On Krief’s new single “All Is Lost,”it’s apparent that recent death and heartache have left an indelible mark on the mindset and music of Montreal’s Patrick Krief. However, with lyrics such as “When all is lost, all is found,” it is also clear that the resilient Krief is intent on moving forward in life and in love.
Following a devastating string of deaths in his life and the end of a romance, Krief poured all the heartbreak, grief, and despair into the twenty songs that make upAutomanic Red and Automanic Blue, his unconventional and heart-wrenching diary of a double album forthcoming on September 30th.
According to Krief, the lyrics to “All Is Lost” discuss “being held back by the past and the struggle and importance of moving forward.” Poetic and universal lyrics like those in “All Is Lost” blend with dreamy soundscapes and carefully crafted balladry to give Krief his distinct sound.
‘automanic’ is a double album comprised of ‘automanic red’ and ‘automanic blue’, which Krief describes as "autonomous in their flow, yet not meant to be listened to in one sitting." Creativity healed adversity and inspired Krief to write poetic lyrics, both earnest and abstract, paired against sounds of contemporary pop and rock, atop dreamy soundscapes and rock ballads alike.
Similarly to his previous albums, Krief created ‘automanic’ independently, playing all guitars, bass, drums, percussion, piano and keyboards. He also recorded, produced and mixed the album between Studio Mixart in Montreal and Studio Bottega, on an alpaca farm in Kelowna, B.C. Mastering duties were undertaken by Phil Demetro (Kevin Drew, Hey Rosetta) in Toronto and engineer David Schiffman (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Nine Inch Nails) monitored the Montreal sessions, the album also features long-time collaborator Roberto Piccioni.
Krief has spent much of the past decade writing, touring, and recording with Montreal’s original orchestral rock-noir band, The Dears. He describes the distinctly different vibes of Automanic as Thursday night and Sunday morning: “Automanic Red is Thursday night, the reckless, kick-off to the weekend, whereas Automanic Blue is Sunday morning, with its moments of sober reflection, grappling with reality, and recognizing mortality.”
