New Music Monday: Northcote embraces heartbreak on new album ‘To Cherish’

Victoria and Vancouver Island have a lot of musical talent, and Victoria Buzz wants to highlight some of the best and brightest local artists and bands.

Every Monday, there will be a fresh ‘New Music Monday’ article to help people find and support local artists and bands that are up-and-coming, well established or hidden gems!

For this endeavour, Victoria Buzz has partnered with our good friends at CFUV 101.9 FM, UVic’s campus radio station, to find and select the musicians and bands for this regular column.

To date, there have been 81 New Music Monday features published through this collaboration. 

This week, Northcote is the New Music Monday highlight!

Northcote is the moniker of internationally-recognized Matt Goud, who has just embarked on a cross-Canada tour in support of his latest studio album, To Cherish.

Goud has been making music for 17 years with this project, and in recent years has worked with his partner in creative pursuits, Stephen McGillivray, who plays guitar and tours alongside him. 

It all began for him after Means, Goud Saskatchewan-based hardcore punk band, broke up in 2008. It was then that he started the project Northcote, and quickly gained the attention of some of the biggest names in the punk-expat folk music scene, including Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan and Tim Barry. 

Goud moved from Regina and ended up in Victoria after being somewhat transient in his 20s, touring and balancing his priorities. 

Here he has found a home and continues to balance work, life and music. 

The last time Victoria Buzz spoke with Goud about Northcote’s progression and evolution, he said he looks back upon his career up until now in seasons. 

“Wholeheart and [Jam Spot Kirtan] was definitely a spiritual season of my career—probably just coping with the pandemic and changes in my life,” Goud told Victoria Buzz. 

Following the release of those two albums, Goud said he sees himself as being in a new, fresh season now. 

He added that the last few years have been difficult at times as he was going through a divorce. To Cherish was written during this time as a way to honour his 15-year relationship and all that it meant to him. 

“The material is kind of more melancholic, or like a love album, but at the same time sonically, I wanted it to be very assertive,” explained Goud.

“The lyrics are definitely about the end of my long relationship and kind of paying homage to that, and the strumming makes it feel cathartic, so it feels really great to play.”

Northcote recorded To Cherish with Jesse Gander, a producer in Vancouver, and Goud says that the recording experience gave them a lot of inspiration to make the record as energetic as possible.

“It makes us sound like who we are,” said Goud. “High energy, but we could also fit in at a folk fest no problem.”

This recording experience, coupled with coming off a European tour supporting punk legends Hot Water Music and Dave Hause, gave Northcote the energy they needed to push through and really give it their all with this latest record. 

He added that To Cherish feels like it’s setting Northcote up for success in what comes next for himself and McGillivray. 

Highlight Track – “Tangled Strings”

Though “Tangled Strings” was not a single from To Cherish, Goud believes it encompasses the themes of the record well. 

“I think the story might be relatable since we’re kind of in a romantic mood here,” Goud laughed. 

“After my separation, it took me a second and then I got some counselling and started dating again.”

He recalled going to Vancouver with a date for a concert for the first time since his separation. 

“We went to see Misery Signals—very romantic, right,” he laughed again. 

“The song is just about what it’s like to start loving other people after a long marriage. With the thought of the person you loved before kind of still present, where the different seasons of life are kind of blending together in a Venn diagram.”

Goud added that one of the song’s lines is about just sitting at the bar with his ex-wife, post-marriage, just talking about all the good times they had together.

“It’s very sad, but I think people can relate to that,” said Goud. 

He noted that sentiment is a big part of what this record is about. 

“I went to a yoga class where the instructor said ‘Be grateful for all the good things in your life,’ and I was like okay, that’s easy, but she also said ‘Be grateful for all the difficult things,’ and that was really powerful to me,” he continued. 

“That was a big push of the album, savouring the heartbreak feelings.”

Check out “Tangled Strings” from Northcote’s newest album To Cherish below:

Listen to To Cherish and the rest of Northcote’s catalogue on Bandcamp, Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music.  

Northcote is currently on a cross-Canada tour, which launched in Victoria at Other Guise Theatre on Friday, June 12th. 

Once the tour is done in July, Goud and McGillivray will have some downtime before heading to Filberg Festival in Comox on August 2nd, then opening for The Flatliners at Wheelies Motorcycles in Victoria on September 3rd. 

After those two shows on the island, Northcote is heading back to the prairies for a festival,  then beginning a US tour, followed by another European tour, with the potential for one last Victoria show before Christmas.

Keep an eye on Northcote’s Instagram to stay up-to-date on future shows and releases.

Related:

CFUV is a non-profit campus and community radio station that plays a ton of local music of all kinds across Vancouver Island. If you like to support local music they are an amazing resource with a plethora of new local tunes in their arsenal. 

“Thinking about CFUV, what comes to mind is the Eventide Music Series, which is such a work of art because it has all genres, different cultures, genders and styles of music on display in the city and it’s very special,” said Goud. 

“It’s very special, and I know it means a lot to everyone in town.”

Tune into CFUV 101.9 FM on air or online!

Let us know what you think of Northcote in the comments below!