St John's born and currently Berlin-based, Tim Baker, the Juno Award nominated, Polaris Prize short-listed, ECMA-laden singer/songwriter gives us another early gift with the title-adjacent track, “Full Rainbow” from his forthcoming holiday full-length, Full Rainbow of Light on November 15, 2024 (via End Times Music).

There's a distinct human kinship to Tim's new holiday album. It holds close, personal feelings and relatable situations, that this time of year in particular evokes, whilst swerving completely the overtly saccharine tropes often linked to uniting for festivities. This is about community, traditions and the closeness of family, friends - and fans, in all the refracted stories. Just as one can see a full rainbow of light in a Christmas tree's string lights, so too, can it be a reflection on a year that has passed, full of technicolor, pivotal moments.

“I love New Years Eve,” says Tim. “A lot of people are cynical about it - maybe they've had their high hopes dashed too many times idk. I find the key to it (and most things really) is to not take it too seriously, keep your expectations light. And I find there is a levity to it, and a depravity, that brings to mind high school drinking, bachelor parties, Las Vegas. And you feel it in the way everyone always says that the last year was the worst (good riddance!) and next year will be the best (finally!). While I usually do reflect in earnest on the passing of another year, and take issue with this total lack of nuance in the first line of the song ('that's no way to talk about the year we left behind, all that time, that full rainbow of light'), I actually think it's fun, the whole thing, the whole occasion. That's basically this song - the reflection, and then the giving over to the night. I hope you can hear it, or enjoy whatever you hear in it. And I hope this new year is the best (finally!)”

Full Rainbow of Light consists of twelve new songs, written by Tim - except for one blistering cover of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” – all inspired by the feelings of the holidays and recorded in his hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland. To call it a 'Christmas album' is to cheapen the depth of the songwriting – these are masterful, original compositions that are nestled in the big feelings and high emotions of the holidays. A time that Tim has continued to celebrate with live sets and special shows, for decades now.

Full Rainbow of Light is the follow-up to 2022’s The Festival and its 2023 companion EP Along the Mountain Road. Those releases sent Tim on extensive international touring, both with his full band, All Hands, and as a solo artist, selling out some of Canada’s most acclaimed venues, including Massey Hall in Toronto. In many ways, Full Rainbow of Light is a bridge between his long love of expansive full-band energy, and the vulnerability, purity and maturity of his recent solo performances. While there is an obvious specificity to the album - set as it is at Christmas, in Tim’s own home and history, complete with traditional Newfoundland instrumentation strewn throughout - the authenticity of the work is something that transcends the specific and shines a warm welcoming light for everyone, everywhere.

Tim and his excellent live band, All Hands will be presenting Full Rainbow of Light on upcoming dates over November and December, where they’ll of course be playing much-loved Hey Rosetta! Christmas tunes, as well as crowd favourites from Tim’s own ever-deepening solo catalogue. With Cape Breton’s Villages joining them, it’s bound to be a travelling East Coast Christmas party, full of new, artful, instant classics. The home town shows in St. John's, including an additional second show both SOLD OUT at an alarming rate. Other stops on the routing have also SOLD OUT. These shows are not to be missed. Details and advance tickets for the Kingston performance on December 11 available here: web link Posted: Oct 15, 2024 Originally Published: Oct 15, 2024