Preloved
Willow
Best known as the drummer and producer of Canadian indie band fanclubwallet and a sought-after producer in Ottawa's local scene Michael Watson has quietly spent the past three years crafting Willow, a deeply personal and self-contained body of work and debut album for Preloved. Much of Willow was recorded in solitude during camping trips across Ontario Provincial Parks, with Watson powering their setup using a borrowed portable battery. These environments seep into the recordings themselves cicadas, wind, and ambient textures subtly woven into the album's sonic fabric, grounding its emotional weight in a tangible sense of place. The album is almost entirely self-made: Watson wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered the project. Longtime creative partner Hannah Judge of fanclubwallet contributes co-writing and vocals on select tracks, including "Motorcycle," reinforcing the collaborative but deeply personal spirit at the heart of Willow.