Still from Mirage via Alex Nicol — Still from *Mirage* via Alex Nicol

Sit back, relax, and dissolve into the surreal world of Alex Nicole’s music video for “Mirage” (directed by Director Big Shot AKA George Simeo). The reality-bending video brings a new dimension to the song off of Alex’s 2020 album All For Nada.

The video is a beautiful visualization of this era where every day feels like it blends into the next. This video perfectly demonstrates how our lives become more and more intertwined with the digital world, making harder to balance reality with our online existence.

I got to chat with Alex about his new video, and started to unravel this the complexities of online identity, and the importance of IRL community.

Check out the video and read our interview below.

Malaika for Also Cool: Hi Alex! Let's start with talking about how you got into the Montreal music scene. How did you first get involved, and how has it changed since you've been a part of it?

Alex Nicol: I moved to Montreal for school when I was 19. I started a band pretty much to move there, but nothing really happened until a few years later. Gradually I found the underground: DIY spaces, basement venues, a cornucopia of people from all over the place congregating in dank spaces to share a love of music and community. I spent a lot of time at La Plante, Silver Door (then Drones), Cagibi, Casa, the list goes on. I was also a relatively active member of a DIY community venue called Poisson Noir; I lived there for a bit, helped put on shows, played a bunch. I remember one night clearly: Win Butler slapped me on the hea- Great stuff!

The energy in the air was exhilarating; the purpose of our lives was to create music and build community around it - at least it felt that way for a while. I’m sure this vibe still exists in the city, but as I’ve gotten older I have turned inward, focusing on the craft of music rather than its social impact or purpose. Sadly, that’s how it’s changed for me, at least.

I think, generally speaking, the scene in Montreal is built around the pillars of Casa and Sala. These are the institutions that inspire people to move to the city, probably still to this day, and as long as they are around the scene in Montreal is going to be healthy. People come and go through the city of course, but these pillars remain.

Also Cool: How did music first enter your life? Have you always played music, or how did you get into it?

Alex Nicol: Music was all around me since before I can remember. My Mom listening to classical music when I was an infant; us listening to Cat Stevens on long car voyages in the hot summer; dad playing Scottish socialist anthems on acoustic guitar late into the evening. I guess it all happened by osmosis really. My Dad has a PHD in music and wrote some operas; I sang in an Anglican boy’s church choir; and I went to an arts high school focusing on the alto sax. I never played jazz sax though - I was into classical sax. I remember playing a Rachmaninov solo for a Grade 11 recital while my friend Mike Heinermann played a fancy (and incredibly technical) jazz piece.

In high school I would have my friends over upstairs in our cramped third floor. We would jam for hours. I used to write 9-15 minute instrumental songs that would twist and turn with more parts than I care to remember now. Oh: and I picked up the acoustic guitar at the age of 16 because I saw my Dad play a riff by Neil Young and I thought: that looks fun, I want to do that too. It did not take me long to realize that, as a left-handed person, learning guitar would be tricky; but I was not deterred. I took a right-handed guitar, re-strung it to the left, and taught myself Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix.

AC: What are some of your musical and visual inspirations? The video is so visually stunning, I'm interested to hear what influenced it.

Alex Nicol: You’ll have to speak with Director Big Shot about visual influences for the vid. I was a willing and active participant to his vision!

Big Shot statement:
We have created a situation.

We have summoned the unusual, the unexpected, caused a break in the natural flow.

We have explored the depths of our minds and found symbols of a new world: the formless magician, the wandering nimbus, the virtual forest.

We have exposed the mirage of old, and in doing so, we offer relief, uncover deceit, and infiltrate the elite.

We have seen behind the wizard's curtain and now dare to grant you access.

So please, take your seat. Enjoy.

AC: The song's lyrics are surreal and evoke a sort of laissez-faire energy towards the bizarre life we're all moving through. The song was released at the beginning of the pandemic. Has it changed in meaning in any way over the year?

Alex Nicol: The world was wack before the pandemic. Since it has only become more twisted.

AC: The video seems to touch on how real life and the online world have become even more intertwined lately. What's your relationship with your online presence like as an artist? Is it something you enjoy or something you feel is necessary as an artist?

Alex Nicol: The online world is virtual. It’s a form of reality that is in a sense real, but in another sense entirely intangible because it’s not physical. I like the idea of exploring digital spaces, but I will always be more interested in physical presentations and physical relationships and so on. I feel it’s necessary to be digital but most certainly does not come naturally to me. In a sense I see it as a grand (fabricated by design) distraction from the economic / ecological hardships - the truy physical reality, the weight of those challenges - that are hitting millennials the younger generations. I think my favorite era to live in would have been around the 1890s - at least in terms of communication. That should give you an idea of how I feel about the digital domain / digital dominant lives. I often get angry and upset about how much time collectively is spent online.

AC: Unplugging for a second, can you describe one of your favourite memories or dreams for us? Do they impact your music at all?

Alex Nicol: Playing barefoot soccer in the park. Sunny afternoon, green grass, fresh air, too young to realize how short life is. I can live in that feeling forever. Feeling truly free, totally present and entirely unencumbered. I strive for this feeling from music that I make and I seek this feeling out in the music I listen to. I get it from Thom Yorke’s voice; Orthodox a capella choral music; early house music; lots of soul groups. I strive to create that vibe in my own way through my own music. So it basically inspires everything I do artistically! It’s not the only thing that inspires me, though. I also have a sense of social obligation to use my music to create a more just world (more on that in my next album!)

AC: How have you balanced your creative practice with day-to-day life? What are some of the ways that you stay inspired?

Alex Nicol: Mostly I unplug from social media and technology in general. The time to think and feel inspires me. I jog, I read, I meditate sometimes, and I try to get enough sleep (but sometimes, when I am exhausted by exterior life and it’s expressions, I feel most in-tune with my artistic self). Then I try to fit regular chunks of practice or creative time into my day: usually from 6-8am. I also try to be as honest with myself and with those around me as possible. I balance a full-time job with my music, and sometimes (too often), music takes a backseat. I’d like to be more creative, more often.

AC: What are your favourite releases from this past year from other musicians/artists?

Alex Nicol: Eve Parker Finley - Chrysalia

Cotillon - Cruiser

Nick Schofield - Glass Gallery

Thanya Iyer - Kind

Dana Gavanski - Yesterday Is Gone

Jonathan Personne - Disparitions

Hua Li - Yellow Crane

Beaver Sheppard - Downtown

Anna Burch - If You’re Dreaming

Backxwash - God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It

Corridor - Junior