The whole of Juno-nominated songwriter Jill Barber’s new album—Homemaker, out February 10th via Outside Music—focuses on a delicate balance between living out her role as “Canada’s Sweetheart” in the public eye and the complexities of motherhood and marriage at home. And while the struggles and successes encapsulated in Homemaker speak universally, the album’s most wide-reaching message comes in the form of Barber’s latest single, “Beautiful Life.”
Barber’s bouncing, fingerpicked number doesn’t mince words when taking on the influences social media has on our realities and emotions in this day and age. Animated by funny and hard-hitting juxtapositions throughout, Barber’s observations in “Beautiful Life” range from “Seems like everybody’s living the dream” to “I’ve got Cheerios stuck to my feet.” Barber describes the song as “a reminder that social media doesn’t tell the whole story, a pretty picture doesn’t always reflect the whole truth, and living a rich and beautiful life is about embracing the messy chaos of it all.” The song’s refrain sums up Barber’s at-peace outlook: “I may not influence another, be the world’s greatest mother, or a model wife, but I don’t need a pretty picture to know I’ve got a beautiful life.”
Today, Under The Radar premiered the masterfully-illustrated music video for “Beautiful Life” praising the new track stating, “The track is carried by gentle fingerpicked guitar and sweet sun-lit melodies, coloring Barber’s vocals with a warm early-morning glow, one that is bolstered even further by her charming lyricism.” Watch the video here.
Fans can stream or purchase “Beautiful Life” at this link, check out Barber’s previously-released singles “Joint Account (feat. Slow Leaves)” and “Instant Cash For Gold” at their respective links, and pre-order or pre-save Homemaker ahead of its February 10th release right here.
More About Homemaker: Written and recorded in Barber’s adopted hometown of Vancouver where she lives with her husband and two children, Homemaker is the first record that sees Jill in the role of a producer, co-producing with Erik Nielsen (City and Colour), and featuring some of Vancouver’s top session players like Paul Rigby (Neko Case), and Geoff Hicks (Colin James). “These songs are so damn personal, and such a deep reflection of my soul, that I felt an almost maternal instinct to both protect them and produce them for myself,” says Barber. “I really feel like I stepped into my own power as a producer on this record, with a lot of generous assistance from engineer/producer Erik Nielsen, who really championed my abilities in the studio.”
Homemaker is a return to Jill’s folk roots. Whereas her most recent albums have been bathed in lush string arrangements, Homemaker sees emotions laid bare, with a stripped-down production style reminiscent of her acclaimed debut Oh Heart and double Juno Award-nominated follow-up, For All Time. But mostly, Homemaker is a statement about the humility and strength that it takes to do the meaningful work of creating a home for others, while still holding space for your own dreams.
