Last week on October 15th, Ontario native Megan Bonnell released her debut full-length album, Hunt and Chase, off Nevado Records. With only hearing her EP, Maps, released back in 2011, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found it streaming on CBC’s website and I’m happy that this album is now in my collection. Hunt and Chase was produced by Chris Stringer (The Wooden Sky, Timbre Timbre) and Joshua Van Tassel who, along with Megan, have created something quite intimate and beautiful. Listening to it, I thought of how much darker it sounded than Maps. When you hear the songs of Hunt and Chase, you feel as though you’re amongst nature. Bonnell’s smoky voice is backed up with slow and heavy piano creating something dark yet graceful.
Growing up around the nature in Caledon, it seems Megan has gone to her roots, with songs of sincerity and reflection. Her video for Hunt and Chase was filmed in her hometown and truly captures the essence of the record with shots of Megan amidst fog, open fields and trees. Somehow it leaves feelings of both isolation and contentment. Playing some shows the past few months in cities such as LA, Montreal and of course, Toronto, Megan will also be performing next week at Halifax Pop Explosion, then later next month at BIME (Bizkaia International Music Experience) in Spain. If you like what you hear, then purchase Hunt and Chase on iTunes and keep your eye out for any listings for another Toronto show. Follow Megan Bonnell on Twitter and Facebook.
