Indie-folk act, Ptarmigan debut their music video and first single, Once I Knew, off their forthcoming album, Cocoon due out this fall.
While Toronto’s Ptarmigan may describe themselves as an indie-folk band their single, Once I Knew falls squarely in the indie-rock camp.
While building on an intermingled collection of atmospheric guitar, synthesizer, band and mandolin create an ethereal space they uniquely call home. At moments the song can feel quite bittersweet but is also filled with growth and full of self-reflection. Once I Knew is enchantingly sweet yet crucial.
Ptarmigan’s lead songwriter and vocalist, Peter McMurtry scrutinizes the transformation of his own sense of home from adolescence into adulthood. Encapsulating the familiar feelings of loss of comforts and supports when we all inevitably strike out on our own with lyrics, “all my memories like trinkets and I’m screaming in a canyon a farewell to my companions.”
“I wrote this song during the time I first got my own apartment and was living alone in the city. It was supposed to be a momentous and freeing occasion in my life, but it felt a little empty.” explains McMurtry, “While I was working a ton and super busy, there was sort of a vacuum in my life that was normally filled by the energy of living with others – other people that can hold you accountable and support you in dark moments. You start to lose the plot a little bit and forget the basics of living a healthy life. That’s where this song begins. Remembering the basics of life. Longing for a centre again. Looking back on the warmth of childhood and remembering the simplicity and elegance of your life then and the life you imagined for yourself in the future.”
Ptarmigan’s music video for their single, Once I Knew can be found below as well as on streaming services.