Patrick Watson

Patrick Watson is the name of both a man—born in Lancaster, California in 1979—and his band, which he formed in his adopted home of Montreal in the thick of the city’s early-aughts indie-rock boom. Like fellow scene linchpins Arcade Fire and The Dears, Patrick Watson built their brand on a foundation of anthemic songcraft, artful arrangements, and heart-swelling orchestration, as demonstrated on their 2006 Polaris Music Prize winner, Close to Paradise. However, Patrick Watson tend to shy away from those other bands’ jugular-bulging intensity and rock-fuelled catharsis in favour of fairytale fantasias and jazzy exploration, with Watson’s mercurial, Jeff Buckleyesque voice gently guiding you through the songs’ dreamlike atmospheres. That cinematic sensibility has made Patrick Watson a natural choice to soundtrack both arthouse thrillers (their symphonic score to 2016’s The 9th Life of Louis Drax) and key dramatic moments on Grey’s Anatomy, while their frontman’s velveteen vocals have helped instrumental ensembles hit new emotional peaks (like The Cinematic Orchestra, who tapped the singer for the hit 2007 ballad “To Build a Home”). Released two decades after their formation, the string-swirled romantic reveries of 2021 single “Que reste-t-il de nos amours?” prove Patrick Watson’s transportive powers have only become more potent over time.