Anthéne & James A. McDermid - Transit | Transition (2020)

“The title ‘Transit’ immediately came to mind for this release as these pieces were recorded in the spring and early summer of 2019 while my wife, daughter and I were in the midst of a move. Some of the mixing and recording were actually done at my in-laws’ house - we stayed there for a week as our old house was listed for sale.

The idea of transit also came to mind in a more figurative way. I’ve felt things shift and priorities change with the arrival of my daughter over a year ago. I was on parental leave from work with a very different day-to-day life than I was used to. These 4 pieces were all recorded at a time when all of these things came together, and things really felt like they were in a constant change of flux”

- anthéne (Brad Deschamps)

"The tracks that make up ‘Transition’ were recorded between 2016 and 2019; a period where I experienced more adjustment and change in my life than ever before. Each piece of music represents a moment in the slow journey I’ve made from the person I was then, to the person I am now. These pieces were recorded in the wake of several difficult moments in my life. The main ones being the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union; a short time after that, two members of my immediate family passed away, a few weeks apart.

Looking back, whilst the music exists because of the heartbreak and bittersweet nostalgia, it’s also deeply rooted in happiness; a lot of this - and the challenges I encountered trying to recalibrate my life - has since repaired itself.

‘Transition’ is a collection of diary entries that recalls the worst that life threw at me, to the searing joy of rejuvenation”

- James A. McDermid