‘Lakeside’ is the brand new track from Montreal-based singer/songwriter and classical music student Lucas Fournier, and it’s hands-down one of the most interesting, eclectic, and moving tunes that we at Indie Top 39 have heard this year! It’s the first single from the musician’s upcoming EP, and sees Fournier creating a sound that is unlike anything he’s produced in the past. Calming, ambient, and deeply intoxicating, ‘Lakeside’ takes you on a sonic and emotional rollercoaster for four and a half minutes.
Fournier draws on inspiration from the classic, lush, indie-folk songs of artists like Ali John Meredith-Lacey (Novo Amor) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). He also credits his collaborators, Harley Eblen and Charles Henry-Volk, for helping him achieve this new and exciting soundscape of his. ‘Lakeside’ has truly taken our breaths away, and we cannot wait to hear what Fournier has in store for the world next!
‘Lakeside’ is soothing, intoxicating, and one of the most moving tunes that we at Indie Top 39 have heard this year!
INDIE TOP 39
What does the song mean to you?
I wrote ‘Lakeside’ about insecurity and uncertainty about the future. It is a song about the feeling of growing up too fast, struggling to accept responsibilities, and wanting to be carefree like a child again.
Tell us about your creative process and how the song came to be.
Like a lot of my songs, ‘Lakeside’ started out as a simple guitar sketch that I fiddled around with until I was happy with the structure. I knew I wanted an extended ambient, relaxing break in the middle that would swell into a massive orchestral ending, but I was having trouble achieving that. I owe so much to my collaborators for helping create that sound: Harley Eblen provided a stunning cello arrangement that really tied the different sections of the song together and contributed a lot to that swell, and Charles Henry-Volk, my mixing engineer, cleaned up the arrangement of almost a hundred parts, bringing a newfound energy and clarity that I haven’t had on one of my releases before.
What are your favourite lyrics in the song?
“And I’ve been stressed ever since I left, When we were ten you said this lakeside’s where we’ll rest” When I was a kid, I remember always making these naive promises with my friends about a future that we knew nothing about. I thought I had my life’s ambition to be a freelance writer all sorted out by 10 years old, and I thought I was going to get married to my 8th-grade girlfriend. When I look back at those years, I honestly envy my younger self a bit: it seemed so much easier to be happy without stress, responsibility, and an understanding of how complicated and messed up the world is. That being said, there’s a real beauty in the complexity of the world, it’s just hard to remember that sometimes.
What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months with your music?
I’m releasing a lot of music over the coming months that I’m so excited to put out into the world. I want to continue connecting with like-minded musicians and music lovers, and make strides towards being able to pursue music full-time.
Make sure to connect with Lucas Fournier on Instagram
Now you can listen to all the 39 songs in one place, right here on Spotify!
