Paul Bidault is a musician who has just come to my attention thanks to the release of his debut solo album, Dark Tides.

By Graeme Smith

Dark Tides is a solo album in every sense of the word. It was written, performed and recorded by Paul, alone, and takes the form of almost a personal confessional as he encourages us to explore his world over ten intimate tracks.

The effect is immediate through the whispered intro of album opener Devil Dressed in White. It lulls us into a false sense of security before we are sucker-punched by a lively, dramatic arrangement that is gone just as suddenly as it arrives. A stripped-back verse follows, powerful through its absence of bells and whistles. The bombastic refrain returns and we know we’re in for a roller coaster of a journey.

Genre-wise, Dark Tides is difficult to pigeon-hole. The Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits influences are readily apparent but other than that, it’s an album that’s quite indescribable. The blues swirls with rock, vaudeville, jazz, elements of folk and a pinch of the classical. Lively moments like Who Do You Think You Are? or Flesh and Bone are contrasted by the quiet introspection of Burden Off My Shoulders or Evil Games in a collection that always keeps us guessing what will come next.

Despite all that, Paul has given us a coherent and distinctly auteur collection. His style is beautifully unique and incredibly well-crafted. At times, I forgot that Dark Tides was a debut, given how polished it is. What really stands out about it, too, is its strong sense of atmosphere. Few manage to create stronger than Paul Bidault in this album. End of Time is a fantastic case in point, slowly building with a sense of pending apocalypse.

Dark Tides was mixed by Stevan Krakovic and mastered by Grammy nominee JJ Golden. It will be available for pre-sale 9 April, and officially released 23 April. The full ten track album will only be available on Paul’s website with an eight track version available on streaming services upon release.