Best known as the drummer and producer of Canadian indie band fanclubwallet, Watson has quietly spent the past three years crafting their debut Willow, a deeply personal and self-contained body of work.
The title track “Willow” is one of the songs that focuses on the dedication and visual theme of the album – Watson’s late childhood dog, Cas, who passed away halfway through its writing. "Funny enough, this song was written before he passed, even though you wouldn’t get that impression," says Watson.
Across Willow, Watson embraces life's uncertainties with warmth and curiosity. Shaped in part by the passing of Cas, the album reflects on change, memory, relationships, and the passage of time, finding moments of comfort and connection amid loss and transition.
Much of Willow was recorded in solitude during camping trips across Ontario Provincial Parks, with Watson powering their setup using a borrowed portable battery. These environments seep into the recordings themselves – cicadas, wind, and ambient textures subtly woven into the album’s sonic fabric, grounding its emotional weight in a tangible sense of place.
A true DIY effort, Willow was written, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered almost entirely by Watson. Select songs feature contributions from longtime creative partner Hannah Judge (fanclubwallet), whose co-writing and vocal performances add another layer of intimacy to the album's already deeply personal songwriting.