Bio
Lonely Mission is the 11th album by Canadian indie musician Jake Nicoll. The title refers to both the title track of the album and to the time of the album’s creation – deep in the dark lonely depths of the pandemic. Stranded on his family farm for that first year of lockdowns and outbreaks, Jake assembled himself a studio in a cabin, built himself a number of vintage styled tube preamps, microphones and compressors and nestled into his creative cocoon. With the snowy rolling hills and farm fields as a backdrop, Jake let his creativity wander; writing, recording and experimenting with a patience that only a locked-down pandemic world could grant to an artist. Having stepped out of the endless rush of touring, producing albums, and running a recording studio, Jake found himself thinking about the larger questions of life and the future of this warming planet.

“Asking For Forgiveness” sets the scene, reflecting on the loneliness of the pandemic and a plea of hope for the future. In “Music For No-One” Jake meditates on our preoccupation with recognition and attention, and our desire to be heard. Like a monk on a months long silent retreat, Jake found himself writing songs from the perspective of a person outside of society looking in, wondering what exactly all of this noise and activity was about in the first place. Songs such as “Lonely Mission”, “All I Need” and “So Many Asking” show this perspective in an almost mystical desire for something more than the every day. Though the album was almost entirely recorded alone by Jake, it features Jake’s siblings Ilia Nicoll singing harmonies on “Lonely Mission” and Billy Nicoll singing harmonies on “So Many Asking,” as well as backup vocals by Pamela Mackenzie and Thom Coombes on Music For No-One.”

Jake Nicoll is a Canadian indie folk songwriter and engineer who runs a studio in St. John’s Newfoundland called Studio J. Being a bit of a chameleon, Jake experiments with a new palette on each new album, often playing with conceptual and technical limitations. His music is thoughtful and introspective, often lyrically and melodically driven and always tinged with a playful sense of experimentation. Sometimes lo-fi and stripped down, sometimes massively layered productions, Jake’s inexhaustible DIY spirit is never afraid to find new means of expression.

The new album Lonely Mission came out on LP, CD and digital on May 10th, 2024.

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