How would you describe the music on Waxing Moon?

The music is very raw, simple and intimate. This was my intention, as I really wanted to create an honest album that touched the depths of emotions I was trying to channel in some mysterious way. I find as a planet we are in such a strange time, where we are literally potentially facing our own extinction, so there is a sadness in the music that incorporates this feeling. [I’m] also touching on personal themes of loss and heartbreak in my own life, while also offering a sense of hope, awe and wonder for how beautiful life is.

Where did you write these songs?

I wrote most of these songs in my friends apartment in NYC while I was looking after their dog while they were traveling. I then went into the studio with my friend Jace [Lasek, who is also songwriter and vocalist for Montreal band the Besnard Lakes] who co-produced the album with me, and we did a lot of the arrangements together in the studio.

What music influenced you on this album?

I was very influenced by watching Thom Yorke perform a few of his songs stripped down solo on piano at a Pathway to Paris concert in 2015, as well as by some old Cat Power and PJ Harvey records.

The record is covered by an absolutely stellar piece of artwork. What was the idea behind it?

The cover is by my friend Brigitte Henry, and represents a spirit of sorts hovering over a mountain surrounded by golden light. The album is quite spiritual in many ways, the title is about the moon expanding over time, and for me is a metaphor for awakening, or enlightenment. We are facing such a stark reality in terms of our future on Planet Earth, and it really feels that humanity needs to find an awakened or enlightened state to make it as a species. So this idea, surrounds the album.

You’ve always brought along many close friends to collaborate on your records as Saltlake. Was it the same case here?

Yes I am so blessed to have beautiful musician friends, and music relationships that have formed organically over time. Richard Reed Parry (of Arcade Fire) and Patrick Watson came into the studio to hang out with me while I was recording, and then added their beautiful magic to the album, totally unplanned. And my friend Sophie Trudeau, who I played in Mt. Zion with for years also added gorgeous violin on the album. Jace Lasek and my friend Mishka Stein also added beautiful guitar and bass.

There’s a distinct theme of grand multi-dimensionality on here - from the new-age drones, to track titles such as ‘Another Realm’, ‘New World’ and ‘Dreams To Be Born’. Could you explain what spurred that theme to appear vividly on Waxing Moon?

Yes definitely, it comes back to the idea of awakening, and imagining a renewable equitable world, for future generations, that is no longer stuck in an era of fossil fuels - and imagining a society rooted in compassion and love for all beings. I found myself a few years ago in an elevator with the Karmapa, a Tibetan spiritual leader. I had no idea who he was, but I was so moved by his presence in that strange moment, I had to google him to find out who he was. His energy touched me so deeply, that it really made me believe in the power of love, compassion and awakening the heart, and how this is so needed today.

What do you want listeners to take away from this album?

I just hope listeners can be moved in some way by the music, as making this album very much helped me in a time of great sadness in my life. I hope it offers a moment to be transported in some way, as it did for me while making it.