Kandle Osborne has been setting speakers and airwaves ablaze. The Vancouver-based JUNO-nominated artist pens tales of toxicity, manipulation and heartbreak, delivered with stark, striking honesty over a captivating array of sonic influences. Limitless and fiercely determined, a global pandemic did far from bring Kandle to a halt – it empowered her. The prolific, independent artist strengthened her production skills, launched her own company, and released an array of music in 2020, including Stick Around and Find Out, Birds EP and this year’s impassioned new project, Set The Fire (released on May 28).
 
Kandle has shared the companion video to Set The Fire’s latest single, “When It Hurts.” Starring actor/musician, Keenan Tracey (known for his roles in The 100, Bates Motel and will star in upcoming series, Day Of The Dead) Kandle and her strong musical allies, The WICCS – Kendel Carson, Debra-Jean Creelman & Tess Ananda – the video was directed by Kandle’s long-time collaborator, Brandon William Fletcher. The piece is a timeless, Lynchian portrayal of a love gone wrong where both parties are stuck in a time loop of paralysis – afraid to leave due to the fear of the unknown. 

“Every time I write a song I see images, colours and narratives play out in my head. Having the ability to express my music visually is paramount for me. Luckily at the start of the pandemic, I found the Paul Thomas Anderson to my Jonny Greenwood, Brandon William Fletcher, who miraculously brings each nuanced lyric and broad spectrum narrative to life – the perfect marriage of mood and melody,” Kandle says. “This record is a metaphorical portrayal of my life in quantum time and in parallel universes. And thanks to Brandon, it’s become a cohesive collection of short films to express the happenings of my inner world.”
 
The worlds in which stage, sketchbook or screen take shape are not new for Kandle (you can see her play a key role in Jack White’s 2018 video for Corporation!). With a passion for visual storytelling (Kandle studied photography and is working on a series of dark comedic illustrations about sexism in the music industry), her independent nature flowed with determination and creativity to fuel the video. Every set was built in the confinement of Kandle’s apartment in Vancouver, with an entire haunted retro dreamscape created by patch-working together clever sets, thematic lighting and a collection props sourced through thrift stores and flea markets. 
 
Brandon brought each nuanced lyric and broad-spectrum narrative to life, selecting red and blue as character colours for Kandle and Keenan respectively, key to showing that even when these two are in their own worlds and surrounded by their safe colour, there is always a hint of the other around and on their mind. Inspiration was drawn from favourite films, hoping to harness storytelling and visual elements from Paris, Texas and Blue Velvet. Brandon was also behind the cinematic epic for Kandle’s single, “Honey Trap” (where Keenan made another star appearance), a bold rock and roll tune about breaking free from a sticky power struggle, the awakenings that follow, and reminds us of the powerful impact of reclaiming your independence on and off the stage. 
 
Set The Fire was previewed with an array of songs. On the album, sparkling piano, distorted guitars, dynamic horns and doo-wop backups make you (almost) forget you’re deep diving into her darkest secrets. “When It Hurts” is Set The Fire’s fifth single. It followed “No Good,” a track that launched Garden Sessions – an open-air series with Kandle, Debra-Jean Creelman and Kendel Carson performing acoustic renditions of Set The Fire’s standout tunes. Showcasing the strength of Kandle’s songwriting being just as catchy and powerful with nothing but an acoustic guitar, this songwriter doesn’t need to hide behind and expensive production or tricks. In April, Kandle released “Misty Morning.” Highlighting Kandle’s newly developed self-taught chops on the piano, the song is a journey that echoes soulful vulnerability through an honest reflection of realizing true love. 
 
On the album, Kandle adds: “I never intended to write, record, co-produce, and roll out an entire album as the boss but for a variety of reasons, both painful and empowering, here I am. Set The Fire, my first independent album and my 4th LP, is now out!! Feels pretty cool and almost unbelievable to have produced my most vulnerable work with no suits watching over my shoulder pushing for more radio friendly ear candy. It’s scary facing your biggest wounds but I had the courage to do it being lifted and championed by such an amazing force of talent whom I also consider my closest friends. I got to fulfill a lifelong dream of having a real sixties-era female gang doing the backup vocals live around a single vintage mic, and track songs with little to no edits and overdubs! I am so proud of how alive this album feels. My production partner in crime, Michael Rendall, holds the same torch as I do for retro cinematic storytelling; his other-worldly keys and arrangements elevate everything he touches. My collaborators, along with so many other expressive souls, helped me set the fire within. I hope I can, in turn, inspire others to face their fears and use their voice. I have seen some incredible highs and soul crushing lows on my musical travels thus far, but as I wrote in Long Night Moon, ‘I shall rise, calm and clear-eyed, from a nightmare, a prayer and a dream.'”
 
Kandle was longlist nominated for a 2021 Prism Prize for Set The Fire’s first single, “Lock and Load,” (her second nomination for the award following “Not Up To Me”). The song received an earlier nod for a Canadian Independent Video Award in 2020. Learn more about Kandle and the album below, and stay tuned for more as Kandle turns up the heat this summer and beyond. 

Photo Courtesy: Brandon William Fletcher