Toronto Singer-Songwriter Mike Evin Releases Genuine & Loving 'Something Stirs When You Sing' LP feat. Inspirational "Outside With A Guitar"
Piano pop songwriter Mike Evin is sharing an earnest and hopeful new album by the name of Something Stirs When You Sing, featuring a collection of songs whose characters long to find joy and feel alive. Working with producer Chris Stringer (Rose Cousins, Abigail Lapell), Evin and Stringer prioritized emotion and vibe over precision and perfection, handpicking from a batch of about 120 songs, mostly written during the early pandemic years.
The album’s focus track, “Outside With A Guitar,” was inspired by the community of musicians that Evin was a part of led by Ken Whiteley who performed on Toronto’s Roxton Road during that time. Every night for almost two years, they made music outside. The jovial song took root one night after seeing the abandon with which one of the street’s couples sang a song. It alludes to difficult times but is ultimately about the catharsis of making music.
Listen to Something Stirs When You Sing HERE and watch the official music video for “Outside With A Guitar” HERE.
This song is noteworthy also because the album title comes from one of the lyrics, “something stirs when you sing.” It encapsulates my raison d’etre for making music, and it ties in with a theme that is in a lot of my work – the search for joy and connection through music. This was the first song we recorded for the album, and it’s fitting that it’s also the opening track on the album. I feel it sets the tone nicely – joyous, yet also hinting at dark times (“now that seems like a dream”) and the need to uplift ourselves to a more lively state of being. – Mike Evin
Now that the baby’s been fed
There’s still some time before bed
Let’s bring her out to the lawn
She’ll close her eyes to a song
Toronto piano pop troubadour Mike Evin has been wearing his heart on his sleeve for over 20 years. His songs are like good friends that let you know you are not alone in the world, and they’ve endeared him to a fanbase across North America and the UK — including renowned Canadian artists like Barenaked Ladies and Ron Sexsmith.
Something Stirs When You Sing, Evin’s seventh album, may be his most immediate work to date. Its stripped-down nature brings the hallmarks of Evin’s timeless ‘old school pop’ music into fine focus — poignant storytelling, propulsive piano playing, conversational singing, rich harmonic movement and adventurous melodies that live inside you.
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