Augustine’s Neither Nightmares Nor Dreams Come True is out soon!
Montreal’s ethereal Augustine is set to release her darkly atmospheric new album, Neither Nightmares Nor Dreams Come True on January 26, 2023.
Offering a melancholic and intimate dark folk that sounds both familiar and strangely unique; Augustine’s music is equally delicate and powerful – it envelops as much as it confronts. Her noteworthy first album (The Devil in Me, 2016), paints with gentle, somber brushes the picture of her obsessions: failure,dreaming, longing and love. She now returns with a darker, more asserted second opus; Neither Nightmares Nor Dreams Come True is a haunting musical experience, a proposition of wider scope,still carried by Augustine’s distinctive and poignant voice. Her meticulously crafted music draws from multiple influences, from dark wave to rock and folk, with elements of experimental music and medieval soundscapes.
Listen to the single, “Silence” below, and learn more about Augustine via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, I’m Mireille, I make music under the name Augustine, and I’m based in Montreal. Neither Nightmares nor dreams Come True is my second record. I also work as a screenwriter for television, and I’m an avid horse enthusiast (go figure).
You have unveiled your new album, Neither Nightmares Nor Dreams Come True. What can you tell us about the writing process behind the release?
This album took a long time to come to fruition. Some of the songs I wrote years ago – either I let them sit, not daring to share them, or they remained unfinished for a while because it couldn’t quite find the right form for them, and it just took a lot of time. Which is strange because, in other creative areas of my life, I must act fast for the first steps: write a first draft as quickly as possible, finish up a first version of a song as soon as possible, etc. In other words: Capture a creative impulse quickly and settle it before I started doubting myself or overthinking. After, I polish and polish – but that first step must be fast. It isn’t how it happened with these songs. It took years. I don’t usually work like that.
You have released two recent singles, “Slow Train” and “Silence.” What made you decide to share these tracks with the listeners first?
I felt like they were the more accessible tracks, especially “Slow Train,” which has the most “conventional” arrangement, if you may say (guitar, bass, drums, strings – it’s pretty classic). I also feel like they are very personal. They are very close to my heart, so it made sense.
What’s your favourite thing about being an artist in Montreal?
There is just so much creativity everywhere and so many awesome things happening. There’s always a cool new artist or venue to discover or people putting together surprising stuff. It’s vibrant. You really feel like you’re part of something exciting – on bad days, though, it’s possible that you feel like something exciting is happening and you’re not quite part of the action. But you feel motivated to try and join in I guess? And there are a lot of opportunities.
What else do you have planned for 2023?
I’m going to play a few shows, hopefully, and write on some awesome TV scripts. Also going to try my best to teach my horse some manners and not die in the process.