The latest single from Prince Edward Island’s Justyn Thyme is a delightfully uncomplicated folk song that—in the way that seems to pervade PEI folk songs on some level—wistfully evokes life on the island. “Return Me” may be Justyn’s contemplation on what it means to be human and the winding journey toward authentic self-expression, but it all seems to inevitably circle back home.
“Return Me” offers an open-ended rumination on nature, ancestry and a search for identity and, for all the territory the song covers, Justyn Thyme admits that his songwriting process is often an act of free-form catharsis; it’s only after all is said and done that he’s able to look back and see the forest for the trees.
“At the time that ‘Return Me’ came to be, a friend of mine had just introduced me to a tuning on the guitar that I was not familiar with,” explains Justyn. “It had very open and warm qualities to it which I think guided the content of the lyric in some way.
“It felt like the song was waiting on the fretboard to be played the way it just kind of fell underneath my fingertips. Usually, when that happens it’s tied to some of the more cathartic experiences I’ve had with writing. There’s never really been ‘one way’ that a song has found form, but it is very nice when something can come through so smoothly.”
At its core, “Return Me” has a citadel of nostalgia; it’s practically a manifesto as Justyn Thyme engages in an act of self-definition through values founded on memory, environment and experience. In particular, Thyme ties the song back to the memory of his father, and the process of interweaving a melody from an old voice memo turned the combination into a potent memory trigger.
“I lost my dad about 10 years ago now, and there were many moments throughout the creation of this song that were infused with feelings of both connection and release. That was one of the stronger moments for me,” explains Thyme. “Every time I hear that particular melody now, I get an overwhelming feeling that my family is surrounding me. I’m very happy for that.”
The result is a song that, while unfocused, roughs in the image of a character hewn from their environs. It’s Justyn Thyme at a glance, standing in for all of us carrying a lifetime of memories on our backs.