4x MusicNL Nominated Rozalind MacPhail Reimagines Jill Barber’s ‘In Perfect Time’ with an Ethereal Indie Folktronica Twist
Artists sometimes pay tribute to those who have inspired them by covering their material. But often those renditions are run-of-the-mill, note-for-note efforts that rarely push the creative envelope. Thankfully, Toronto Island-born and now St. John’s, Newfoundland-based indie pop singer and acclaimed flutist Rozalind MacPhail has given kudos to Canadian jazz-pop singer Jill Barber with a sensational, chic cover of “In Perfect Time,” a song Barber originally released on her 2004 EP entitled Oh Heart. It’s the lead single from MacPhail’s anticipated 2025 studio effort Push & Pull.
MacPhail was inspired to cover “In Perfect Time” during the Unscripted Twillingate — Digital Artist Residency (DART), an artist residency MacPhail took located on rural Newfoundland’s majestic island of Twillingate back in 2021. She says the song has “always held a special place in my heart” since it came out two decades ago. “Her melancholic melodies and heartfelt vocals paint a poignant picture of love lost and the ache of moving on,” she says. “Jill’s song has comforted me during many heavy moments throughout my life. Her lyrics speak to my soul.”
MacPhail, who plays omnichord and alto flute on the track to complement her adoring vocals and delivery, says the time and location was perfect to cover “In Perfect Time,” creating “an indie folktronica version of this folk classic.” As well, musician Brad Weber, best known for his work in his group Pick A Piper and drumming in the Juno Award-winning group Caribou, adds electronics for a mystical, atmospheric vibe. Terry Barrow recorded MacPhail’s vocals in St. John’s, Newfoundland while MacPhail recorded some tracks for the single in the rural island Salt Harbour, Newfoundland. Meanwhile, Jason Jaknunas mixed the song and Noah Mintz mastered it.
“In Perfect Time” differs from the roots-based, train-chugging back beat of Barber’s version, instead giving it an eclectic electronica flavoring, bringing to mind Metric or Metric’s Emily Haines solo work, Florence & the Machine, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O., or even Marianne Faithfull. It hits all the right notes in all the right places while taking the song in an entirely different but marvelous musical direction.
MacPhail also released a video for “In Perfect Time” shot in Twillingate by Newfoundland cinematographers Julian Earle and Joshua Caine. The video shows an elderly woman with middle-stage dementia waiting for her husband (who passed several years prior) to return every day from work, forgetting he has died. “I lost my own grandmother to dementia, and my husband and I are currently caring for other family members who are experiencing different stages of dementia,” MacPhail says. “It’s a heartbreaking experience to witness their mental decline, but there are also many touching moments we experience where we get a glimpse of how our loved ones are still there. These tiny moments of clarity give us hope. This was our attempt to help those experiencing it with their loved ones feel less alone.”
“In Perfect Time” is the first single from MacPhail’s upcoming studio album Push & Pull, which will be a “waterfall release” over a 12-month period before being issued on vinyl at the end of 2025. It marks MacPhail’s first time branching out into more vocal-oriented material after previously recording instrumentals on flute. The album was inspired by the singer feeling “a sense of urgency” to document the local history and stories from Twillingate and its residents through the eyes of a singer-songwriter.
MacPhail, a classically trained looping flutist, has produced several solo albums while composing music for film the last 20 years. Her first solo album was 2007’s Edgework. Since then, additional releases include 2013’s Head First, 2016’s From the River to the Ocean, 2017’s Sunset Sunrise, 2018’s Love and Let Be, 2019’s Don’t Let Me Fall Too Far, and 2021’s single Never Let Go. The artist has received five ECMA nominations for Electronic Recording of the Year to go alongside four MusicNL nominations for Instrumental Recording of the Year over her career. She has also toured internationally while winning MusicNL’s Music Educator of the Year Award in 2022. In 2023, MacPhail earned an East Coast Music Award Industry Innovator of the Year nomination. She’s also performed internationally in festivals and appeared on Radio Sweden, NPR, and CBC Radio.
Now with a new single in “In Perfect Time,” a new studio album in Push & Pull, and plans for international touring with an “interactive hybrid concert” entitled Inspiration Soup, Rozalind MacPhail has found the perfect song that will be playing in your head for some time to come!
What drew you to Jill Barber’s “In Perfect Time,” and how has the song resonated with you personally over the years?
“In Perfect Time” by legendary Canadian songstress Jill Barber has always held a special place in my heart ever since she released it on her “OH HEART” EP in 2004. Her melancholic melodies and heartfelt vocals paint a poignant picture of love lost and the ache of moving on. Jill’s song has comforted me during many heavy relationship moments throughout my life. Her introspective lyrics speak to my soul. It’s always made me feel less alone during my darker times.
How did your time at the Unscripted Twillingate – Digital Artist Residency influence you in shaping your music?
The Unscripted Twillingate – Digital Artist residency I attended in 2021 was my guiding light – a new beginning that filled my heart with some much-needed hope.
During the unsettling years of COVID, I was living in a crowded apartment in downtown St. John’s where I had zero privacy to create. I was in great need of taking time away from city life to explore my next steps.
The pandemic presented a number of challenges for me as a working artist who was at the height of my career right before COVID hit. I had no idea how I was going to continue pursuing a music career with no performing opportunities in the near future. The recording I had just released before the pandemic hit had totally lost momentum. It was like my musical voice and all of my career momentum had been lost overnight. I know other artists out there can relate to this experience.
A friend of mine suggested I apply for the Unscripted residency and the rest is history.
During my residency, I was given the time and space I needed to explore my creativity in ways that shaped the next chapter of my musical journey. I found the people and the region so inspiring. I spent time playing my omnichord by the ocean. I foraged mushrooms in the woods. I met the most interesting people who shared memorable stories of Twillingate’s history. It was the perfect playground for writing new songs. It helped me return to my roots as a singer-songwriter and gave me an opportunity to explore writing about rural life in Newfoundland.
I played a whole lot of omnichord during my time in Twillingate, my favourite instrument to compose with. I had never explored performing cover songs before but something about making an acoustic version of Jill Barber’s “In Perfect Time” featuring the omnichord and my voice greatly excited me.
I would play my heart out at kitchen parties and in living rooms for anyone who would listen and quickly discovered how much my version of “In Perfect Time” resonated for others. I wanted to create an indie folktronica version of Jill’s song to connect with younger generations who might not be familiar with Jill’s folk classic.
I reached out to a music producer I greatly admire in Toronto, Brad Weber of Pick a Piper, Coy Haste and drummer of my favourite Canadian band, Caribou. Over the next three years, Brad totally transformed my sound as he created the electronic music production for “In Perfect Time.” He’s now a key collaborative partner in the music production for our upcoming album, PUSH & PULL.
I also experimented with a new performing medium, that of performing keynote concerts where I mixed inspirational speaking, storytelling and performed live music to film. I remember performing at the Unscripted Festival to my first in-person audience and how much joy I felt from performing in front of a real audience again. Twillingate gave me a real sense of hope that live music was not entirely lost. I’ll always be grateful to the community of Twillingate for helping me feel seen, celebrated and heard.
We loved our time in Twillingate so much that my husband and I just bought our first home in Durrell. Serendipity would have it that our home is right next door to Lupinfield Cottage where we filmed the music video footage for “In Perfect Time.” You can actually see our house in the music video! Never in a million years would we have thought that we’d ever own our own home in Twillingate when I did that residency. It’s a dream come true.
This is your first time focusing on more vocal-oriented material after a career in instrumental music. What inspired this shift, and how does it reflect your artistic evolution?
When I first began documenting my songwriting journey at the age of 30, I focused more on writing songs for my voice and acoustic guitar. That all changed when I started exploring looping flute and electronics in instrumentals performed to contemporary silent film. The flute had become more of my voice to communicate with audiences.
When I did my Unscripted residency, I wanted to return to my singer-songwriter roots. It was my voice that needed to tell the story of Twillingate’s history. Using the lens of a singer-songwriter, I put these stories at the center of each song.
Your upcoming album Push & Pull takes inspiration from Twillingate’s local history and stories. What do you hope listeners take away from the connection between these stories and your music?
Local history in rural Newfoundland has often been passed on from one generation to the next through storytelling. I wanted to document some of Twillingate’s most memorable stories so that these moments will never be forgotten by future generations. It is my hope that our younger generation who embraces the folk genre mixed with indie and electronica will relate to these stories in a way that is refreshing and memorable for them. A different kind of spin on Newfoundland’s traditional music.
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