Feature by Ellie Garno
New and noteworthy from MCU: Merival, something different. The Toronto-based singer-songwriter, also Anna Horvath (not to be confused with Hanna Horvath of Girls, played by Lena Dunham) sings about “relationships and reflection,” and “finding beauty and transformation in heartache” on her debut EP, Lovers. With a little help from her friends, recorder and producer Asher Gould-Murtagh and master Glen Watkinson, she releases “Kicking You Out.” Formerly fronting the band First Rate People, Merival has also collaborated with big names in little music Ryan Hemsworth (Secret Songs), Torquil Campbell (Stars), and Darren Seltmann (The Avalanches). Premiering on Earmilk last Friday, “Kicking You Out” is one of five songs (including the equally ethereal “A Better Deal”) on Lovers, out January 29th.
Merival wrote “Kicking You Out” when she was 17 about an enigmatic “him” who made a lasting impression. “I’d never lived with him so I took some artistic liberties there,” she says. “The idea of kicking him out was more of a premonition I had…; So far it’s held true.” The second single is wholly acoustic, “one of those folky slow-burners that never seem to dim in its melodic prowess,” according to Earmilk. Merival makes use of a sound trifecta of distant piano, harmonic vocals, and the acoustic guitar on “Kicking You Out” in a way that is folk and fresh. And her honesty is heard.
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