Daily Dose: Gabrielle Shonk, “Raindrops”

Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.

Paste first discovered Québécoise singer/songwriter Gabrielle Shonk on Day 2 of Festival d’été de Québec in 2016. The citywide, nearly two-week festival is most recognized for its huge headliners and beautiful setup inside the historic Plains of Abraham parkland in Québec City. After venturing downtown and sneaking into smaller club venues like the neighboring Impérial Bell and the District Saint-Joseph, though, a portal to all kinds of new, local French Canadian music seemed to open.

Shonk was one of the most impressive acts that night in Québec City. People packed the District Saint-Joseph to watch their hometown rising star, and arriving to the venue mid-set made it virtually impossible to find an unobstructed view. But Shonk’s clear vocals and mix of jazzy and pop inflections made the show exciting despite a lack of visuals.

Where lead single “Habit” took a more bluesy approach, Shonk’s new single, “Raindrops” introduces a strong pop element. Despite the grayscale metaphors and moody, soaring guitars of the verses, the chorus features a major-key keyboard romp through which Shonk can belt out the narrator’s frustrations and indecisiveness. The combination of genres and styles, plus Shonk’s bilingual singing, should make for an impressive debut.

Listen to “Raindrops” below and stay tuned for Gabrielle Shonk’s self-titled debut via Universal Music Canada on Sept. 29.