“The song quite literally is about getting calls from my best friends at 10 p.m., taunting me to meet up,” says Jon Bryant about his new single. “We were like blood brothers on a winter’s night, with a vow to defend. And these nights would carry through to the morning.”
Thanks to the Canadian singer/songwriter’s recent entry into fatherhood, such epic hangs don’t happen as often these days. But some friendships don’t require constant maintenance, and Bryant captures that rare bond on “When You Call.” Much like the rest of Harbour (Nettwerk), Bryant’s upcoming LP, the wistfully affectionate track finds him reconnecting with the more understated acoustic reference points that first defined his career more than 15 years ago. Co-produced with longtime friend Brennan Aerts, the songs were written as Bryant prepared to return to his native Nova Scotia as he anticipated the arrival of his first child.
“I wrote ‘When You Call’ knowing that time with friends would become difficult as we all grew up, married, had kids and moved away,” says Bryant. “So now when we do meet up, it feels super-special. It’s like we’re back where we left off, raging against the dying of the light.”
We’re proud to premiere Jon Bryant’s “When You Call.” Harbour is out November 27.
—Hobart Rowland