WATCH / SHARE “OBSOLETE” HERE
BRADEN LAM’S DEBUT LP, THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY, OUT NOW
SPRING TOUR DATES CONTINUE IN JUNE - TICKETS HERE
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
“Obsolete” Video Still
Following the release of Braden Lam’s debut album, The Cloudmaker’s Cry, today the celebrated songwriter is sharing the new video for “Obsolete”, a song “inspired by the beautiful port town of Lunenburg on the South shore of Nova Scotia,” says Lam. “Historically known for its fishing and ship-building related industries, most notably the birthplace of The Bluenose ship. I spent a summer's week there participating in a songcamp facilitated by the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival and meandering the streets got me thinking about all the different lives, dreams, and trades that those old shops had probably seen. Generations of expertise in various niches mostly gone obsolete by the turn of the 21st century. Co-writer Erin Turcke and I landed on this story of a rubber stamp maker who is witnessing this change firsthand. The technology gets brighter, money gets tighter, and the heart grows lighter as they realize they need to move on. We couldn't film this music video in the middle of a January winter so an abandoned gold mining town in Arizona is the second best thing to Lunenburg!”
WATCH / SHARE “OBSOLETE” 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 “THE HOLD” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “COWBOY BOOTS” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBOURHOODS” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE
It was produced in Toronto by Eli Browning, 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’.
WATCH / SHARE “WIDE OPEN” FT. MICHAELA SLINGER HERE
WATCH / SHARE “HURRICANE SEASON” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “HIGHWAY JESUS” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE
TOUR DATES
May 30, Toronto ON, The Cameron House
June 12, St. Catharines, ON - Warehouse Concert Hall
June 13, Waterloo ON, Emmanuel United Church
June 14, Uxbridge ON, Springtide Fest
