Toronto indie-pop musician Hannah Georgas’ third album, For Evelyn, is a beautiful homage to Georgas’ grandmother, Evelyn. Georgas—once a student at the University of Victoria—says that her grandmother has always been an “open door” for her but also adds that the album isn’t entirely about her.
“The album isn’t about her, but it’s a nod to [Evelyn], who has been through the ‘been there, done that,’ and myself being this other fragile thing that’s basically just experiencing all this other stuff that she’s already been through.”
Georgas’ previous two studio efforts were predominately recorded on guitar and were filled with riffs and melody-laden sounds. However, on For Evelyn, Georgas made a dramatic and beautiful shift in her sound, switching to keys and synth for the entirety of the LP. She says that the switch had a lot to do with her surroundings—which, in this case, was her Vancouver apartment—and the effort to be “as quiet and respectful as possible” to her neighbours.
“I wanted to try things a little differently and mix it up,” she adds. “I feel like the piano is moreso an instrument that I know really well; I was trained playing the piano, and I know my way around it more than I do the guitar. I don’t even actually know what I’m doing when I’m playing the guitar. But with the piano, it just feels like I know it inside-out.”
Georgas says that her show for this tour is “kind of a different beast with the new songs and new material.” She says that it’s a new take on what she does, and that it includes a lot of synth.
“I feel like I’m improving as a performer, and I feel different on stage, whereas a long time ago I didn’t love playing live as much as I do now,” she says. “I feel more free and just really excited about playing and singing. There’s just a different excitement and edge to the performance that I feel.”
Hannah Georgas
Tuesday, November 1
$20, Sugar
sugarnightclub.ca