New Worlds, Old Ghosts: Ian North Releases Cliffs of Portugal
An evocative journey through memory, loss and the landscapes of longing, featuring Jennifer Claveau and Chris Gartner
Orillia, ON, Canada , July 21st, 2025 - Canadian singer-songwriter Ian North unveils his latest single, Cliffs of Portugal, a haunting folk ballad steeped in historical allusion, personal loss and the quiet ache of memory. Featuring harmonies by Jennifer Claveau and atmospheric soundscapes by Chris Gartner. The acoustic guitar and lead vocals were engineered by John Stuart Campbell. The song is set to hit radio and streaming platforms on Thursday July 24th, 2025.
Written in the aftermath of a transformative journey to Portugal and just months after the passing of North’s father, the song’s lyrical heart lies in a symbolic turning point: King Henry the Navigator standing at the edge of the known world, gazing out where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean and sending a fleet westward. “In the back of my mind,” North says, “was the idea of sailing over the horizon to the western sea, the mystery of what lies beyond and the grief of what we leave behind.”
Cliffs of Portugal opens with poetic imagery and a timeless melodic sensibility:
“Since we parted on the cliffs of Portugal / I never thought of any road but the one we shared…”
North’s warm caramel vocals thread through a richly layered arrangement, with Claveau’s haunting harmonies and Gartner’s sonic landscapes offering emotional ballast. Originally performed as an intimate acoustic guitar piece, the song took on new life through this collaboration, an expansion that deepens its resonance and gives it cinematic scope.
The chorus, “For every new world that is born, there is an old one that must fall…”- serves as both lyrical anchor and emotional thesis, echoing the bittersweet truth at the song’s core. In a few elegantly crafted verses, North weaves together travel memories, historical mythology and personal grief. One particularly striking moment, drawn from real life, recalls an exchange beneath a grove of oranges near Seville:
“You spit a seed out on the ground / and you said someday a tree will grow / when we are not around.”
Cliffs of Portugal is a modern folk elegy that speaks to anyone who has ever stood on the edge of change, looking back at what was lost and forward to what might still be found. With echoes of Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn and Nick Drake, Ian North continues to craft music that is rooted, poetic and emotionally unflinching.
For more information:
ARTIST WEBSITE: www.iannorthmusic.com
