Michael C.Duguay today releases “One Million More”, the final single and opening track off of his long-awaited sophomore LP, The Winter of our Discotheque.“One Million More” is a sprawling and powerful seven-and-a-half minute long testimony of forgiveness, and a humble and compelling commitment to personal accountability, sobriety, and his craft. The Winter of our Discotheque is out September 24th on So Sorry Records.
Watch/Share: Michael C. Duguay “One Million More”
“One Million More” was the first song that Michael wrote and completed after a six year hiatus from writing and performing music. The song was inspired during a session with his therapist, who encouraged Michael to start formally writing about his lived experience of mental illness, addiction, poverty, and homelessness in order to both process his trauma and overcome his fear and anxiety of returning to his career as a musician. It worked.
“One Million More” begins with sparse drone and Michael’s penchant riveting and literary storytelling style, recalling the stoicism of traditional outlaw country and murder ballads, but sung over twinkling piano and swirling synthesizers. Playing with productive tension throughout, a production decision intentionally chosen to emulate the personal, circuitous journey from addiction to recovery, the song blossoms fully into Michael’s unique sonic style, combining elements of Americana, dream pop, and post-rock. Erupting into a brilliant grand finale as Michael powerfully sings ‘I’ve heard the song remains the same; I think I’ll write one million more’ , layers of pounding drums arranged beneath soaring horns, pianos, synthesizers, and voices announce the return of Michael’s distinctive voice, as his he lays claim to his own corner of the sonic universe, a sound that has come to be described as ‘cosmic post-americana’.
The video for “One Million More”, made by Toronto filmmaker Adrienne McLaren, is an avant-garde, minimalist 3-D depiction of comets dancing in cosmic orbit. The video is the last in an ongoing collaboration between Duguay and McLaren, a series which has explored themes of loneliness, self-understanding, and joy in the face of apocalypse.
Michael C. Duguay has performed on breakthrough albums by Evening Hymns and The Burning Hell, and in East Coast supergroup Weird Lines (with Julie Doiron and Jon McKiel), among others. In 2012, he self-released Heavy on the Glory, produced by James Bunton (Donovan Woods, Ohbijou). Shortly after Duguay suffered a series of mental breakdowns, eventually leading to institutionalization, poverty, and homelessness. From 2014 to 2018, Michael disappeared from the Canadian music scene completely. The Winter of Our Discotheque is a triumphant re-emergence for Michael C. Duguay.
The Winter of Our Discotheque is out September 24th via So Sorry Records.
MICHAEL C. DUGUAY RELEASES “ONE MILLION MORE”