Briget Boyle Releases Heartfelt New Single MIDDLE WE MEET
By: Tori Hartshorn Aug. 02, 2018
Singer-songwriter Briget Boyle has released a new single, "Middle We Meet," in anticipation of her forthcoming sophomore album, The Next Line (out 9/21). "Middle We Meet" plays Briget's airy vocals off against the cutting attack of a distorted electric lap steel to create a dynamic, absorbing soundscape that matches Briget's lyrical shifts from the uncertain ("What could it possibly mean? This broken ladder we're climbing...") to the assured ("You breathe, breathe, life into me, onto you"). - Listen to "Middle We Meet" Here -
A defining feature of Briget's work is the attention she pays to the subtle elements of her arrangements. Her poetic lyrical imagery is complemented by the melodic guitar line that weaves through the second verse, the rich layering of voices in the refrain, and the powerful textural shifts that accompany the movements from verse, to chorus, to instrumental break.
Briget's solo work is a notable departure from the traditional folk vocal ensembles that she cut her musical teeth in. As a member of the Bay Area's legendary group Kitka, and more recently with her own True Life Trio, Briget mastered the complex harmonic and rhythmic world of Eastern European folk music. In her solo work Briget is able to eschew the necessary restraints that are imposed on folk singers who aim to retain authentic preservations of historical songs. With The Next Line, Briget molds her folk, acoustic, and indie rock influences to create a music that is truly her own.
"Middle We Meet" is the second single released in anticipation of The Next Line. The first, "Pick Up," came out in early July and is yet another testament to Briget's carefully crafted sound.
Bio:
Briget Boyle is a songwriter, vocalist, and guitar player based in Oakland, California. As part of a full schedule of performing, teaching, and touring, Briget and a talented group of guest musicians have just finished recording Briget's second album, The Next Line, which will be available in fall 2018. Briget's first solo record, The Parts Interior, came out in 2014 and was hailed as "emotionally resonant" and "sorrowful and redeeming."
The Next Line is the culmination of three years of songwriting and self-exploration. At the end of 2017, Briget left her day job as the production manager of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir to pursue her music career and to record and release this album. She teamed up with producer Michael Shiono, and Michael and Briget were able to take her songs, full of potential but not yet complete, and open them up to find their new sound. The Next Line, full of energetic and vibey tunes, features some of the Bay Area's finest players, including Kyle Caprista, Geneva Harrison, Kimiko Joy, Ben Misterka, Jon Monahan, and James DePrato.
Briget has a rich and diverse musical history. Growing up in Los Angeles, Briget sang backup for her mother, recording artist Karen Tobin, and worked with her father in Hollywood's film scoring studios. She began writing songs as a teenager and played guitar in rock and jazz ensembles. She then attended the College of Santa Fe as a Music Performance and Composition major. After college, Briget sang for eight years with Kitka Eastern European Women's Vocal Ensemble, one of the most respected American groups performing Balkan folk music today. After leaving Kitka, Briget co-founded True Life Trio, an innovative ensemble that explores music from the Balkans and the Americas.
Briget was also the lead singer and percussionist for the Balkan ensemble Brass Menažeri, which collaborated with hip-hop artist Mr. Lif on 2017's Resilient. The album was released to great acclaim on the record label Waxsimile Productions.
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