Montreal-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Niall Mutter continues to sculpt the in-between as a comfortable resting space for himself, often rocking unsureness like a trusted pair of boots. Lightweight, roll-off-the-shoulder liquid riffs pair with beached out vocals, disguising what he really feels with a groove-infused suspension. Connecting his small town upbringing with his love for The Beach Boys and California’s 70’s soft rock, he continues to fathom what a marriage of country and indie alternative could sound like. His lucid approach to songwriting and minimalist production style weaves in threads from traditional root pop songs. Asserting presence and dissonance at the same time, his contemporary take becomes a dream-like pastiche of what was and is. His latest release “Poem #2” has a new found sense of urgency — toying with truth and illusion inside an intimacy that leads to a Beatles-esque crash of piano and electric guitar. A loves-me-loves-me-not petal ripper that is playful and warm, yet heavy and woozy, he maintains his knack for bringing weightlessness to difficult moments, pairing sincere lyrics with airy electronic accents. He has since decamped to an A-frame cabin in Northern Quebec to isolate, incubate and set up an at-home studio by the lake. Retreating to the woods in a laid back no force environment and a keen attention to his space, he is looking to finish his most aligned work to date with a homegrown approach.