BRADEN LAM COMPLETES A MUSIC VIDEO FOR EACH SONG ON HIS DEBUT ALBUM WITH “SORE”
WATCH / SHARE “SORE” HERE
WATCH / SHARE ALL OF THE MUSIC VIDEOS FOR THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY HERE
BRADEN LAM’S DEBUT LP, THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY, OUT NOW
BUY / STREAM THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY HERE
“Welcoming Vancouver-based singer Michaela Slinger onto the track for an old-fashioned duet, the two sing about heartbreak and reconciliation while pushing through the toughest of times and coming out strong on the other end.The two soft-spoken vocalists prove to be a great match for each other, blending their tones together as they tentatively venture requests to start taking the slow steps to fully opening back up emotionally.” RANGE on “Wide Open”
“Wide Open" has a classic country feel reinforced by haunting pedal steel and the harmony singing of Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger, who co-wrote the tune with Lam in Nashville. Lyrically it digs deep, probing a challenging time in a relationship and the warm and poignant vocals of Lam deliver the message skillfully.” Billboard on “Wide Open”
"Braden Lam's inviting voice rings out over gentle guitar and vibraphone on ‘Beautiful Neighbourhoods’, a timeless single that vibrates with warmth and longing." - CBC MUSIC
"Crafts an expansive but intimate sonic world for us to lose ourselves in" - Earmilk
"Calling to mind the happiest takes by Ben Howard or Tim Baker" - The Coast Halifax
“Sore” Video Still
Today, Braden Lam releases the stunning clip from Monument Valley for "Sore", now completing a music video for every song from his debut album, The Cloudmaker’s Cry.
"Sore came pouring out in one sitting, only days before the final production session for this record, shares Lam. “ I wrote it to the unborn child my wife and I will never have in the wake of health issues. Having kids wasn't something we were keen on doing from the start, but it's a door closing nonetheless that still stings. The song delicately builds until it boils over with this overwhelming grief. We ran really long cables from the studio upstairs, down to the actual sanctuary space of the church we were working in to get these massive sounding vocals and instruments at the very end.”
WATCH / SHARE “SORE” HERE
MORE ABOUT THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY
The Cloudmaker’s Cry is Lam’s debut full-length album, and he means album in the classic sense: 10 considered and thoughtful folk songs, meticulously arranged and painstakingly sequenced, meant to be played on a turntable in a single sitting, whiskey optional. Though barely 27, he has lived the life of a much older man—with years of touring, entrepreneurship, and marriage already accounted for—and this collection of songs reflects lessons learned earlier than most, about time and love and the world.
WATCH / SHARE ALL OF THE MUSIC VIDEOS FOR THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY HERE
Produced in Toronto by Eli Browning, it was a new approach for Lam, who made his previous three EPs with a host of producers across Atlantic Canada. The pair’s touchstones as they worked through a city springtime in a converted church studio were George Harrison, Neil Young, and other sounds from the 1960s and 70s: music that is lyric-forward and performed with folk instrumentation in analogue tones, resulting in a timeless singer-songwriter record.
This vibe carries through the entire package, from the tintype photographs of Lam to the images wrought in 35mm in the liner notes, to his charming video collaborations with Griffin O’Toole that combine nostalgia, surrealism, and camp into a distinct style of film. Each particular piece fits perfectly into the primary vision, creating something grand in its authenticity and comforting in its warmth.
The album features singles, “Beautiful Neighbourhoods”, which climbed to #7 on the CBC Music Top 20, “Highway Jesus”, “Hurricane Season”, and “Wide Open”, a duet with Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger. Lam was also named as one of 8 semi-finalists in SiriusXM’s 2025 ‘Top of the Country’.
