Fraser Teeple's latest music is an ode to London's east end

London-based musician Fraser Teeple is using his passion for music to capture the essence of London's east side in his latest release. 

"Living here, you can't help but see and interact with all of these structural and societal problems that are going on," Teeple said. "There's the housing crisis and substance stuff going on, but there's also the humanity of people."

Teeple is an arborist by trade. He has lived in Old East Village for years, and just dropped a new single, Went Off. 

It's part of an upcoming album called We Built a Fire set to release next year.  It's an album he hopes will capture not only the struggles of London's east side, he said, but also the true essence of a community where there is beauty to be found.

LISTEN: Southwest Sounds: London's Fraser Teeple releases new single

Afternoon Drive7:12Southwest Sounds: Fraser Teeple

Musician Fraser Teeple was inspired by the London neighbourhood of Old East Village in his latest single. Host Matt Allen speaks with Teeple and producer Matthew Johnston to hear more about the song, 'Went Off.'

"It's also looking at different types of people and respectfully telling stories," Teeple said, "To try to look at that hopefully through a compassionate lens, hopefully a lens that doesn't directly judge or narrow people into something."

Teeple is collaborating with producer Matthew Johnston on the album, who grew up in London and runs Slow Magic studios.

He said the idea of telling stories of people's lives without judgment was inspiring, and they were intentional about making a body of work that represents people's lives.

"To look at everyone as human and beautiful, I think that's really really important," said Johnston. 

It's easy to make assumptions about people from just passing them on the street, he said. Instead, the project is about recognizing people have a whole life with purpose and meaning — and not writing them off or looking at them like a lost cause. 

We Built a Fire is set to come out in early 2025. 

Are you a musician in southwestern Ontario with a story to tell? Get in touch with the Afternoon Drive team at afternoondrive@cbc.ca for our Southwest Sounds series.