Bridget & Dahlia, Newfoundland’s alt-folk gender-bent counterparts to Simon and Garfunkel, are premiering their video for “Awake.” The duo hit hard with their harmonies, shining with what has proven to be their particular forte, on a song that is really about those things in life that can be, contradictorily, unharmonious.
“Awake is a song about being caught up in something in your life that needs to be let go,” explains Bridget Swift.
The song has Bridget & Dahlia playing off one another, interweaving their own verses like an ear-pleasing balsamic vinaigrette.
“It was written in a way that was different for us as we both wrote our own verses separately, and then made them fit together with the song.”
The pair worked with Tom Cochrane, the busiest videographer in all of Newfoundland, filming across the rugged locations of York Harbour, Lark Harbour and Blow-Me-Down (bless Newfoundland for their way with names).
“[They] are all gorgeous locations we thought would fit well with the mood of Awake, and we had a really great time filming despite the freezing temperatures that day,” says Swift.
Cochrane, who is known for his series of aerial photographs of Newfoundlands many bays and seaside towns, says, “There were a few shots that came to mind immediately, especially the back-to-back shots in the woods and the face-to-face shots on the cliff.”
The shots played well into the theme of the song, with Bridget & Dahlia subtly placed in opposition to each other. Cochrane explains that he took note of those overlapping themes, though the curious similarities to Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends album art are strictly a coincidence. As Cochrane points out, the juxtaposition of Bridget & Dahlia’s black and white outfits was intended to highlight how they’re both singing different, disconnected songs that blend together.
“There are a lot of ideas of longing and separation in the song, which is why they are apart for a large part of the video, and even when they’re together they aren’t really ‘together’,” says Cochrane.
The song, “Awake,” comes off of Bridget & Dahlia’s debut album, Runaways, which was released earlier last week. The duo will be performing a handful of official album release dates in Newfoundland over the course of August.
Tour Dates:
08.01.19 – Corner Brook, NL @ The Rotary Arts Centre*
08.09.19 – St. John’s, NL @ Harbourside Park
08.09.19 – St. John’s, NL @ LSPU Hall*
08.31.19 – Cape St. Mary’s, NL @ Cape St. Mary’s Performance Series
*Album Release Show