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Track-by-Track: Corbin Giroux Dishes Details on New Album ‘Docile’

Corbin Giroux, ex-guitarist with the post-hardcore group Rarity, skillfully deconstructs each song on his new solo recording, ‘Docile’ in our latest track-by-track feature.

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With the year soon coming to a close, Corbin Giroux has taken this opportunity to branch out on his own with the release of his new solo record Docile. Released September 22nd, Giroux brings an intense approach to his songwriting, with distinctive tunes that really differentiate him from his work with the well-known post-hardcorers Rarity, for whom he served as lead guitarist. Rarity has been enjoying some much-deserved success since the release of their sophomore album The Longest Lonesome via Dine Alone Records in the summer of 2019. A passionate artist, Giroux’s greatest asset is his authenticity, like on songs such as “Middle Earth,” a song about trying to balance life with one’s own individuality.

Since the release of The Longest Lonesome, the album has seen well over one million streams. Formed in 2014, Rarity released their debut EP, Alive In Your Eyes that same year via Rise Records. Their debut full-length, I Couldn’t Be Weaker, soon followed in 2016 along with tours with Silverstein and Seaway.

Now that you’ve had a few weeks to digest and interpret Docile for yourself, we connected with Giroux for a track-by-track rundown of each song on the album. Giroux skillfully deconstructs each song for us, and offers us a deeper look into this very impressive new release.

1. “Run”

“This song is one of the happier songs on the album, and was one of the first songs I wrote for the album. ‘Run’ is about seeing more of the good in everything, moving on to different next steps with loved ones, and navigating different obstacles that may present themselves along the way. It is a song about love.”

2. “Torn”

“‘Torn’ is about having so many plans for the future whether that is for school, vacations, tours, etc, and them inevitably not happening. It’s important not to dwell on what was lost, but rather look forward to all of the cool plans that can still happen in the future. Having an entire year planned out is definitely a great feeling, but sometimes you have to react accordingly and make the best of it when things out of your control happen.”

3. “Middle Earth”

“‘Middle Earth’ is definitely my favourite song on the album. It started off as a joke song about Lord of The Rings while I was playing around with a new tuning but then it evolved into a lot more. It turned into a song about self-discovery, a song about being kinder to myself, and everything that comes with writing your first full band album by yourself. In essence, this song reflects the journey it’s been carefully crafting Docile into what it is today.”

Artwork for the album ‘Docile’ by Corbin Giroux

4. “Humility”

“The original version of this song was actually written in 2014 and was not very good by any means (laughs). When I was putting this album together I knew this one had potential so I rewrote it a little bit and I’m so happy with how it came out! ‘Humility’ is a big reminder to me, my friends, and even strangers to never take anything for granted. Whatever it is that makes you happy, don’t forget why it started making you happy in the first place.”

5. “Rope”

“This song is sort of me looking back on when I started touring (2015) to now and taking in everything that’s happened since. I’ve missed birthdays, weddings and funerals, I’ve overworked myself in preparation for whatever next tour was about to happen, and I’ve drifted away from lots of friends due to my continued absence. ‘Rope’ is about looking back on all the things you miss throughout the year when you’re touring all the time. It’s about wishing you were closer with certain friends from the past. ‘Rope’ is about reflection.”

6. “Ninth Roll”

“This is probably the saddest song on the album. My dog Maggie was 9 when she passed away many years ago and I told myself that this would be the last Maggie song that gets written. This song is definitely for anyone who has lost someone they love far too early.”

7. “Awake, But Dreaming”

“This was the first song written for Docile. It’s about being uncomfortable and wanting to go home. It’s about wishing you weren’t as anxious as you are. It’s about trying to get out of the habit of second-guessing everything. It’s about realizing that not everything may work out how you envision in your head sometimes and that’s ok. ‘Awake, But Dreaming’ is about silver linings.”

8. “Graceful”

“This song is about serenity. I live on a very quiet street and one night I sat on my porch and just wrote about how still and somber all of my surroundings were. With ‘Graceful’ I wanted to write more about a feeling rather than writing about something that specifically happened to me. The feeling of peace and serenity stuck out to me with the arrangement, so the lyrics reflect that in the song. This is the first time I tried writing about a feeling instead of something actually happening to me and it was quite refreshing.”

9. “Just Not Used To This”

“This song is also about love. ‘Just Not Used To This’ is about feeling so unbelievably loved and cared for by someone that it makes any stresses I might encounter at work, or life just go away. It’s about feeling safe, it’s about feeling reassured and it’s about feeling ok.”

10. “A Beautiful Place”

“This is about creating music that you want to make first and foremost. I’ve met so many unbelievably talented musicians that never release any music at all but they are more impressive than anyone else I know. This song is for everyone who is content with having their art just be for them.”

11. “Whole”

“This song is the final song on the album and does touch on the topic of humility as well. ‘Whole’ is about remembering that no matter where your musical journey takes you, to not let your head get so far in the clouds that you forget about those who have helped you all along the way.”

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