Uh-Oh, his eighth album, journeys Patrick Watson through a career-defining recovery after losing his voice and coming to terms with the fact he may never sing again.

Released: 26th September 2025

Label: Secret City Records

Format: CD / Vinyl / Digital

REGAINING A VOICE

Uh-Oh begins with a heart-crushing, wavering Silencio sung by November Ultra. The song rises and crests delicately before introducing Patrick’s opening line: ‘I lost my voice because I talk too loud.’ A song of introspection and rebirth, it feels like a perfect tonic after years of anguish, serving as a not-so-subtle reminder of the listener’s luck in having this album now. Patrick uses the ebb and flow of his voice beautifully, accompanied by intricate instrumentals and purposeful harmony.

While Silencio was poetic, Peter and the Wolf is more jarring but within the song’s identity. An earnest and eerie narrative with matching instrumentation, it’s Bon Iver-inspired and shows a fearlessness in experimentation. With most songs recorded in just one or two takes, Watson’s vivid portrayal of his thoughts and fears on this track feels like a film-noir production.

The Wandering, recorded alongside MARO is a typical Francophile jaunt with some of the juxtapositions in soundscapes used in the previous track. It’s another storytelling sojourn and the plucking riff of an acoustic guitar maintains the album’s minimalist appeal. The closing cello slides conclude the track perfectly.

CHOIR IN THE WIRES

Some of Watson’s strongest songwriting on this album is evident within Choir in the Wires; it acts as a love song harking back to a simpler time. Interweaved with some sumptuous brass sections, it’s an early highlight of the album as a whole. The recent vocal loss flashes again in the song with further references to silence – an unavoidable theme that feels purposeful rather than coincidental.

Uh Oh with Charlotte Oleena has a steady build throughout, and a feel of Sgt Peppers as there are some smartly placed instrumentals here and further examples of his (I’m just a speck a dust but I’m singing across the Universe). There’s some existential crisis woven into these lyrics and this delicately placed, almost experimental percussion, depicts the crystal clear message of the title track an album as a whole – there’s beauty in the mishaps.

THE ART OF THE COLLAB

Patrick Watson is clearly a student of music, understanding how shifts in tempo and instrumentation can create tension. The Lonely Nights is an ode to Jeff Buckley, and it truly comes alive when La Force, of the Broken Social Scene collective, penetrates through its subdued moments. The carefully selected collaborations on this album, like the addition of this Montreal-born artist, add real value to each track.

Both Ami Imaginaire (with Klo Pelang) and Postcards (with Hohnen Ford) further showcase Watson’s talent for using fellow artists to bring tracks to life that would have had a very different impact otherwise. This necessity to adapt is the very essence of ‘Uh-oh,’ where real magic is found.

The album’s collaborative highlight is House on Fire, a majestic, piano-driven statement song with Martha Wainwright’s instantly recognizable vocal and guitar playing. Not for the first time on this album, the song writing is sumptuous (‘Take your hands and cover your ears, scream so loud the neighbours can hear’), and the vocal dance between Martha and Patrick is choreographed with grace.

MISHAPS MAKETH THE MAN

What separates Gordon in the Willows from other tracks is how fragile it feels. I can imagine this song being written in the darkest of hours during the album’s conception. The minimalist piano riff offers a glass-like foundation to a song in which the beautiful vocal performance of Charlotte Cardin cannot be understated.

Could there be a more aptly-named closer than Ça Va? While its precise message is difficult to discern, the fleeting moments of hope and careful piano compositions align with the ‘Phoenix from the flames’ feeling of the album as a whole. It’s a statement close that leaves one hoping for more to come.

For an album that must have felt a life away, this is a stunning return for Patrick Watson. The global feel and intimate, introspective lyrics make it a more-than-solid return, one that we can only hope fuels future works of similar quality. If Sufjan Stevens, Jeff Buckley or Bon Iver draw you in, this should be on your radar.

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