Mute Choir Releases Sophomore Album ISOLATOR
Mute Choir is the brainchild of Sam Arion, an Iranian-born producer/songwriter hailing from
rural/suburban Ontario.
In advance of the album, Mute Choir unveiled various singles including, “Dopamine,” “Gravedigger,” “Automatic,” and “New God.”
ISOLATOR is a concept album that brings us on a cerebral journey through a downward spiral of isolation, alienation, depression, anxiety, and self-doubt. Overall, deals with the overwhelming nature of modern society and the mental health struggles that come with it.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey, I’m Sam Arion (AKA Mute Choir) I’m a songwriter and producer from Toronto, Canada.
My style is a blend of Alt-rock, Psychedelic, Electronica, DnB, Pop, Hip hop, Experimental, and post-punk. When I’m not making music for Mute Choir, I produce and write for other artists as well. Most recently I’ve gotten the opportunity to produce and write an incredible new album with Fefe Dobson. I tend to write songs from the lens of an introvert (but that still can make your booty shake) . At the moment I’ve written a lot about the ups and downs of mental health in my music. I got into music as a sort of therapy in dark times, music helped me feel understood and like I wasn’t alone, so If there’s anything I hope to achieve with my music, it is to pay back what so many artists have given to me through songs and make anyone who might be going through the types of things I write about feel a little less alone through it all.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
I have been working on my sophomore album “ISOLATOR” for a while now, it began a bit before the pandemic, and then when Covid hit, I dedicated most of my time to writing this album. I’ve always been a fan of theatrical concept albums, Pink Floyd was always a huge influence in how they would make an album into its own world. So I sought out to make a concept album with a linear story. ISOLATOR was what came out of that. The album holds a mirror to mental health in modern times, written at a point when my mental health was at an all-time low, I found myself distant from those around me, isolating myself from people and giving in to an avoidant nature. There was this constant feeling of existential dread amongst myself and my peers in a space where optimism used to be. Our relationship with technology also seemed very relevant to all of this. That was where the conception of the album began.
I wrote it as a kind of cautionary tale about mental health and where giving in to your negative intrusive thoughts can lead.
ISOLATOR follows someone who slowly gives into anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and isolates from everyone, seeing the world through screens highlighting the worst of humanity. He finds himself becoming more and more jaded and alienated with the world around him until he ultimately becomes an apathetic nihilistic version of who he once was.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
Yeah! We’re playing a few dates around home with an artist called Featurette in October.
October 11 – Maxwell’s – Waterloo, ON
October 14 – Casa Del Popolo – Montreal, QC
October 19 – The Warehouse – St. Catharines, ON
October 20 – Mills Hardware – Hamilton, ON
October 21 – The Baby G – Toronto, ON
You can get tickets here: https://www.mutechoir.com/tour-1
If given the chance, which Canadian artist would you love to work with in the future?
Hmm, that’s tough! There are so many amazing Canadian artists out there. I’ve been really loving the music that The OBGMS have been making, we would definitely make an absolute banger together. I also have always been a big fan of an incredible experimental group out of Winnipeg called Royal Canoe, I would love to make some music with them.
What’s your goal for 2024?
I’m back writing for the next release after ISOLATOR, I would love to play lots more shows, as well as do more collaborative songs with rad artists.