EVAN REDSKY TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM, THE LANGUAGE OF FISHERMEN, OUT OCTOBER 29, 2025 VIA VICTORY POOL RECORDS
LISTEN / SHARE “ARE WE FEELING OKAY?” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ARE WE FEELING OKAY?” HERE
PRE-SAVE THE LANGUAGE OF FISHERMEN HERE
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On The Language of Fishermen, punk-rocker / folk storyteller Evan Redsky embodies and relays an array of Indigenous stories and perspectives in order to better understand his own. Out October 29, 2025 via Victory Pool Records, this steady-footed and thoughtful record sees Redsky reclaiming the music of his childhood—the country heroes playing on his grandma’s car radio, like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and Blue Rodeo—to tell vulnerable stories of longing and resilience.
Following the release of previous single, “Cosmic Carousel”, today Redsky shares another album track, “Are We Feeling Okay?”. The new single is about “taking inventory on a relationship that’s falling apart in real time,” says Redsky. “It’s about checking in with your loved one and knowing that the end is coming and trying your best to make sure it hurts as little as possible on the way down. It was a song written relatively recently in light of the harsh realization that there’s still so much work I need to do on myself to be a functional contributor and receiver of love.”
LISTEN / SHARE “ARE WE FEELING OKAY?” HERE
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MORE ABOUT EVAN REDSKY + THE LANGUAGE OF FISHERMEN
Growing up on the Mississaugi First Nation reserve of Blind River, Ontario, Redksy was often compelled to hitchhike to Toronto to immerse himself in the city’s burgeoning punk and hardcore music scene. Redsky recalls sleeping under bridges and on construction sites, dedicated to making music happen. At 19 years old, Redsky started performing with punk outfit Single Mothers, going on to perform with the JUNO Award-nominated group everywhere from local clubs to Primavera Sound to the Pitchfork Music Festival. However, as the group saw increasing success, Redsky felt more and more empowered to explore other musical paths and tell his own stories.
These days, it’s tough to keep up with all of Redsky’s eclectic projects. He’s a member of “Turtle Island Hardcore” band Indian Giver; he performs with folk-rock duo Altameda and singer-songwriter Wyatt C. Lewis; he plays bass with groups like country ensemble Nicolette and the Nobodies. A stalwart of the Toronto scene, Redsky’s commitment to collaboration is evident in his impressive musicianship and impassioned songwriting, as he showcased on his debut solo album, 2022’s Oblivion.
Seeking inspiration for this new record, Redsky happened upon the works of celebrated Ojibwe author Richard Wagamese. Many of the songs on The Language of Fishermen were inspired by Wagamese’s stories, especially those from his autobiographical book One Native Life.
Redsky, like Wagamese, is Anishinabek, and the two share the experience of growing up in the bush, on reserve, and navigating between cultural worlds. Between honouring Wagamese’s words and sharing his own reflections, Redsky’s The Language of Fishermen contains a lifetime of feeling—including honouring the often overlooked positive moments of simplicity and fulfillment.
“Contemporary Indigenous life experience doesn’t have to be rooted in trauma,” Redsky explains. “The little moments we experience, and the land we come from, are rich with inspiration.”
WATCH / SHARE “COSMIC CAROUSEL” (OFFICIAL VIDEO) HERE
BUY / STREAM “COSMIC CAROUSEL” HERE
This soft, reflective state is captured on the song “The Language of Fishermen”, as the crew on the boat in the middle of the lake share “a smile, a nod, to the mystery of the land” as “The loons and shorebirds sang their songs.” Track two “Watching” (also inspired by Wagamese) conjures this sense of peace in everyday life, as a “foster kid from the fly-ins” learns by observation and comes to the conclusion: “If love and work is enough for them / It’s good enough for me.”
Redsky’s desire to share these stories can be traced to his prominent lineage of storytellers within his community. Notably, his great-grandfather, James Redsky, whose book The Great Leader of The Ojibway was published by the University of Toronto in the early 1970s. James Redsky was a prominent member of the spiritual group known as the Midewiwin and was one of the last people to possess ancient birch bark scrolls depicting centuries-old etchings that informed the community of much of their pre-colonial history.
The openness and sincerity that abounds on The Language of Fishermen was made possible by the deep connection and trust of its musicians. For the recording sessions at Dreamhouse Studios in downtown Toronto, Redsky brought in the “best friends and best players” he knew, including Matt Kelly (City and Colour), Troy Snaterse and Erik Grice (Altemeda), and John Dinsmore (Sarah Harmer, Bahamas), arranging and recording live off the floor. The resultant sound is crisp and inviting, with humming organ, pedal steel, and piano licks expanding around Redsky’s distinctive, silvery voice.
On album closer “Am I Allowed to Heal”, Redsky turns the camera directly on himself. The stories of trauma, recovery, and peace-making that linger across this album, this final track is as bold and direct in its message as in its raucous arrangement, harkening back to Redsky’s punk roots.
The theme of healing — and questioning if, when, and how healing can be accomplished — comes from Redsky’s own journey in the past few years. Through meditation, sobriety, and music, “The healing journey is constantly transforming,” Redsky says. But having known many Indigenous people who need permission to forgive themselves, and allow the healing process to begin, this song feels boldly overt, honest.
A couple decades into making music, with many more stretching out ahead, Redsky’s story is one of staying committed over the years, trusting the process, and trusting himself. Like the rolling highways Redsky sings of the song, “Northern Road”, with a “starry night beyond those headlights that could go on forever,” Redsky’s journey goes on.
THE LANGUAGE OF FISHERMEN TRACKLIST
01 The Language of Fishermen
02 Watching
03 Northern Road
04 Red Dress Song #1
05 Nothing In This World
06 Stuck In The Night
07 Are We Feeling Okay
08 When Will Our Time Come
09 Am I Allowed To Heal
10 Cosmic Carousel