That Eric Alper

Toronto artist, producer, and music therapist SH3 unveils her most vulnerable and transcendent work to date with ‘The Blue Album,’ out now. Conceived in the wake of her partner’s passing, the record stands as both a tribute and an act of healing — a meditation on grief and the unbreakable thread of love that endures beyond death.

Written in the months following her loss, each song on ‘The Blue Album’ mirrors one of J. William Worden’s ‘Tasks of Mourning,’ a therapeutic framework that reimagines grief as an active, evolving process (a more updated approach compared to the 5 Stages of Grief). For example, Task 1 is: “Accepting the Reality of the Loss”, represented by the first track, “Love Again”. Through haunting ballads, ethereal folk textures, and choral harmonies rooted in her earliest musical experiences, SH3 transforms her pain into sound — crafting what she calls ‘a compassionate map through mourning.’

“When You’re Gone,” captures the stillness of absence with an almost sacred intimacy. Written just days after her partner’s birthday, the song arrived unexpectedly — a quiet revelation that music was becoming her medicine. “I realized I was using music therapy on myself,” she reflects, “and that I was processing my grief one lyric at a time.”

From the opening track ‘’Love Again”, a ballad exploring the pain of loss in lyrics such as “I’ve lost a treasure that’s now underground”, to the closing acapella prayer ‘Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them, O Lord/Amen,’ every note carries the pulse of remembrance. The songs unfold like chapters of a letter written between worlds — a dialogue of love that never truly ends.

In “Peace of Me,” SH3 captures the fragile disorientation of rebuilding a life without her person, layering soft synths and spectral glitches she describes as ‘spiritual interference’ — a sonic metaphor for presence beyond perception. “Love Doesn’t Die,” written in a single session after her own therapy session, marks a turning point: a realization that goodbye is not the end, but a continuation of connection. “Maybe it’s not about saying goodbye,” she sings, “it’s the love that continues, the love doesn’t die.”

The album culminates in “Until We Meet Again,” a song of hope and reunion written in a rare 7/4 rhythm. The simplicity of its instrumentation — a single synth sound stretched and layered like brushstrokes of blue — evokes both longing and peace. “It’s a song of gratitude,” SH3 shares, “for love that transcends worlds.”

‘The Blue Album’ is not bound by genre. It moves freely through R&B, folk, lofi, and sacred choral traditions, mirroring the many selves that coexist within grief. It also marks a homecoming for SH3 — a return to her roots as a choir singer, arranger, and believer in music’s power to heal. Each harmony feels handwoven, each silence intentional, forming a portrait of mourning that is as universal as it is personal.

As a music therapist and grief counsellor, SH3 has spent years helping others turn loss into meaning. Now, with ‘The Blue Album,’ she offers that same compassion to the world. “I wanted to create something that could hold space for people in their own grief,” she says. “This album was born from heartbreak, but it’s also about faith, memory, and the love that keeps us alive.”

Following its release, a deluxe edition of the album is out now — a date chosen to honour her and her late partner’s favourite numbers, 11 and 23, symbols of connection that continue to appear in her life in uncanny ways. The deluxe version includes the original demo of ‘When You’re Gone’ and a new opening track entitled ‘The Loss’, closing the circle of loss and remembrance.

Through it all, SH3 remains a testament to music’s most sacred truth — that sound can heal, love can endure, and art can transform even the deepest sorrow into light. ‘The Blue Album’ is not simply a record about grief; it is a love story without an ending, a gentle reminder that even after loss, we continue to sing.