Up-and-coming indie-folk artist Alexander Morrissette released his first EP this summer after recording it from both his college dorm room and his childhood bedroom.
The EP, “ghosts,” which was released in August, has five tracks and a soft sound commonly associated with folk albums.
“My own sound, it’s been hard to find,” Morrissette said. “It’s been kind of like a journey.”
Morrissette wants his sound to be unique to other artists who inspire him or are big in the genre. He says he found his sound through how he writes and plays. One thing he focuses on when writing is vocal layering to create “complex harmonies.”
“The big thing is that I wanted to write life,” Morrissette said. “[For] my EP I just wanted it to be what was going on in my life and trying to portray that in a way that everyone could relate to.”
Morrissette’s favorite song on the EP is the third track “falsehoods.” When working on the EP, he said this was the track he listened to the most. He says he can feel this song, even though it was a struggle for him to learn and finish. The song has many separate parts working throughout it that come together in the end, according to Morrissette.
From his friends, Morrissette has found that a popular favorite on the EP is the fourth track “engravements.” He contributes the track’s popularity to its simplicity and how pretty it sounds. He also adds that the track has heavy-hitting lyrics that might resonate with listeners.
When it comes to making new music, Morrissette is still figuring out where he wants to go next.
“I keep trying to make different sounds, but I always just fall back to what I love, which is what I have now,” Morrissette said. “It’s been a really big challenge to try to get out and around the other genres that I go to.”
Going into his next album, Morrissette wants to work on making his vocals to give it more of an indie-rock sound, similar to that of Mt. Joy.
Morrissette hopes to put out a full-length album next year. Even though he wrote his first EP quickly, he wants to take his time, learn new things and try new things for this album.
“I’ve written, I couldn’t even tell you how many songs, in the last couple of weeks and every time I’m like ‘this is good, but I want more,’” Morrissette said.
Right now, he said the plans for his next album are up in the air and he’s just trying to push himself to try more things.
“I really want to get my vocals more out there and have more power to them,” Morrissette said.
In addition to adding power to his vocals, Morrissette hopes to do this with his instrumentals by adding new instruments, such as more bass or percussion to increase the mood of his songs. He doesn’t want this project to feel as slow as his last one.
Morrissette hopes that he can be an inspiration for others who want to do music, but aren’t sure that they can. He hopes that one day he can tour so that he can connect with audiences and help people find peace with his music. He also hopes to be someone that his audience looks up to, according to Morrissette.
Morrissette approaches making music with the mindset that it will be his career, hoping to perform and play for audiences one day.
“As long as I’m performing and playing, that’s all I care about,” Morrissette said. “There could be five people in front of me and I’d be so happy.”
Despite studying wildlife ecology at the University of Maine, Morrissette wants music to be at the center of his career. While studying at UMaine, Morrissette said that music has mostly been pushed to the side since he has to balance his desire to play and his need to study.
Morrissette has found ways to combine his academic and musical interests, however. One way he’s done this is by submitting his EP as his thesis project.
Additionally, as a wildlife ecology major, Morrissette notes he often gains inspiration from the natural world.
“Whenever I’m out hiking or in nature, it brings me peace,” Morrissette says. “I guess that’s what I want my music to feel like too.”
Morrissette has been playing guitar for about 10 years, started writing about three years ago and started getting serious about his writing about half a year ago. He gains inspiration from artists such as Noah Kahan, Hozier, The Lumineers and Ethan Regan.
Morrissette’s music can be found on any streaming platform.