For some women, it’s Maya Angelou, Betty Freidan or Eleanor Roosevelt. For others, it’s their mother. When seeking the arcane feminine wisdom that can only be earned through the grace of years, musician Hannah Georgas looks to her own grandmother, Evelyn, for whom her latest LP is named.
For Evelyn– Georgas’ third full-length record – is mired in textured, poppy synths, electronic beats and dramatic lyrical overtones.
Released June 24 via Dine Alone Records, For Evelyn reads like a coming-of-age tale of love loss, existential troubles and the repercussions of doing “Crazy Shit.”
“The record is a lot of personal, self-reflecting issues; the fears and anxieties versus the power of being independent and being an individual,” Georgas tells the Westender over the phone from her Toronto home.
The Ontario-via-BC singer made the move back to her home province after a near-decade in British Columbia, where she studied at UVIC and eventually made the move to pursue music in Vancouver.
“I feel like my grandma is someone who’s been through all that and reached a point in her life where she’s at peace with everything. That’s the reasoning behind why I thought it would be cool to acknowledge her in that way,” she explains.
“The record is not about my grandma; I wanted to name it after her because she’s somebody in my life that has been this person who is so selfless and patient and I’ve never seen her complain. She’s always just been this open door in my family and almost angelic in a way.”
In case you couldn’t tell by the content of For Evelyn, “angelic” is certainly no way Georgas would describe herself on the autobiographical album.
“I should keep my pretty mouth shut/cause every time I do that/it always ends bad,” the songwriter chants on “Crazy Shit,” followed by the chorus, “There’s just something about you/when I’m around you/you make me wanna do crazy shit.”
Album opener “Rideback” kicks off to moody, low-toned fanfare as Georgas contemplates whether her “whole life is gonna pass [her] by.”
Contrary to the album’s lyrics, however, the Toronto-based chanteuse is more together than ever, musically speaking. According to her, the 11-track record boasts a more polished sound than her previous releases.
“I’ve been fine tuning things and I’ve just been diving into making records more and knowing more about myself,” Georgas admits. “I find I take that role of my process of writing and recording on my own, and finding my sound more and more, and progressing, and being more particular about how I want the music to sound.”
That’s perhaps in part to finding collaborative harmony with the right producer.
Teaming up with Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh for a second time since the recording of her self-titled sophomore album in 2012, Georgas says she and Walsh have found mutual synergy.
“We’ve developed a relationship together where he knows me and knows me musically and where I want to take my record,” she says.
“I’m trying hard to work with people who I’m really inspired by,” the 32-year-old singer confesses, giving a nod to director Sammy Rawal.
Georgas sought out Rawal to direct the video for “Don’t Go,” which premiered June 2 as a tease to the album.
“I met him and I loved his work,” she gushes. “I’m going to make another [video] with him because I was just so happy with it. I have to have this personal understanding with the person I’m working with. It will show if I’m not comfortable, and it won’t look good if I’m not happy.”
Evidently, the same goes for her music. Georgas readily admits she originally experienced some growing pains between records.
“I remember things feeling hard because I put my last record out in 2012, and then I spent a lot of time and energy on touring. [When] it came down to having to make another record and writing, I kind of hibernated in Vancouver for six months and wrote as much as I possibly could. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it happen,” Georgas reveals.
The ensuing product is an honest, emotionally-charged album full of self-doubt, misery and, ultimately, catharsis.
“[Writing] takes an emotional toll. It’s part of what I do… That’s the way it comes naturally to me. I draw inspiration from feeling emotionally connected to whatever I’m writing about. I feel like that’s the only way it works for me. I just tap into something that emotionally and musically inspires me, that’s the way it works for me.”
If turning emotional turmoil into music is the mark of experience and wisdom, Georgas is well on her way to becoming the sage woman for whom an album might someday be named.
Hannah Georgas headlines Khatsalano! Music + Art Festival on Saturday, July 9
