''Introduce Yerself'' is the sixth solo album by Canadian singer and songwriter

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its for ...

, released posthumously on October 27, 2017, ten days after his death. A double album consisting of 23 songs which Downie has described as each being about specific people in his life, it was the last solo album Downie completed,"Gord Downie, a Canadian Rock Legend, Sings Goodbye"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', October 18, 2017. although his brothers Patrick and

Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

subsequently confirmed that additional unreleased material would be released in the future; the album '' Away Is Mine'', which comprises the last songs Downie ever recorded and was completed by producer Nyles Spencer following Downie's death, was released in 2020.

Background

Downie and producer

Kevin Drew Kevin Drew (born September 9, 1976) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who, together with Brendan Canning, founded the expansive Toronto baroque-pop collective Broken Social Scene. He was also part of the lesser-known KC Accidental, which con ...

began work on the album in early 2016, after Downie received his diagnosis with

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality cha ...

but before it was publicized. Due to Downie's health status, and the uncertainty around how much time he would have to complete the album, most songs were included as first takes; 17 songs were recorded over the 2016 sessions, but then the project was placed on hold as Downie and his band

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...

undertook the

Man Machine Poem Tour The Man Machine Poem Tour was a concert tour by The Tragically Hip in support of their thirteenth full-length studio album '' Man Machine Poem''. The tour consisted of 15 shows, the first held on July 22, 2016, in Victoria, British Columbia, and ...

, and the release and promotion of ''

Secret Path ''Secret Path'' is a Canadian multimedia storytelling project including a ten-song music album and tour, a graphic novel, an animated television film, and instructional materials. Released on October 18, 2016,The Globe and Mail'' wrote that the album is much more direct and personal than Downie's typically oblique songwriting with The Tragically Hip."Gord Downie’s final album Introduce Yerself is an altruistic farewell"
'' The Globe and Mail'', October 24, 2017. He ultimately concluded that " cause it was completed in Mr. Downie's final months, ''Introduce Yerself'' will be compared to the leave-taking LPs of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

(''

Blackstar ''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of ''T ...

'') and

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

(''

You Want It Darker ''You Want It Darker'' is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on October 21, 2016, by Columbia Records, 17 days before Cohen's death. The album was created at the end of his life and focuses on death, ...

''). But where Mr. Bowie flashed a cape and disappeared with a dramatic flourish and Mr. Cohen offered something of a prayer, Mr. Downie's kind-hearted sentimentality compares more closely with the folksy manner of

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

's '' Prairie Wind'', recorded after the singer-songwriter's near-death experience in 2005." For ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', Calum Slingerland compared the album's instrumentation to Downie's previous album ''Secret Path'', and concluded that "''Introduce Yerself'' finds Downie fully, completely and unequivocally himself." The publication ranked the album #10 on their list of the Top 20 Pop & Rock Albums of 2017.

Ben Rayner Ben Rayner is a music critic and writer for the ''Toronto Star'' since 1998. His commentary on artists is extensively cited across the industry. Indie88 considers him "of the most respected industry professionals around." In 2012, he served on th ...

of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'' wrote that the album "cannot be divorced from the tragic circumstances of its creation, nor is it really intended to be." He noted as well that "Although he's by turns as cryptic and wryly humorous as ever, Downie has never opened himself up this much on record before, actually naming names on tunes like "Nancy", "Ricky Please" and "My First Girlfriend" but otherwise peopling the songs on ''Introduce Yerself'' with so much specific detail that the recipients of that love will recognize themselves in the music when they hear it."

Awards

At the

Juno Awards of 2018 The Juno Awards of 2018, honouring Canadian music achievements, were presented in Vancouver, British Columbia during the weekend of 24–25 March 2018. The primary telecast ceremonies were held at Rogers Arena. Vancouver previously hosted the Jun ...

, the album won the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

for Adult Alternative Album of the Year, Downie and Drew won Songwriter of the Year for "A Natural", "Introduce Yerself" and "The North","Early Junos Go to Gord Downie, Grimes, Alvvays and More"
''

'', March 24, 2018. and Downie won the

Artist of the Year ''Artist of the Year'' is a television competition shown on the Sky Arts channel (formerly known as Artsworld and Sky Arts 1) which aims to find the best portrait and landscape painter every year. Overview Through several rounds of regional comp ...

. In a tribute to Downie at the Juno Awards ceremony,

Sarah Harmer Sarah Harmer (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist. Early life Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sist ...

Dallas Green Dallas Green may refer to: * Dallas Green (baseball) (1934–2017), American baseball player and manager * Dallas Green (musician) Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record ...

and

Kevin Hearn Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics. Early life Hearn w ...

performed a medley of the album's title track with the Tragically Hip song "

Bobcaygeon Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent–Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada. Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village in 1876, and became known as the "Hub of the Kawarthas". Its recorded name ''bob- ...

Track listing

All tracks written by

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Gordon Downie albums Arts & Crafts Productions albums Albums published posthumously Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year albums Albums produced by Kevin Drew