A veteran of the Montreal music scene, Patrick Krief has been releasing music for nearly two decades, first as a member of The Dears then via his own projects including Black Diamond Bay and, most recently, as a solo artist.

His self-reflective song, “Eloise,” is about meeting someone at the wrong time, and looking back years later, wondering what might have been. The lyrics feel like a love letter to a long lost love, asking when the two lovers might meet again. It was partly inspired by his own parents’ love story. 

“My father followed my mother from Morocco to several other countries as her family moved from place to place in search of a better life,” Krief explains. “Ultimately they found a life together in Montreal in the early 60s. I imagined what it might have been like had my father lacked such persistence. And in that character, I imagined the longing he might feel for the rest of his life.”

“Eloise” was created with an all-star cast: featured vocals from Erika Angell from Thus Owls, drums by Liam O’Neill from Suuns, and bass by Mishka Stein from the band Patrick Watson. The music video was filmed in Montreal’s Chinatown and features Krief’s wife, Julie Krief, playing the titular Eloise.