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 break with our Afternoon Tea curators. Need an extra lump of sugar? One more sip? If you have five minutes more (or ten), we have one more hit.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by John Muirhead.
Toronto-based indie-folk troubadour John Muirhead shares his new single, “Loved You Well,” a tender and reflective meditation on unrequited love, yearning, and the quiet spaces where connection almost blooms. Rooted in simplicity and intimacy, the track captures those fleeting, ordinary moments that linger long after they’ve passed; the ones that live rent-free in our hearts because nothing ever fully came of them.
“‘Loved You Well‘ is about replaying moments that never quite turned into anything,” explains Muirhead. “It was inspired by a real date where, on paper, nothing important happened. But that’s exactly the point. Sometimes the absence of something becomes the thing you can’t stop thinking about.”
Recorded in a single, immersive day, the song is deliberately stripped back to feel as if Muirhead is performing in the same room as the listener. Acoustic guitar and vocals form the foundation, with piano, pedal steel, and harmonies by Clayton White layered organically to preserve character and intimacy. “We captured something special,” Muirhead says. “I wanted the song to feel like being alone with your memories, wondering ‘what if…'”
Stream + share “Loved You Well” now:
John Muirhead is a songwriter connecting with dreamers, wanderers, and hopeless romantics through big-hearted indie-folk. From fingerpicked confessionals to foot-stomping singalongs, Muirhead‘s songs have reached over 100,000 fans on social media, more than 3 million Spotify streams, and 13 million TikTok views. His touring has spanned Canada and Europe, with festival appearances including Winnipeg Folk Festival, CityFolk, and Sound of Music Festival, and support slots for Whitehorse, Joel Plaskett Emergency, and Craig Cardiff.
As a writer, Muirhead has collaborated with acclaimed artists including Simon Ward (The Strumbellas), Michigander, Jon Bryant, and more, adding warmth, vulnerability, and melodic intimacy to each project. His 2025 album, The Nomad, produced by Ryan Worsley (Dear Rouge, Luca Fogale, MONOWHALES), was supported by a cross-Canada tour, building connections with new and longtime fans alike.
On “Loved You Well,” Muirhead distills longing and reflection into a simple, heartfelt song that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the ache of something almost real.
Music: “Running Gun” – Marty Robbins
a couple years back, I was gifted the album “Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs” by Marty Robbins on vinyl. t’s such a classic album and yet I Had never heard it until it was gifted to me.
It’s since become the soundtrack to being settled at home – I spin it when I’m cleaning the house, tinkering with my guitars, or taking a coffee/tea break.
The Band Was Here is one of the coolest pages on Instagram.
Steve Birnbaum visits the locations of famous music videos, album covers, etc and aligns the old photos with the present-day. Take a look!!
Tea: Jasmine Green Tea with Honey
Tea + Me 