HEADED EAST
AN INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN RUTLEDGE
It was an increased sense of disillusionment that plucked Alt-Country singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge from his Toronto residence to the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. Though the Juno Award winner had lived in Toronto all his life, over the years his connection to the city had slackened.
When I call Justin heβs in his home in Prince Edward County, where he lives in a town of roughly 1700 people. Of his decision to uproot, he says, βI do believe that where you live β you should give and it should give back to you.β He jokes about the less tame experiences of his 20s, βIβve partied eight nights a week, I donβt mind the solitude.β
The move wasnβt his only change. Justin took another plunge, making the decision to record his seventh studio album outside of his native Toronto. The aptly titled East joined Justin with producer Daniel Ledwell in his studio in Nova Scotia. Though the two have known each other for a little more than a decade, this was their first musical collaboration.
I ask what it was like to record a solo album outside of Toronto for the first time. Justin says that in Toronto there was a routine: βYouβre at home then you ride the subway, or the bike, to the studio.β This familiarity from home-to-studio-and-back-again changed. In the East Coast he was fully immersed. Having the studio on the property allowed for a total transplantation that βwouldnβt have happened in Toronto.β
Opener βUnsettledβ starts the listener off with an exploration into the apathy of an unhappy relationship: βWe built a house beside the lake / Above the town / Where late at night weβd sit and watch each other drown.β Stark, emotive images are scattered throughout the album, with visuals of lakes and car rides reappearing in the songs. βI wanted to have a thread throughout the record,β Justin says. These repetitions also reinforce notions of stagnancy, renewal, and acceptance, which permeate the album.
The string-heavy record also utilizes great female vocal backing with striking East Coast talent. In βNo One Knowsβ and βThe Great Ascension,β these harmonies add a grandiose, gospel element that complements Justinβs hushed, dreamy delivery.
The album closes with a cover of Tom Parkerβs βQueen Street Lost,β a nod to the changing Toronto landscape. Though not written by Justin, the songβs protagonist speaks to the personal preoccupations of anyone who has watched Toronto over the years. Even though the song is a lament, it doesnβt feel bitter. Rather, it draws on the knowing understanding that change is part of the human experience, both in our surroundings and in ourselves.
East captures these ideas beautifully as Justinβs talents as a singer and a lyricist not only placate our fears and losses, but render them poetic and essential.
Check out Justinβs tour schedule to see where you can catch him play.