“That was a huge lesson for me: if it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it,” says Alyson McNamara about “After Hours,” the opening track of her latest release Let Me Sleep. It’s a song that Alyson wrote nearly ten years ago and it was almost included on her 2018 album We All Heard Nothing. But the sonic layers and quick tempo of the 2018 version didn’t sit right with her so she scrapped the song. Over the years, “After Hours” blossomed into something new and the version heard on Let Me Sleep has a hazy and laid-back vibe that sets the introspective mood of the entire record: “Take a deep breath,” Alyson urges. By the end of the track, she is revitalized and, ready to take on whatever comes next, declares: “Another page has been turned.” Let Me Sleep marks a new beginning for the Toronto-based indie-folk musician. Alyson has toured across Canada with JUNO Award-winning band Said The Whale accompanying on-going collaborator Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club). She has recorded and performed with Canadian supergroup Anyway Gang and has opened for artists such as Sloan and Gregg Allman. She has accompanied and shared the stage with Canadian trail blazers Catherine Maclellan, Kaia Kater and Sarah MacDougall. Alyson has appeared on Paste Magazine NYC, BTR Live Studio and CBC First Play Live and has recorded with acclaimed producers Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck), Gus van Go (Sam Roberts, Whitehorse) and Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, U.S Girls). Since her debut release in 2013, Alyson and her band settled into a groove of being a four-piece act of drums, guitar, bass, and keys. But ahead of making Let Me Sleep, Alyson began performing as a trio with her longtime collaborators Daniel McNamara (bass) and Kevin Richards (drums) and the stripped-down sound felt epiphanic and overhauled the direction of Let Me Sleep. “Through performing as a trio, I realized how much space there was left for my vocals,” Alyson explains. “I was always curious about where the middle ground was between having that full-band sound and maintaining the intimate feeling of watching a singer-songwriter.” Produced, mixed, and engineered by Daniel and recorded in a whirlwind week at Taurus Recording in Toronto, Let Me Sleep is a bright and easy sounding album. With contributions from Dave Monks (vocals and guitar) and Daniel Hass (cello), Alyson and her band are steady on their feet and grounded in the moment. The sunny “Got All Night” feels like walking down a quiet street on a sticky summer night and lead single “Shutting Down” has a measured drumbeat that mirrors the circadian rhythm. Even when Alyson feels restless like she does on “Waiting” (recently heard on CBC’s Burden of Truth), the steadfast instrumentation never feels flustered. Alyson wrote Let Me Sleep in various locations including The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and a sun-soaked apartment in Toronto. No matter the place, Alyson was alone during her writing sessions. “My favourite ideas always seem to arrive freely when the house is empty.” she says. This solitude culminates in an album full of thoughtful musings on love and regrets, and reminds listeners to be patient with both themselves and others. “That’s Today” finds Alyson talking through her mistakes with her shadow but on the interlude “Worry Not,” Alyson is alone playing the piano and, showing off her incredible vocal control, assures us: “worry not for me.” “I think music and songwriting is so important for me because I have a very jovial personality in social settings, but my music is so pensive and calm - it’s a real part of my true self,” Alyson says. “Sharing my songs is an opportunity to be seen fully.” Despite the solitariness behind the lyrics, there’s a heartening communal feeling to Let Me Sleep. On “Won’t Be Sold,” Alyson touches on the heart of this feeling when she assures listeners, “You are not the only one who’s feeling lonely.” “I want people to see me when they listen to Let Me Sleep,” says Alyson. “But I also want people to be able to listen to the record and see themselves.”