WATCH: Abigail Lapell, “All Dressed Up”

Artist: Abigail Lapell
Hometown: Toronto
Song: “All Dressed Up”
Album: Stolen Time
Release Date: April 22, 2022
Label: Outside Music

In Their Words: “‘All Dressed Up’ is a fever dream of isolation and claustrophobia, circumscribed by all these obsolete media machines — but with a semi-hopeful note, too, about making the best of an absurd situation, or at least, ‘this too shall pass.’ And spring will come again. The video was shot in Austin, Texas during SXSW, with local filmmaker Max Conru. It was my first time at South-by, and first time out on the road in quite a while, so it was super fun getting to capture the early days of spring and visit some iconic Austin sightseeing spots.” — Abigail Lapell


Photo Credit: Jen Squires

WATCH: Abigail Lapell, “Down by the Water”

Artist: Abigail Lapell
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Song: “Down by the Water”
Album: Getaway
Release Date: February 1, 2019
Label: Coax Records

In Their Words: “‘Down by the Water’ is a springtime song, so there’s a lot of imagery of renewal or redemption, and even some biblical symbolism, suggesting an escape to a better place — whether literal or metaphorical. The song evokes the idea of getting away somewhere isolated, away from the world, in order to rediscover your voice or calling — something that ultimately deepens your sense of connection to the world. Like a songwriting retreat!

“I love singing with Dana Sipos, who’s featured on this song and is an amazing songwriter — and people often tell us we sound like sisters, which is a bonkers compliment to me because she has one of my favourite voices of all time. We’ve toured together a bunch (including by bike and canoe) so we’ve had a good amount of practice singing on each other’s songs. For this tune we recorded live-off-the-floor in the studio, in a room together; no headphones or isolation, just a guitar and our two voices. So it’s one of the simplest arrangements on the album.

“This was my first time making a music video, and it was a really fun and surprisingly time-intensive process. It was filmed by Brittany Farhat at Union Sound Studios in Toronto, which is such a beautiful (and photogenic!) space, and I edited it very slowly over several months. Also featured in the video is Chris Stringer, my wonderful producer, who was one of a small team that started the studio — they built it literally from the ground up a few years ago. It’s also where I met my fiancé, while working on my last album there. So this video and location are particularly special to me.” — Abigail Lapell


Photo credit: Gaelle Legrand

3×3: Abigail Lapell on Pointers, Pillows, and Promo Emails

Artist: Abigail Lapell
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Latest Album: Hide Nor Hair
Personal Nicknames: Abi (only to my oldest friends)

 

About to play at Bar Robo with @dana_sipos and Moonfruits #ottawa #folkyeah

A photo posted by Abigail Lapell (@abigaillapell) on

If your life were a movie, which songs would be on the soundtrack?

(1) “Somewhere Out There” (2) “School’s Out” (3) “Wild World” (4) “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” (5) Overture from CATS, the musical

How many unread emails or texts currently fill your inbox?

Around 1,500. Mostly unopened promo emails, listserv messages, notifications, etc … I never delete anything.

How many pillows do you sleep with?

1-3, depending on the pillow. Have you tried buckwheat hull pillows? They are so supportive and stay cool in the Summer.

 

Searching for the one…

A photo posted by Abigail Lapell (@abigaillapell) on

What’s your favorite word?

Any seven-letter word I can play in Scrabble for the 50-point bonus. I also like words that are spelled differently in Canada … like “favourite.”

Which sisters are your favorite — Andrews, Secret, McCrary, or Mandrell?

Pointer!!!

If you were a liquor, what would you be?

A non-alcoholic spirit.

Fate or free will?

Little of both

Sweet or sour?

Little of both

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset! I’ve finally given up trying to photograph sunsets, and enjoy them much more now.


Photo credit: Jen Squires