Mikhail Laxton, the eponymous debut full-length album from rising singer/songwriter Mikhail Laxton is available now via acronym Records/Howling Turtle Inc. Across the album’s twelve tracks, Laxton weaves together his past, present and future selves, encapsulating the very essence of who he is, who he has been, and who he is becoming.
Mikhail Laxton seamlessly flows between Americana, Country, Folk Rock, Blues and more, as indefinable as Laxton himself, and ranges in topic from loss and longing, to the nostalgia for home, to moments of love.
“The night before recording started I was asked how I felt about making this album,” shares Laxton. “I thought about it and was surprised to realize that I wasn’t feeling nervous at all! Which was strange. The only thing I felt was ready. I couldn’t wait to get in there and turn this dream record into a reality and I couldn’t be happier with the way it has turned out.”
Last month, the same day he took the stage for a hometown play at Ottawa’s iconic RBC Bluesfest, Laxton shared ‘Leaving You With Less’. The real life inspiration behind the song is wrought with drama usually reserved for the big screen; a seemingly happy relationship marred by unfaithfulness, a best friend’s betrayal, and an unwilling victim suddenly outcast by the community they once called home; but the end of the story is nothing if not triumphant, celebrating a clean break and new beginnings.
In May Laxton delivered an homage to his hometown with ‘Mossman’, co-written with Terra Lightfoot. Hailing from the KuKu Yalanji Tribe in Mossman, Far North Queensland, Australia, Laxton wrote the track as a tribute to his roots – home to the world’s oldest living rainforest and providing a coastline to the Great Barrier Reef, ‘Mossman’ is the kind of small but mighty place where everyone knows and cares about each other, always quick to lend a helping hand. Lead single ‘Dying To Let You Go’ served as a deeply vulnerable offering, outlining Laxton’s father’s heart-breaking battle with addiction; delivering tender and compassionate insight into the push and pull of the disease.
Offering early support for ‘Mossman’ and the album, American Songwriter said, “Mossman is just a quick, but important, glimpse into what’s to come from the artist. Laxton’s self-titled album will be a track-by-track exploration of what makes him who he is.”
smART Magazine shared, “That push and pull between where Laxton’s been, and the life he’s built, lies at the heart of his self-titled debut album.” Adding, “at a new stage of his life and career, and thousands of miles from the world he left behind, Laxton possesses the degree of removal necessary to process and appreciate his highs and lows. There’s a nostalgia for all of it.”
Fans can next catch Laxton at a handful of festival dates including plays at Hamilton’s SuperCrawl, Ottawa’s CityFolk, and Elgin’s Festival of Small Halls. Australian fans should keep an eye out for news of a visit in 2024.
TRACK LISTING
- Dying To Let You Go
- Something That Was Gone
- Leaving You With Less
- Slow Motion
- Maybe It’s A Good Thing
- Streams
- Four String Cowboy
- End Of The Road
- What Can I Say
- It’s Your Time
- Mossman
- You Come To Me