Song is on Canadian singer/songwriter’s new Jim Bryson-produced Hardcore Freewheelin’ LP, officially out April 25
Following the success of his 2023 album Modern Hope – nominated for Solo Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards – Canadian singer/songwriter Dennis Ellsworth officially returns on Tonic Records April 25 with Hardcore Freewheelin’, another stunning collection of his trademark blend of folk and power pop.
He offers another preview today with the album’s opening track, “Ride With You,” which sets the tone for Hardcore Freewheelin’s overarching theme of finding a lifelong personal connection.
Dennis explains, “‘Ride With You’ is a song about promise, and remembering meeting someone important. In the first stages of love, there’s desire and lust, and the feeling of being saved. This song is about looking back and remembering the feelings when you realized commitment was forming.”
Hardcore Freewheelin’ finds Ellsworth teamed up with producer Jim Bryson (Kathleen Edwards, Sarah Harmer, The Tragically Hip), a collaboration that seems long overdue considering their shared passion for exploring the emotional depths of pop songwriting. On its 11 songs, Hardcore Freewheelin’ sounds carefree on its surface, but along with “Ride With You,” other standout tracks such as “I Can’t Impress You,” “Count To Ten,” and “Keep My Joy” expand upon the themes that made Modern Hope a quiet masterpiece.
Like the recent work of Wilco and Teenage Fanclub, Ellsworth has reached a new level of creative maturity, as he takes in life’s wonder and complexity through the lens of fatherhood, wrapping it all up in a sophisticated package that provides Bryson with the stage on which to perform his sonic magic.
It may be tempting to describe Dennis Ellsworth as “a songwriter’s songwriter,” but there’s never been any question about his music’s accessibility. Hardcore Freewheelin’ will surely resonate with anyone possessing an open heart and the capacity to find joy in life’s simple pleasures.