For Canadians who came of age somewhere along the Montréal–Toronto corridor, Charlotte Cornfield’s music carries a particular resonance. On this episode of ifitbeyourwill, the Toronto songwriter reflects on the cities that shaped her, the Plateau music scene that made a life in music feel possible, and the long road from jazz drums at Concordia to releasing Hurts Like Hell on the legendary Merge Records.
What unfolds is a conversation about creative practice, parenthood, community, and the strange act of looking back at your younger self with equal parts tenderness and humour. Charlotte discusses recording the album live off the floor with a hand-picked band, collaborating with artists she deeply admires, and finding new freedom in songwriting by letting go of the need to always be the narrator of her own stories.
Part music conversation, part Canadian cultural geography, this is a thoughtful look at how places, people, and time shape the songs we carry with us long after they've been written.
The title track leans into that looseness. Mid-tempo, nothing pushed, guitars sitting just above a whisper. Then the vocal climbs, not dramatically, just enough to tighten everything around it. It changes the weight of the song without changing the volume. The harmonies follow, brushing up against the lead rather than stacking neatly behind it, like they’re part of the same thought instead of decoration. montreal rocks
