Ontario-based project Falcon Jane, led by lead singer and songwriter Sara May, are today sharing their soaring new cut, “Held High”. The new single, tipped by The Line of Best Fit and American Songwriter, comes as the latest in a run of tracks to be lifted from her forthcoming record, Faith which is set for release via Pittsburgh-based label, Darling Recordings on November 13, 2020.
Faith serves as the follow-up to Falcon Jane’s debut album Feelin’ Freaky, which firmly established May’s self-labeled “plez-rock”. Still keeping some of those previously pleasant summer vibes, Faith sees May steer towards a darker spiral—one that personifies the often isolating meanderings that come with figuring it all out. “A lot of the songs on the album are written from me to me,” she explains. “It’s about trusting in yourself and believing in the thoughts and feelings in your own mind.”
This new single, recorded at a friend’s jam space on an eight-track recorder, follows on from where “Heaven” left off, once again detailing May’s glistening vocals whilst draping these over warm-hued synths and glowing guitars. Thematically the track explores the universally-understood idea of wanting something that feels just out of reach, drawing inspiration from the battle between holding out hope and deciding to give up. It somewhat resembles the recording narrative for the track too as, before it reached its finished format, there were many back forths and different iterations that were tinkered with.
“When I wrote the song I was reaching a breaking point,” explains May. “I had been chasing something for so long and was so exhausted and hopeless that I felt like I couldn’t go on anymore. But it is very much a back and forth, a trial and error. I think the repetitiveness of the E major chord to F# minor chord really emphasizes that feeling of triumph then failure then triumph again.”
Faith has found Sara May going back to the beginning: her home, her beliefs, and herself. This intention gave her the ability to take another look, to reassess, to breathe. Writing under the Falcon Jane moniker, May explores the intimate experience in getting to know yourself again, highlighting the banal but beautiful ebb and flow of our every day. Her new record is an investigation into what it means to be alive and the often painful experience of the ordinary. As someone who describes herself as “emotionally guarded,” Falcon Jane is May outstretched, breaking through the introspective wall and inviting us in on the experiment.
Faith will be released via Darling Recordings on November 13, 2020 – you can pre-order the new album here.
Falcon Jane
Faith
November 13, 2020
Out via Darling Recordings
1. All of a Sudden
2. Heaven
3. Feelings
4. The Other Moon
5. Messages
6. Make it Fade
7. Had Enough
8. Take Your Turn
9. Held High
10. Beautiful Dream
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My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago and married my childhood sweetheart and life is good.
