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Jun 14, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Murray A. Lightburn

Murray A. Lightburn, frontman of Montréal’s The Dears, released a new solo album, Hear Me Out, back in February via Dangerbird. Now he has shared a video for the album’s “Changed My Ways.” Kevin Drew of fellow countrymen Broken Social Scene directed the video, which features Lightburn in different professional costumes, including as a race car driver, a knight, a judge, a doctor, a policeman, a firefighter, a man of the cloth, and more. Lightburn’s wife and Dears bandmate Natalia Yanchak produced the video. Watch it below, followed by Lightburn’s upcoming tour dates.

Lightburn had this to say about the video in a press release: “I texted Kevin Drew and said… ‘hey I need to make a music video.’ The next morning he called me with a great idea. We plopped the whole thing into my partner Natalia’s lap, and within a couple of weeks the whole thing was done. And it turned out amazing. That’s how the pros do it. I trusted Kevin completely. He is supremely talented, especially at bringing people together to complete a vision, great or small. I will always have the utmost respect and love for him.”

Drew had this to say: “I love the record Murray made and was drawn to see him changing in and out of different characters for this song. We grabbed an incredible director of photography, Antoine Benhini, and went to work on reflecting the words visually. It was a lot of fun.”

Previously Lightburn shared Hear Me Out‘s first single, “Belleville Blues” (which we premiered and was one of our Songs of the Week), which was followed by two other songs from the album: “Changed My Ways” and “To the Top” (via a black & white video for the track, which was also one of our Songs of the Week). Then he shared another song from the album, “Fan Fiction (Ballad of a Genius)” (which was one of our Songs of the Week). Then he shared a video for “Hear Me Out.”

Lightburn had this to say about the album in a press release: “This album is about grown-up stuff. Having kids, having to sustain careers and sustain relationships, finding that thing that keeps you together in the midst of other circumstances that could tear you apart. The reason why the album’s called Hear Me Out, is it’s not only about expressing yourself, but listening too. Being able to communicate in a relationship is utterly crucial, if you’re gonna survive anything.”

Lightburn wrote and arranged all the songs on Hear Me Out, which was produced by Lightburn and Howard Bilerman (Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire, Godspeed You Black Emperor!). It was recorded and mixed at Hotel2Tango in Montréal. Lightburn plays a lot of different instruments on the album: lead and background vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, organ, Mellotron, piano, tubular bells, vibraphone, tambourine, and maracas. The album also features guest vocals from Catherine McCandless of Young Galaxy and Ariel Engel of Broken Social Scene and La Force, as well as Hawksley Workman on bongos. Plus the album includes the following players: Jeff Luciani (drums), Rémi-Jean Leblanc (bass guitar), Steve Raegele (electric guitar and acoustic guitar), Gregory Burton (piano), and Liam O’Neil (piano and tenor saxophone).

Under the Radar and The Dears go way back. We first discovered the band as they were preparing to release their 2003 sophomore album, No Cities Left, which still remains one of our favorites and made the Top 20 in our Top 200 Albums of the Decade list in our Best of the Decade issue in 2009. We then put Lightburn on the cover of our print magazine in honor of The Dears’ 2006 album, Gang of Losers. The Dears’ last album was 2017’s Times Infinity Volume Two, which was the follow-up to 2015’s Times Infinity Volume One. Lightburn’s last solo album was 2013’s Mass: Light.

Murray A. Lightburn Tour Dates:

09/18 - Antwerp, BE @ Trix #
09/19 - Brussels, BE @ L’Archiduc
09/21 - Tenerife, ES @ Boreal Festival
09/22 - München, DE @ Munichi Strom #
09/23 - Köln, DE @ Luxor #
09/26 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute #
09/28 - Bristol, UK @ Colston Hall Foyer
09/29 - Newton Abbot, UK @ Kingskerswell Parish Church
09/30 - Leicester, UK @ The Musician
10/01 - London, UK @ Union Chapel ^
10/02 - Cambridge, UK @ Portland Arms
10/03 - Newcastle, UK @ Think Tank? Underground
10/04 - Sheffield, UK @ Picture House ^
10/06 - Glasgow, UK @ Hug & Pint ^
10/08 - Dublin, IE @ Ruby Session
10/09 - Waterford, IE @ Phil Grimes Pub

# Stars
^ Dan Mangan

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