confounding times. Proceed thoughtfully.
How has the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns impacted you as an artist and as a father?
I think the pandemic altered my state a little and caused me to zone in on certain things that were happening with added scrutiny, which invariably informed what I wound up writing about. As a father, it gave me a lot of extra time with my kids, for which I am very grateful, and it forced me to recognize as they get older, that the everyday, intimate, quality time with them that I’ve been used to and enjoying all of these years, is fleeting.
What’s next for you in 2022?
I’m writing and I hope to be able to do some recording in the next few months and then we’ll see. Maybe another record at some point. I’m not really planning all that far ahead these days.
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Photo credit: Alison Robb
