Hi, Our Basement,
We are a few weeks out from the February 5th arrival of my third full length album entitled …And the Country Stirred, produced by Juno winner and Polaris prize nominee John Critchley (Dan Mangan, Elliott BROOD) and mastered by Aaron Hutchison (Zoon, Luka Kuplowsky).

Who is Rosie? I had been wanting to write about a place, but knew that I’d have to personify it. I was trying, failing, at growing rosemary naturally on my balcony and I began to find the word alluring. I fused it with this personification concept and it became the “name” of the “person” when in reality, the song is a love letter to Vancouver where I was born.

I feel a sort of mysterious attraction to Vancouver. The city sells itself well, but has its pitfalls: rain all the time, darkness, basements, high price of living – it can all seep into you. For a long time, I was giving something to it and it didn’t give me anything back.

“Rosie” is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written. This album jumps from purely imagistic lyrics, to straightforward lyrics, to stories, and back again. “Rosie” represents a leap in my songwriting. You wouldn’t have heard it – at least not the same way – on my last two records.

Thank you,
Alex Southey