Garett Gunderson Releases Joyful New Album Anywhere Anytime Alongside Feature Single “I Want To”
Edmonton singer-songwriter and visual artist Garett Gunderson is leaning into love on his new album, Anywhere Anytime. Warm, colourful and full of heart, the record explores everything from playful romance to deeper connection and gratitude, all wrapped in an upbeat pop-rock sound. Its latest single, “I Want To,” is one of the album’s brightest moments – a sunny, retro-tinged love song inspired by Gunderson’s own relationship. We caught up with Garett to chat about the new album, the story behind “I Want To,” working with producer Stew Kirkwood, and how his life as a visual artist shapes the way he makes music.
Anywhere Anytime explores love in so many different forms: quiet, playful, romantic, healing and everything in between. When did you realize that love had become the unifying theme of the album?
These songs came spilling out of me. They had been around in bits and pieces for a while, but when I focused on love, the love in my life, everything came together. So during the songwriting process, instead of thinking about writing, I focused on love, and the writing took care of itself. Does that make sense? An expression of something genuine, something deeply felt, is the best.
The album feels very rooted in the present moment and the importance of gratitude, connection and appreciating what you have. Was that something you consciously wanted to explore when you began writing these songs, or did that theme emerge naturally?
It was a gradual realization. Songs often come to me in parts- a chord change or riff on the guitar, a melody that feels familiar and new at the same time. The words grow from the melody, sometimes out of order, or in a disguised form, like Paul McCartney when he first wrote “Yesterday” as “Scrambled Eggs”. But I wasn’t able to complete them, and it was frustrating! I realized I needed to pull inward, focus on the importance of what was right around me: my love for my wife, and my gratitude for life.
Your latest single “I Want To” is inspired by your relationship with the love of your life and even includes specific details from your journey together, like the “busted-up car.” Can you tell us more about the story behind the song and how it came together?
Yes, we were in a bad car accident in 2024, where a distracted driver smashed into us from behind at full speed, while we were stopped at a crosswalk waiting for kids to cross. Luckily the kids were OK, but we were injured and needed extensive therapy to recover. I couldn’t play guitar for a long time, and had to stop performing. When you go through a difficult time, you can either become bitter about what you lost, or grateful for what you do have. I chose gratitude. “I Want To” is an upbeat song about my love, about how much we’ve been through together, and how much I want to be around her- in the moonlight, in the sunshine, by the firelight! The bridge came from our meditation together, as we recovered:
“Life is short, but we’re wise Morning, open up our eyes Breathing in the new Breathing out what’s through”
This is your second time working with Stew Kirkwood. How has your creative relationship evolved since your first collaboration, and what did he bring to Anywhere Anytime that helped shape the record?
He’s amazing! He’s a world-class producer and musician, and I love collaborating and creating with him. The more I work with him, the more I trust that he’s going to help create the best possible version of my songs. I’ve worked with other producers who were good, but Stew is an artist with sound. He feels it, he hears it, he understands the vision. On this album, he plays almost all the instruments, as I wanted him to be able to fully “paint his picture” with the production. This is a change from earlier recordings, where I brought in a band with me. So this time, Stew and I were really co-creating this music, and it was a joy from start to finish! He gets the overall vibe of each song, but also adds subtle musical details into the mix that you almost don’t hear, but can still feel as you listen. I can’t wait to get into the recording studio with him again!
You’re also a visual artist, and you’ve compared your songwriting process to painting, building things through layers of colour, texture and feeling. How does your visual-art practice influence the way you hear or construct a song?
When I paint, it’s all about colour, and expressing something genuine. Emotions can’t be artificially constructed, they have to be felt. Colour is emotion, and drawing gives it a form. On my song “Let Our Love”, I sing:
“Your flower radiates In spirals and landscapes Beautiful painting Colours we’re creating”
Van Gogh painted sunflowers, and had direct emotional expression with his colours. But he also did a lot of drawing, and that helped give a structure to his emotions. Like him, I want to express emotions that are right from the heart and soul. That emotional base is what I build upon, and always keep in touch with it as I write the verses, chorus, and bridge. If you lose touch with that emotion, by trying to show off too much, or being clever in an empty way, or in all the other ways one can be false or superficial, it’s like a bad clash of colours. Van Gogh was real, and people still respond to his art today. There are many great artists I could talk about, and they all expressed something different. They were themselves, in a world that often pushes you to not be yourself.
You’ve said that “anywhere, anytime is the right place and the right time for love.” What do you hope people feel – or perhaps think about differently – after spending time with this album?
I hope that everyone feels love, in whatever way that is right for them. I’m expressing my deep and joyful love with my wife, but I know what it’s like to not have a partner. It took me a while to find my “one”! I’ve had hard times in my life, like when my bandmate was at the end of his life. When I visited him in the hospital, I tried to bring joy to him, as he still loved talking about music. I’m not special, everyone goes through difficulties, but even in those difficult times, there’s love to be found.
I think this world needs a big giant dose of love right now! I hope this album gives hope to someone who is needing love. I hope it inspires people to show love to those around them. As you said at the beginning, love can be quiet, playful, romantic, healing and everything in between. Find what you love, find who you love, love yourself, and appreciate life. In the end, it’s all about love.