If you thought Alex Lifeson's next musical step would sound anything like Rush, you're in for a shock. New band Envy Of None's first single Liar features an electronic-driven sound and ambient textures around Maiah Wynne haunting vocals.
As we previously reported, the project began when Coney Hatch bassist Andy Curran was working with multi-instrumentalist Wynne on new songs and called his old friend Lifeson who ended up contributing guitars. Now a debut album is due for release on 8 April.
Although Wynne has pursued a solo career as an independent musician for several years and continues to, the other musicians in Envy Of None were wowed by her musical contributions to the new band.
When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really fucking special!
“Maiah became my muse,” explains Alex Lifeson. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like Liar and Look Inside. After hearing her vocals on Never Said I Love You, I felt so excited. I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really fucking special!”
“One of my favourite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like Enemy, and then tracks like Kabul Blues, that sound completely different to anything else.”
The album's closer, Western Sunset, which was penned by Lifeson in tribute to his latte friend and Rush bandmate Neil Peart. “I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.”
The album will feature previously released Lifeson instrumental tracks Spy House and Kabul Blues, though it's not clear if these will be in reworked form on the Envy Of None album.
You can preorder Envy Of None's debut album here.
