SAVVIE
2014 – ?
Ah. The debut album: the act of putting yourself out there for the first time, allowing your music to be read like tarot cards as listeners look deep into your soul.
Night Eyes is the debut album of SAVVIE, the brainchild of Vancouver singer songstress Savannah Leigh Wellman, a woman who has gracefully navigated her way through the music industry for nearly a decade.
SAVVIE takes the wicked wisdom that comes with experience in the music business, and channels it into her songs making well crafted, timeless music. Wellman’s brand of dusky rock is for old souls with young hearts, bringing echoes of The Black Keys and Fleetwood Mac, melded together with gold dust and mystical lyricism.
Working closely with producer Matthew Rogers (The Harpoonist and The Axe Murderer), the songs ended up being more collaborative than in previous projects. “Matt and I co-wrote quite a bit, and he really embraced my influences and vision for the album.” The result is eleven tracks of confident, dreamy blues-noir, shining a spotlight on Wellman’s scotch-and-soda voice. “I’ve been calling the music “sex rock”, but in a tongue in cheek way. It’s about having the confidence to know what you want, while still being a thoughtful, sensitive individual.”
Second track “Without You” is one of the best examples of this so-called sex rock, opening with a fuzzed out rhythm section designed to make you move. “Gravity” begins with a drum machine under opalescent synths, making one of the album’s dreamiest tracks as she sings “Your gravity’s something I can’t fight”. On “I Fall Again”, her voice breaks under pressure in such a soulful way that you can almost see Jenny Lewis raise an eyebrow.
In the world of tarot, the moon card symbolizes intuition, dreams and the unconscious. These romantic outsider qualities are what make up the foundation of Night Eyes. A lone wolf howling at the moon, the sound of a woman in control of her own destiny. Never has a debut felt more effortlessly confident and self possessed.
“Released on Wellman’s own Tiny Kingdom Records, Night Eyes is a beautifully bruised collection of whiskey-driven grooves which are already beginning to summon quite a following.”
~ Noisey by Vice
“Night Eyes doesn’t shy away from being provocative. Not in an obvious or vulgar way, rather, it’s poised, subtly sexy and layered with varied levels of emotion. Her sultry vocals ache through introspective moments, like on slow burner “A Blur and a Haze,” while heady tracks such as “Gravity” and “Without You” are charged with swelling riffs and splashy percussion as they explore notions of emotional and physical yearning.”
~ Beatroute BC
“Savannah Leigh Wellman’s unmistakable seductiveness consigned the crowd into a prolonged frenzy. With their meticulous riffs, conducted by Wellman’s sweeping vocals, every song resounded as a rock ‘n’ roll adage, fully willing and capable of sending the horde into a full on swing.”
~ Discorder Magazine
NIGHT EYES
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- Break You In
- Without You
- Trust the In Between
- Gravity
- It’s OK
- Dreams of Surrender
- Beautiful Pain
- I Fall Again
- Where We Wanna Be
- A Blur and A Haze
- The Tower
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- SAVVIE is Savannah Leigh Wellman
Produced, Engineered & Mixed by Matthew RogersFeaturing:
Savannah Leigh Wellman // Vocals
Matthew Rogers // Bass, Guitar
John Sponarski // Guitar
Brendan Krieg // Drums
JP Maurice // Vocals
Michelle Faehrmann // CelloAll songs written by Savannah Leigh Wellman (SOCAN)
Except 2/4/9/10 written by Savannah Leigh Wellman and Matthew Rogers (SOCAN)Recorded at Neighbourhood Studios, Afterlife Studio
Additional Engineers // Erik Nielsen, John Raham
Assistant Mix Engineer // Cam Boyer
Mastered by Brock McFarlane at CPS MasteringArtwork by Alexis Young // Photography by Leigh Righton
Thank you to Matt for bringing my ideas to life // To my sisterwolves for being there always // And to every gent and adventure that inspired these songs
For Vicki // long live rock n’ roll
We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, theGovernment of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters