Graeme James - The Weight of Many Winters EP (2021) [Hi-Res]

International folk artist Graeme James will release The Weight of Many Winters on January 1, 2021, and today he shares new song “No Memories of Tomorrow,” a personal retrospective exploring the fears and regrets one might consider when facing death in the winter seasons of life. Written during his first winter in Europe, the song showcases a more vulnerable and introspective side of Graeme’s storytelling.

Earlier this year, Graeme announced plans to release four seasonal EPs, starting with Old Storms in New Places, which came out in September at the same time as the autumnal equinox (listen here). The Weight Of Many Winters, as the title suggests, is inspired by the emotional and physical landscape of the winter season.

Graeme explains, “Most of the songs on ‘The Weight of Many Winters’ were written during my experiences of the bleak Northern European winter. Winter as a season is full of potent metaphors for our human experience, and I particularly wanted to explore themes of death, desperation and weakness. Winter is also a time of hibernation and reflection. It is a time to do business with one’s soul, for to understand death is to understand life. Though the desolate winter landscape speaks to our mortality, it contains within itself a message of hope: a spring resurrection hidden in every bare branch and deep snowdrift. As well as exploring these themes in my songwriting, the instrumentation and production of 'The Weight of Many Winters' seeks to reflect the stark beauty and cold intensity of the season.”

Though he is now based in the Netherlands, Graeme spent the last number of years building a large and loyal fan base throughout his native New Zealand and beyond with his carefully crafted multi-instrumental soundscapes. His captivating and dynamic live shows are performed as a one-man band with the aid of a loop pedal to layer violin, guitar, bass, baritone ukulele, banjo, mandolin, accordion, harmonica and percussion.