Today, St. John’s, Newfoundland singer/songwriter David Picco releases his sixth album, Live It Down, on all digital platforms and via Bandcamp and davidpicco.com.
As demonstrated by the previously released singles “If You Wanna Change My Mind” and “Waitin’ For the Summertime,” it is his most experimental collection of songs yet, veering away from the gritty alt-country sound of his acclaimed 2019 album Out Of The Past, and experimenting with looser, Kurt Vile-esque vibes. The change is partly a reflection of Picco’s experience during pandemic restrictions, as eight of the new album’s nine songs were written over a three-month span in 2020.
“I guess you could say that this about is about coming to terms with the fact that life never turns out as planned,” Picco says. “I would describe it as contemplative, but musically I was going after something more dream-like and ethereal.”
Produced by Mark Feener and featuring an all-star cast of local St. John’s players, Live It Down is certainly a glimpse into the new world of sonic possibilities Picco has embraced, part of an evolution that has been playing out since the mid-‘00s when he was a member of the roots rock band Jet Set Motel. From there, he became a familiar face within the Toronto roots rock scene, working closely with producer Don Kerr (Rheostatics, Ron Sexsmith) and cult hero songwriter Kyp Harness.
Following his move back to St. John’s in 2015, Picco released the album Start Again, which was warmly embraced by CBC Radio. Out Of The Past built on that success, being hailed by Americana UK as “a rock-infused country [album] with echoes of The Velvet Undergroumnd.”
With Live It Down, David Picco begins a new chapter, one that offers hope for renewal for all of us.