Gert Taberner unearths life’s most formative experiences and feelings under a glow of eloquent songcraft, unfiltered lyricism, robust instrumentation, and cinematic production. After generating tens of millions of streams with his debut EP Fallen, the Frankfurt-born and Vancouver-based singer, songwriter, and producer continues to chronicle the often-unbelievable seasons of life. Taberner wrote this record on his own over the past year or so and got to make it with his good friend Shane Stephenson out of their home studios in Vancouver. Similar to “As Good As You Thought We Might Be” this record is a further exploration into loss and leaving. It digs into the powerlessness associated with losing someone while it’s happening, as well as the feelings of reluctance in accepting the finite and inevitable nature of it, even when you’re able to see it coming. This is followed by the difficult journey of coming to terms with it after the fact, as the heartbreak begins to leave room for a cocktail of anger and relief, providing you with the sobering realisation that sometimes what’s for the best certainly doesn’t feel like it is. The record is bookended by a stark, somewhat jarring contrast. It opens with this naive preconceived sense of conviction one would have as a young adult with regards to leaving before experiencing serious loss, potentially lacking nuance, whereas it closes with a more weathered look on coming to terms with the end. To sum it up, this record is just as much about grief as it is about the search for new beginnings, something that is also reflected in the production.