DR.RIFT – “FLEETING”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE
dr.rift is the project of Winnipeg/Stony Mountain-based musician Kyle Halldorson. With a sprightly and introspective blend of psych, prog,Β funk, folk, space rock and alt-rock, dr.rift’s expansive hypnotic and hook-fueled sound explores anxiety and self-doubt, loss and love, and the good and bad that makes life worth living.
The Anishinaabe/Celtic musician created dr.rift to navigate complex themes like mourning the loss of love and the death of his father, knowing what home was and leaving it behind, and the challenges that came with the pandemic and a violently changing world.
‘Fleeting’ is the first of five upcoming singles to be released in anticipation of the debut full-length record, which was mixed by Drag City recording artist Cory Hanson of L.A. psych rockers Wand. Expressed in a non-linear manner, the song touches on themes of loss and fading memory. “It’s like holding the hand of a passing parent and not registering the weight of it in the moment or looking a new love in the eyes while they simultaneously fade from your future,” Halldorson explains. “In the second verse I sing, ‘Is this moment you are honoring, the last moment you weren’t honoring? It’s gotta be.’… it’s looking back at an impactful circumstance from my past, and questioning if it was truly honored. There are moments where we know things aren’t as they will be, things will change but we are present anyway. It reminds me of the movie “Back To The Future” when the characters go back in time, circumstances begin to change the course of the future, seen as loved ones slowly dissolving from a photograph.
Although the song isn’t solely about my father, he passed away in early 2022. When my dad was laying in front of me in the hospital, I felt like I was already forgetting what he looked like, “as you lay here in front of me I forget what you look like to me” is expressed in this single. It is re-visiting that moment now, where all I have are still frames of him and fractured memories of him in motion, the real version of him starts to lose distinction.”
Vocals, guitars, bass and synth were performed and tracked by Kyle Halldorson at his home studio. Drums performed by Edward Oakes, tracked by Kyle at No Fun Club in Winnipeg. Mastering by Riley J. Hill at No Fun Club.
The video for ‘Fleeting’ is by Winnipeg-based videographer Sean Perrun and includes symbolic imagery created with the single’s themes in mind, mixed with the natural landscapes of Stony Mountain where much of the upcoming album was conceived.
dr.rift
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: June 5, 2024