Singles Spotlight:
Weatherell –
“Lonely Soul”

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Today, I’m thrilled to talk about another deserving Canadian musician crafting great music: multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Sean Hackl, a veteran of Toronto’s indie and garage rock scene, and his new project, Weatherell.

Recently, on Friday, September 18th, Weatherell dropped their debut full-length album release, Lonely Soul. Let’s delve more into it, and see what’s inside via the press release for the album: “Weatherell (moniker of Sean Hackl) explores these intense themes of personal loss, resilience, and perseverance with his signature melodic guitars, driving bass, hard-hitting drums, and powerful lyricism to create a world unique of its own – where shoegaze meets indie rock meets grunge and post-punk electronica. Brought to life with co-producers Sam Arion (Mute Choir, Sofia Camara) and Dylan Frankland (Tallies, Dean Blunt), as well as with mastering from JUNO Award-winning engineer Kristian Montano (The Beaches, Ruby Waters, Aysanabee), Lonely Soul stands as a rare piece of art, the culmination of an artist’s musical life’s work, decades in the making.”

Right on, my interest is piqued. How about you? Let’s learn a bit more about the Lonely Soul album. “Simply put, making Lonely Soul changed Sean. In its creation, Sean grew alongside the songs, and the person releasing the record this fall isn’t the same person who began writing it. The making of the album was a journey of personal and creative growth, and a process that challenged him to trust his instincts, embrace vulnerability, and become more confident in his voice as a songwriter, producer, and musician. While loss runs throughout the record, its themes extend beyond death to encompass the ending of relationships, changing friendships, leaving people and places behind, and letting go of past versions of oneself.

A major part of that evolution came through collaboration, as Sean worked alongside musicians and creatives who not only understood his vision but challenged him to see the music in new ways. The experience taught him the value of knowing when to hold onto an idea and when to let it evolve, ultimately giving him a clearer understanding of the artist he wants to be and a stronger foundation for whatever comes next.

Despite the album’s themes of immense love and loss, Lonely Soul also arrives at a place of resolution, perseverance, hope, and even lightheartedness. Sean’s message is that there is always more time: more time to heal, to love again, and to grow into the person you want to become, and that sentiment is reflected in the joy and spontaneity that went into making the record.”

Now that we’ve delved into the project and its debut album a bit, let’s explore one of the best songs in more depth. For my money, the titular track, “Lonely Soul,” is the song that stuck with me after listening to the entire album. It’s the song that fully captured and held my attention throughout. As Hackl notes, “Lonely Soul is the lead single and title track of the album, and in many ways, it feels like the heart of the record. There’s a real vulnerability in finally releasing these songs that I’ve poured an enormous amount of myself into. These songs…they’ve have been mine for such a long time, and many came from personal experiences. There’s something both exciting and terrifying about letting go of them and allowing other people to hear and interpret them in their own way.”

The song opens with a strong melody that passes the vibe check and reminds listeners of 90’s/00’s alternative music with some electronic elements. This quickly builds an alternative genre wall of sound, which is met by Hackl’s vocals. The vocal delivery is resolute, and the lyrics are vulnerable yet equally adamant, with the intended target no longer with us. Yet the message could speak to any number of its listeners. Rightfully so. The refrain drives the messaging home, sure to leave its listeners in a state of ponderance. The melody shimmers at times, but always allows Hackl’s vocals to be heard. All things combined, this is a powerful, well-written and crafted song. I think it is beyond deserving of an entry into our Singles Spotlight series, and thus we are here today. But not only that, I think the song serves as a good starting point into the Weatherell project.

Take a listen for yourself. Press play and hear the fantastic song, “Lonely Soul”:

Let’s look at the cover art for Lonely Soul:

The track list for Lonely Soul:

1. Something Beautiful  [3:21]
2. Candy Eyes  [3:15]
3. Shelf Life  [3:16]
4. Lonely Soul  [4:42]
5. Stuck Between The Light  [5:53]
6. What’s In Your Heart?  [4:21]
7. Ride Home  [3:53]
8. Consider This (A Part Of Heaven)  [3:57]
9. Get In (We’re Going Out)  [4:48]

Giving credit where it’s due. Who worked on Lonely Soul ?:

• All songs written and composed by Sean Hackl
• Produced by Dylan Frankland & Sean Hackl
• Engineered & mixed by Dylan Frankland
• Co-produced & additional Composition by Sam Arion
• Live drums performed by Owen Wolff
• All other instruments performed by Sean Hackl
• Album mastered by Kristian Montano
• Photography by Evie Maynes
• Graphic design & art direction by Sean Hackl

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com