"Sing In Your Sleep" Release
After many months indoors we all might need a gentle nudge to re-enter the world, and the latest video and single from Toronto-based singer-songwriter Tristan Armstrong delivers equal parts encouragement and wanderlust with a rolling romp through the countryside. Drawing inspiration from Gord Downie, Wilco, and Stephen Malkmus, Armstrong’s ode to simplicity and the modest charms of domestic life is sweet without being saccharine, delivering an unexpected shift into 90s rock energy in its third act.
Asked about his inspiration, Armstrong explains, “The first thing I hear every morning is my girlfriend asking me the same question – ‘Did you have any interesting dreams?’ It got me thinking about the seamless quality of dream narratives and how to explore that in a song.”
The astral influence on Armstrong is evident in his lyrics which evoke the abstract, stream of consciousness scenes that might play out in such a state. Set to a rolling train beat, provided by Trevor Falls on drums, and guitar playing that is lyrical and charmingly scrappy, it feels like waking up from a nap on a breezy summer afternoon.
The accompanying music video takes on a dream-like quality as we follow Armstrong through various bucolic landscapes in Prince Edward County, ON, morphing from pastoral fields and woods, to Dunes Beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. “Sing In Your Sleep” will inspire you to wake up and get outside.