To announce his upcoming album, You Are An Island and So Am I, Cyrus R.O. has dropped its title track with an accompanying video. Opening a window into the artist’s past, the track gives us just a glimpse of the stories and music he has in store.
The track, like the rest of the upcoming album, was inspired directly by the artist’s life experience — by people or events who made lasting impressions on him during his youth in Cape Breton.
It tells the story of two people who embark on a tryst, knowing full well that it would lead nowhere romantically and would ultimately elicit feelings of defeat. The tale reflects the feeling of aimlessness, not just in romantic relationships but also in life in general.
“In a nutshell, the album is a collection of songs inspired by the stories of people I met and things I experienced growing up in post-industrial Cape Breton, and it was my pet project last summer while hunkering down at my mother’s house,” says Cyrus.
“Compared to last year’s Deconvolution, it’s a much more raw rocky sound. It’s kind of bombastic alt-rock with an experimental edge.”
In addition to carrying a different sound than his previous album, You Are An Island and So Am I was written over a longer time period. Instead of having been written all together and comprising only new material, the tracks make up a compilation of Cyrus R.O.’s work over the span of his musical career. They represent his development, not only as a musician but also as a person.
The video accompanying the single release depicts clips of the song’s recording and mixing process juxtaposed against scenes of the artist’s surroundings.
“I cut together the video myself, which was an interesting challenge. I’m obviously not equipped or trained like a professional filmmaker but I feel that such gaps can be leveraged sometimes to create a unique aesthetic and that’s what I’ve attempted to do here.”
In “You Are An Island and So Am I,” Cyrus R.O. gives us a taste of what we can expect for the rest of the album. He takes his experimentalism, strips away the electronic sounds of his previous release and turns up the rock. And he ties it all together with the genuine and raw edge that can only be generated through real, lived experiences.
The album You Are An Island and So Am I is expected to drop on June 25th.