Halcyon Phase

Halcyon Phase studio album Tendrils -- released on March 20th, 2021 -- features 13 diverse melodic tunes: dark, undulating rockers; gauzy pastoral ballads and trippy psychedelia. The physical edition of Tendrils comes in a beautiful full colour digipak CD, with photography and design by Grace Smith. The album is available through Bandcamp, Amazon and on most streaming services including Apple Music and Spotify! Animated music videos of the tracks Emergency and Time, created for the band by Jesse Stasiuk can be found on the Halcyon Phase YouTube channel. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook! https://twitter.com/HalcyonPhase
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Praise for Halcyon Phase from music critics:

"..."Time" swells with amazing harmonies, taking its calm energy and revelling in its beauty. Meanwhile the collage of arrangements on "An Awful Refrain" blends so many of the strings, voices and hefty emotional notes of the record into this dazzling piece of music..." Owen Maxwell, Ottawa Life Magazine. "Tendrils is the debut album from Halcyon Phase, a duo consisting of Frank Smith (Sills & Smith) and multi-instrumentalist Phillip Victor Bova (of Bova sound, and known for his engineering and production work). The two have created an exceptional album that combines rock/psychedelia and Canadiana. It is full of interesting songs, lyrics and intricate melodies..." Aaron Badgley, Spill Magazine. "This album is in a similar vein to Sills & Smith, taking a folk feel as its basis, expanding this with varied instrumentation to provide a rounded and interesting listening experience, wrapped up in Bova’s immaculate production. It’s all about the songs, concerning the human condition and the state of the world in which we find ourselves, with a particular fondness for the healing qualities of the natural world, and the Canadian environment in particular..." Jez Rowden, The Progressive Aspect. "...Bova provides much-needed musical healing to ease the burden. He brought together a grand group of players working remotely through the pandemic, adding statements of empathy and beauty to the songs. There are bold rock moments, and some heavy sounds, but more often it's rich and melodic ensemble playing, with tasteful guitar lines and some rich keyboards. Best addition of all is harmony singer Rebecca Campbell, a great counter to Smith's leads. The final effect is to counter the downs of the woes and reality in the lyrics with strength and a certain hopefulness from the music..." Bob Mersereau, Top 100 Canadian Albums. "...Bova has referred to Halcyon Phase’s sound as “a cool bit of indie baroque folk/rock psychedelia.” But I also hear echoes of Warren Zevon (thanks to Smith’s distinct, deep and weary voice), Dire Straits (guitarist John Fraser Findlay channels Mark Knopfler on “Death On a Platter”) and even the Alan Parsons Project (just listen to the mellow “Time” -- and, no, it’s not a cover from The Turn of a Friendly Card). Smith goes so far as to reference Zevon in the lyrics to the album’s most Zevon-ish track, “More Than Life Itself”: Alcohol/Cocaine speedballs/In the centre/Of the shopping mall/Find a new religion/Listen to Warren Zevon...” Michael Popke, Sea of Tranquility. "...This is the scene that opens "Emergency", the first-ever music video from Halcyon Phase, a new rock duo from Ottawa. "Emergency" is the kick-off track on its debut record, Tendrils. As with "Emergency" and its accompanying video, the full-length album takes us into a dark and brooding (at some points post-apocalyptic) world..." Breanne Doyle, The Georgia Straight.

“...Though the songs were written prior to COVID-19, "Emergency" definitely carries more weight in this context. Smith's smoky vocals convey the urgency of a dire social situation atop a rich soundscape of muscular pop-rock and swelling orchestral flourishes...” Megan LaPierre, Exclaim! "HALCYON PHASE take us on a magical mystery ride through shades of progressive alternative rock on Tendrils..." Thomas Hilton, Aldora Britain Records e-zine, #61, November, 2021.

“…Sparse and lethargic drums, barely-there bass, and a lullaby vocal delivery spin the uber relaxing “Time” into a meditative offering from Halcyon Phase. Tiptoeing keys and a coy, lighting background voice flow like molasses in this borderline avant-garde folk/jazz single….” Mathew Kahansky, A Journal of Musical Things. "Ottawa's Halcyon Phase has a surreal animated video out to accompany "Time," a moody folk-rocker from the baroque indie duo's 2021 debut LP Tendrils. The piece again pairs the group with Okanagan filmmaker Jesse Stasiuk, who previously treated their "Emergency" single to an acclaimed visual treatment." Adam White, Some Party.