Lia Pappas-Kemps' acoustic simplicity shines on “Sad In Toronto”

The Canadian singer/songwriter – who recently starred in the CBC/Netflix series Anne With An E – pulls together these powerful influences with alpine inspiration on new single “Sad In Toronto”. The wanderlust triggered by pre-lockdown memories of a trip to Austria sparked the track’s inception, which took shape around layers of gentle, noodling guitars.

“I put a lot of weight on certain things ending or starting and how that’s going to change my life, then I’ll be happy,” Pappas-Kemps explains of the track’s lyrical narrative, “but man, being depressed doesn’t change.”

Pappas-Kemps' affinity for an effortlessly unexpected chord pattern lends “Sad In Toronto” a melancholy edge reminiscent of early Laura Marling, echoing the quiet loneliness of a year spent in lockdown. Sampled birdsong fades in as the track draws to a close, offering a subtle grounding to the singer’s weightless melodies.