Toronto indie-folk artist Alexandra Babiaks is excited to share ‘Til It Burns You’, the second single release from her forthcoming sophomore album Magical Thinking, out October 27.

With existential lyrics, a radiant vocal delivery, and building layers of weighted piano and watery synth, the Radiohead-esque track somehow feels far too artful and chill-inducing to fall under the category of “ballad”. “There’s a sense of hope in this song buried beneath the surface, and almost a mistrust in the possibility that things can get better.” explains Babiak.

Babiak wrote the song while attending a residency in Prince Edward County, Ontario at Sparkbox Studio, pulling through of moment of writer’s block; “I put on my voice recorder on my phone and played/sang, just tried to free- associate. Eventually, this song came out. Obviously, the final version grew and changed from the original, but the progression and lyrics never changed, which is not a common thing for me at all.”

Babiak teamed up with Toronto producer Sandro Perri, along with musicians Laura Pitkanen (guitar), Josh Cole (bass), and Thomas Hammerton (piano) to record the track at Union Sound in Toronto. “The progression is repetitive, so I wanted there to be this spooky overtone, something lingering/drifting above the uniformity of the structure, which Tom brought to life on the keys so exactly. I asked for a theremin-type sound, and you can really hear that bubble up throughout the song.”