Marcus Paquin - Our Love (2022) Hi-Res

You may recognize Marcus Paquin’s name from the liner-notes of many well-loved records over the past twenty years. From his work on albums by The National, Local Natives, The Weather Station, Julia Jacklin, Begonia, Sarah Harmer, and countless others, Marcus’s accolades as collaborator and co-creator are wide ranging and illustrious. Marcus’ first solo effort Our Love sees him moving out of the liner notes and onto the cover.

“The catharsis that came of writing the songs on this album helped me process the pain of my separation from my partner of 18 years and recognize the beauty and the healing power of my own self-love,” says Paquin. ”En route to accepting my new path, I saw clearly that love is everywhere and that we need only extend an open hand to receive it and an open heart to give it. Our Love is an exploration of my relationship with love and an ode to love in its many forms.”

Our Love was written, arranged, played, produced and mixed by Marcus with drumming from friend and former bandmate Liam O’Neill (Suuns). It combines Marcus’ raw and intimate song writing with his veteran production chops, blending traditional indie rock sounds with lush layers of electronics and synths.

Since the first time Marcus heard the iconic Beatles record Abbey Road, his trajectory was defined – music was to be his lifelong obsession. From an early age, he spent countless hours lying next to his Fisher Price turntable, wearing out the grooves of his favorite records in his mother’s collection. Music connected with Marcus in a way that was visceral, raw and emotional. Through his adolescence rock posters, tour shirts, guitar straps and LP jackets were a staple in his bedroom. He fawned over Morrissey lyrics, Eddie solos, Bonham grooves and Michael’s moves and spent countless hours practicing guitar – learning songs, writing songs and playing in bands. It became his mission to decode the puzzle pieces that evoked such emotion.

Marcus dissected recorded music and poured over its component parts, trying to decipher how they had been played and recorded. At fifteen, he became adept at making professional sounding recordings with his Tascam 464 recorder. He enjoyed the creative aspects of multitrack recording and the way different microphones, tape types and speeds affected the sonic quality of his recorded compositions. Recording opened new avenues for his craft and creativity, so in his early twenties he enrolled in the Music Performance degree at McGill University in Montreal where he studied jazz guitar and then completed a Masters degree in sound recording. From 2009-2011 he signed to Last Gang records with his band Silver Starling as primary composer and lead singer.