SUZIE UNGERLEIDER. AMONG THE EVERGREENS

This week, SUZIE UNGERLEIDER, SHARES SOME INSIGHTS INTO AMONG THE EVERGREENS.

"I love origin stories,” says Vancouver musician Suzie Ungerleider. “I love finding out where people are and how they got there, so I'm constantly thinking about that. Everybody's carrying around their own narrative.” Among the Evergreens is the latest chapter in the revered Americana singer-songwriter's own story. The thrice JUNO nominated artist continues her tradition of storytelling on her eleventh release, due out on June 6, 2025, via MVKA.

“At the beginning of my musical journey, I was afraid to show myself, so I took on a persona, and I wrote songs in a fictionalised way," Suzie reflects of her lifelong journey towards becoming more comfortable with the vulnerability of revealing herself. “It is this idea of trying to merge the musical person and the human being that I am, and get closer to what is important to me. And it's interesting, because the more specific I get, the more universal it is.”

Indeed, Suzie’s beautifully evocative and atmospheric songs may draw the listener into her world but they are universally relatable, traversing the typical chapters of a person’s life. These are tales about teenagehood, the loss of innocence, the breakdown of relationships, young love, marriage, motherhood, survival and second chances, fights and forgiveness. And they are utterly captivating.

Among The Evergreens is divided into two parts: “Then” and “Now” – songs inspired by the past and by the present. Suzie reflects on what it means to be in the middle of life, seeking answers to who she was and who she is now. “It’s about being like a tree with all those rings around you, the layers of your life telling you who you were and where you've been,” she says.

Imagery of the outdoors, of green valleys and trees shedding their leaves, infuses this new collection. It was written in America-born, Canada-raised Suzie’s hometown of Vancouver, a city among the evergreens – the cherished place to which she returned after being lured by the thrill and promise of Toronto.

Her long-time collaborator Jim Bryson produced the record, augmenting the atmospheric intimacy of Suzie's evocative songs. Suzie credits him with pushing her out of her sonic box when he stepped in to produce her 2014 album Namedropper. He was also the one who encouraged her to tell her own stories instead of hiding behind a character.

What makes this album so compelling, and ultimately one to long treasure, is the delicate poetic lyrics that Suzie spills into these alluring melodies. Sung and played with an intuitive simplicity that lays the foundation for the sorcery, the alchemy, that producer Bryson wands through each. Moreover, Suzie creates the space and depth for these fine musicians to explore and propel these memories and the heart-rending questions that Ungerleider poses to herself and the listener.

https://suzieungerleider.com

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