Common Holly

"Preoccupy" is the new single from Brigitte Naggar, the Montreal-based musician known as Common Holly. It starts as a simple acoustic folk lullaby but soon ascends into an uncanny duet between Naggar's guitar and an analog modem attempting to connect. Although the song was recorded before the pandemic ("It's about listlessness, and the particular anxiety that makes you turn in on - and turn against - yourself," says Naggar) it's impossible to hear that searching modem or the chorus "Preoccupy me darling, when are you coming back? In search of something certain, my eyes are going black" without thinking of our recent and ongoing collective experience with isolation.

The single and its B-side "The Moon" were recorded in Toronto with Paul Vroom and Kenny Boothby of the Canadian band Little Kid.