Hear Vanessa Carlton’s Stunning New Song, “Miner’s Canary”
Earlier this week, Vanessa Carlton previewed “Miner’s Canary,” off her forthcoming album, Love Is An Art. Following her singles “Future Pain” and “The Only Way To Love,” plus a live debut of “I Know You Don’t Mean It,” fans can now hear “Miner’s Canary” in full. Along with the song, Vanessa’s team shared:
[Vanessa] paints a vivid portrait of the complex nature of abuse, what looks like cruelty to the outside observer can be perceived as love and power by the person on the receiving end… in the caves. Blame is neither taken nor explicitly placed, but that doesn’t stop the fury and pain from being unfurled through her arpeggiating piano with gutting intensity. All the while, her gasps for air break through to the surface, growing more frequent and more intense until they converge with the crescendo of the piano, morphing into a warped, electronic scream.
The song opens with fluttering violins, an overture before the swirling piano comes in. The music will lull you into a false calmness, almost dreamy, but Vanessa’s sharp breaths grow tension with each passing second. It all clashes together before the last chorus – enriched with the addition of horns – before a shocking, final crash ends the song. “Miner’s Canary” is impactful and stunning, and you’ll certainly replay the song several times to fully absorb its effect.
Listen to “Miner’s Canary” below:
You can stream or download “Miner’s Canary” from select music providers here. It will appear on Vanessa’s upcoming album, Love Is An Art, out March 27th. Pre-order the album here now.
Love Is An Art Tracklisting
In December, we reported on 12 new Vanessa Carlton songs that had registered online. It turns out, all 12 of those songs will appear on the new album. See the full tracklisting for Love Is An Art:
- I Can’t Stay The Same
- Companion Star
- I Know You Don’t Mean It
- Die Dinosaur
- Love Is An Art
- Future Pain
- Back To Life
- Patience
- The Only Way To Love
- Salesman
- Miner’s Canary
- Break To Save [Bonus Track]
In a recent interview with Blueberry Hill, we got to hear a bit more about some of the songs. “Die, Dinosaur” was written after the shootings in Parkland, Florida and is about “the children who fill the world with love and grace while politicians fill their pockets.” She described “Miner’s Canary” as a confessional song about “reckoning with toxic relationships.” Meanwhile, “Companion Star” focuses on relationships that last forever. “I Can’t Stay the Same,” on the other hand, describes “the relationship with the person staring back at us in the mirror, each and every morning.”
In addition to the first few singles, fans can already get a taste of three other songs. Last May, when Vanessa announced that Love Is An Art was mastered and ready for release, she also shared snippets of the upcoming title track and “Patience.” Vanessa first played “Love Is An Art” in March 2017. Fans may also remember “Patience”; Vanessa uploaded a 1-minute recording of the song to SoundCloud way back in 2012. It’s exciting that we finally get to hear a proper recording of the song!
Most recently, Vanessa debuted another new song live. She performed “I Know You Don’t Mean It” live for Paste Magazine last month.
The album’s songs were partially inspired by philosopher Erich Fromm’s 1956 book, The Art of Loving. Vanessa co-wrote all the songs with singer-songwriter Tristen. Dave Fridmann served as producer on the album.
Upcoming Tour
In support of the new album, Vanessa is about to go on tour. And extra exciting news: This will be the first time in a decade that she tours and performs with a full band. Yes, we’ll finally get to hear the songs as big as ever this tour!
Leg 1 of the tour will kick off on April 2nd in St. Louis and end on April 25th in Nashville. Leg 2 starts in New Orleans on May 27th and will extend through the American south and west coast before finishing in Kansas City on June 21st.
Find all dates and buy tickets here.
Revisiting Vanessa’s Work
Vanessa Carlton’s last album, Liberman, came out in fall 2015. It launched stunning singles like “Blue Pool,”“Operator,” “House Of Seven Swords,” and “Nothing Where Something Used To Be.” Since then, Vanessa also released a few special albums and EPs. We got Liberman Live in 2016, followed by the Earlier Things Live EP in 2017. Then in 2018, Vanessa released six covers; you can now get them all in one package on vinyl.
Last year, Vanessa Carlton also moved into exciting new territory: Broadway! From June 27th through September 1st, Vanessa played Carole King in the Broadway musical, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Will musical theater continue to play a role in Vanessa’s future or influence her own music?
Love Is An Art is due out on March 27th. Enjoy the stunning “Miner’s Canary” – as well as the other songs and live performances – and get ready for the full album, coming in just a few weeks. Until then, catch up on all we know about the album so far here. As always, keep checking back here for all the latest Vanessa Carlton music news.
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