Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon tea break with our Afternoon Tea curators.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by Mear.
Mear is an indie pop collaboration between singer-songwriter Frances Miller and electronic composer Greg Harrison. Together, their music combines catchy melodies and poignant lyrics with their shared love of experimental music. Their debut LP Soft Chains officially dropped April 22nd.
Focus track, “I’ll Love You,” tells a make-believe story about a breakup during the apocalypse. The song itself is meant to take on a cinematic feel. Miller was inspired by blockbusters like Armageddon and Titanic. The idea of leaving someone you love behind, the idea of heroes, and the sacrifice that people make for others left a weirdly profound impact on her.
Watch the official “I’ll Love You” music video:
We wanted this song to take listeners on an emotional journey. The song has three distinct sections which could be best interpreted as Anticipation, Storm/Conflict, Loss/Mourning. We also wanted to leave space for the music to tell a story when the lyrics are absent, which allowed us to emphasize the moods of these sections. – Greg Harrison
Soft Chains was self-produced and recorded in Harrison‘s home studio in Toronto and was a result of the band being able to experiment and explore their sound over the years. There is a prominent theme of personal struggle and growth with mental health. Mear‘s shared experiences allowed them to pour everything they had to offer into these songs.
Music – Caroline Polachek – “Billions”
Polachek’s work is so inspiring. I see her as someone who is able to seamlessly navigate the pop world while continually pushing boundaries with her arrangements, song structures and poetry. She’s pretty much our generation’s Kate Bush.
Art – Kerry Zentner “Nocturne”
We have had the pleasure of working with Kerry on a number of projects and I wanted to take a moment to highlight his incredible watercolour and ink illustrations. There is always so much to look at in Kerry’s pieces – every character he creates has its own personality and inner world. I love this piece.
Mint Tea
I’d pair these pieces with mint tea. I’m a big coffee drinker so when I drink tea it’s often because I’ve overdone it on caffeine and need to chill. I love mint tea so much – it’s my go-to when I’m recording and right before bed. Simple, but a great, aromatic thing to sip when you’re reflecting on cool and interesting pieces of art!
Tea + Me 