REUBEN AND THE DARK SHARE “ALL MY FRIENDS” FROM UPCOMING LP

Photo Credit: Carly Foulkes // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Reuben and the Dark are sharing another new track from their upcoming LP, In Lieu Of Light, due out September 9, 2022 via Arts & Crafts. "All My Friends” is an impassioned ballad on the magic of being surrounded by loved ones with frontman Reuben Bullock singing ‘When all my friends are gone, tell me where will I be’. The band’s spirited alt-folk mastery is illuminated by Bullock’s mesmerizing emotion, draped over dramatic piano and rousing strings, while raucous guitars echo in the distant desert. With "All My Friends", the Calgary-bred Joshua Tree-based outfit offers one of its most elegant and evocative hymns, a song of togetherness hung deftly on the precipice of loneliness.

"This song sprung from a chorus I had in my head for a long time,” says Bullock. “It was never supposed to feel sad, but when I sing it, it always does. It wasn't until being isolated from so many friends and family that I realized the power of the lyrics. The verses and bridge were a culmination of events in my life during those months. Monumental moments of disruption that sent shivers down my spine, and immediately found their way into the song."

WATCH / SHARE “ALL MY FRIENDS” HERE
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MORE ABOUT IN LIEU OF LIGHT
Reuben and the Dark has long nurtured a bond with its audience that transcends the power of human communion with music as the chosen vehicle. In Lieu Of Light, a collection of songs as bare and unguarded as any frontman Reuben Bullock has offered before. 

Recalling the spontaneity of the band’s resounding 2013 arrival Funeral Sky, the eleven songs of In Lieu Of Light are both humble and vast, flourishing from the simplicity of gentle piano and guitar – at times favouring the delicate frame of its intimacy, at others conceding to the anthems in its melodies. It is honest heart-based music, wide open yet lonesome, and begging connection. 

WATCH / STREAM “WANDERER” HERE

“This album had no expectations put on it, it felt very free of form in any creative way. It is a snapshot of songs I was writing at a particular time, when recording them felt like a necessary letting go,” recounts Reuben. “There was a magic to that experimentation that felt natural to me.”

In Lieu Of Light was recorded throughout 2021 when at times for many the world seemed at an excruciating standstill. Reuben’s pensive lyrics, always known for their environmental resonance, turn more inward here. There is an element of personal, deeply relatable soul-searching at play, a perseverance through darkness, grief, escapism, and a subtle celebration of this despair that we have all confronted.

PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE IN LIEU OF LIGHT HERE

From the hymnal meditation of “Read Your Mind” to the wayfinding reflections of “Traveler of Swords”, In Lieu Of Light is at once Reuben and the Dark’s most varied yet most unified album to date. Bullock’s commitment to a more relaxed mode of songwriting removed one of the few remaining barriers between the band and its inextricably devoted audience. The cumulative, exultant power of his songs, be it shared joy or shared sadness, elevates the experience of In Lieu of Light to a heightened level. 

WATCH / SHARE “COMING LIKE A STORM” HERE

Recorded by Graham Lessard in Calgary at OCL Studios, Brock Geiger at Reuben’s home studio in Joshua Tree, and Joel Shearer in Los Angeles, In Lieu Of Light finds Reuben in harmony with the studio as his instrument, and the band with its intuition and embellishments.

In addition to songs from the recently released Coming Like A Storm EP, In Lieu Of Light includes collaboration with the Kainai-Bloodtribe Bullhorn Singers, who have been sharing the stage with Reuben and the Dark on recent performances. See the band’s upcoming dates below.

WATCH / SHARE “TIMELAPSE CLOUDS” FT. THE BULLHORN SINGERS HERE

MORE ABOUT REUBEN AND THE DARK
Reuben and the Dark is the enrapturing alt folk-rock outfit led by singer-songwriter Reuben Bullock, whose music blends introspective lyrics with soaring instrumentals. Reuben and the Dark's music has been featured in Breaking Bad, Dolittle, The Class, Grey's Anatomy, and many more. The talented Calgary-born Joshua Tree-based singer-songwriter, skateboarder, carpenter, and preacher's son has released three full lengths on Arts & Crafts, and toured with Boy & Bear and Vance Joy. 

WATCH AND SHARE “YES” LYRIC VIDEO HERE

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IN LIEU OF LIGHT - TRACK LISTING
1. One Two Three
2. Wanderer
3. Yes
4. Timelapse Clouds
5. Traveler of Swords 
6. Read Your Mind
7. All My Friends
8. Trouble
9. Skin and Bone
10. Coming Like a Storm
11. Little Sunrise

TOUR DATES
Sep 10 - Jasper, AB - Jasper Folk Festival % 

% with the Bullhorn Singers

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JENNY BERKEL ANNOUNCES NEW EP, SHARES FIRST SINGLE

THE QUIET BETWEEN, THE NEW EP FROM JENNY BERKEL, OUT VIA OUTSIDE MUSIC ON OCTOBER 7, 2022

WATCH / SHARE “LIGHT IT SLANT” HERE

BUY / STREAM “LIGHT IT SLANT” HERE

PRE-SAVE THE QUIET BETWEEN HERE

Photo Credit : Danielle Berkel // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

When poet and songwriter Jenny Berkel wrote her recent album, These Are the Sounds Left from Leaving, she was living alone in a tiny apartment full of radiant light and the ever-present soundscape of a leaky bath faucet. It was a sudden move at the time—a spontaneous departure from touring, bustling city life, being many things to many people—that landed Berkel in a space of self-imposed stillness. “The songs on These Are the Sounds Left from Leaving are a study of proximity, bringing big fears into small spaces,” says Berkel, reflecting on the album. “They’re intimate examinations of a world that often overwhelms.” 

The Quiet Between, written in the midst of the pandemic–and in the midst of the surreal stillness created by the pandemic–finds a different way of parsing through a kaleidoscopic world; written with quiet intention and attention, and more intimately recorded than previous albums, the EP features five songs that are interpretations of poems by writers Síle Englert, Sydney Hegele, Kevin Andrew Heslop, David Janzen, and Ryanne Kap, all of whom were part of Berkel’s artistic community in London, Ontario.

WATCH / SHARE “LIGHT IT SLANT” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LIGHT IT SLANT” HERE

“Light it Slant”, the first single, juxtaposes melancholy with an undercurrent of hope. Based on “High Level Bridge”, a poem by writer and teacher David Janzen (author of nature: nurture, Baseline Press), the song investigates the nature of wisdom as well as the wisdom held within the quiet of nature. The instruments swell gently together before the chorus, where Misha Bower’s (The Bruce Peninsula) harmonies lift the song out of its heaviness. “Westbound” is a creaky and hushed piano ballad. Based on “Westbound to London”, a poem by writer Ryanne Kap (author of goodbye already, Frog Hollow Press), the song is full of an aching longing. Recorded almost by accident–the engineer was testing levels while Berkel was working out the arrangement on the piano–the recording captures the vulnerability of the lyrics and of longing itself. Though still quiet and spare, “Blush On” is the most upbeat of the five songs on The Quiet Between. Based on “June First”, a poem by Sydney Hegele (author of The Pump, Invisible Publishing, a recent finalist for the 2022 Trillium Book Award), the song features Ryan Boldt (The Deep Dark Woods) and evokes Tucker Zimmerman with its layering of guitars and movement.

The album was recorded over several sleepy winter days at the Sugar Shack in London, Ontario; the sparseness of the songs reflects the new quiet imposed by the pandemic while also allowing the poetry of Berkel’s collaborators to be at the forefront. Recorded with only the engineer (Simon Larochette) and Ryan Boldt present, the songs feature Berkel and Boldt with additional flourishes by Misha Bower, Simon Larochette, and Kelly Larochette. From poem to song to recording, The Quiet Between relies heavily upon and emphasizes the significance of one’s local community.

Whether you’re reading Berkel’s poetry—in her debut chapbook Grease Dogs with Baseline Press—or listening to her recordings, Pale Moon Kid (2016), These Are the Sounds Left From Leaving (2022), and now The Quiet Between, you’ll experience her drawing layers of far-reaching concern into particular moments, like concentric waves rippling inward toward a lone cast stone. A songwriter immersed in poetry, a poet immersed in music—her work in all its forms is an invitation into a world of relatable introspection, in which even absences can be sculpted into vividly memorable verse.

PRE-SAVE THE QUIET BETWEEN HERE

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THE QUIET BETWEEN TRACKLIST
01 Light It Slant
02 Speak To Me
03 Blush On (ft. Ryan Boldt)
04 Not Enough Of You
05 Westbound

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MARIEL BUCKLEY’S NEW LP OUT TOMORROW, SHARES NEW VIDEO

WATCH / SHARE “NEON BLUE” HERE 

EVERYWHERE I USED TO BE, OUT TOMORROW VIA BIRTHDAY CAKE RECORDS

PRE-SAVE EVERYWHERE I USED TO BE HERE

" I don't know if it's Buckley's dream to be an essential new voice in Canadian music, but she is. Everywhere I Used to Be should prove that." - CBC Music

“There’s a grit to Mariel Buckley’s voice that can’t be manufactured with studio wizardry. She can hit heavenly registers, but always with a tinge of angst, like tasting a bit of coffee grounds at the bottom of a cup of velvety coffee, the mark of handcrafted majesty. …Everywhere I Used To Be is a tremendous showcase of Buckley’s talents.” The Edmonton Journal

It’s heart on your sleeve, uncompromising, honest stuff. An album of self-acceptance which is beautifully delivered. …Exceptional and sincere.” Americana UK

"The first single is "Shooting at the Moon," a propulsive heartland rock/alt-country song that comes with soaring pedal steel, a War On Drugs-y rhythm section, and a hook from Mariel that you'll be humming after one listen.” - Brooklyn Vegan on “Shooting At The Moon”

"...a shimmering pop gem. It’s driving AF and gallops with country flair, but it’s low on twang. And that’s just fine – Buckley sounds very much in charge in her new sonic digs, coupled with the production styling of Marcus Paquin” - Country Queer on “Shooting At The Moon”

Photo Credit : Sebastian Buzzalino // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Tomorrow, Mariel Buckley’s new LP, Everywhere I Used To Be, is available everywhere courtesy of Birthday Cake Records. Today, the celebrated songwriter is following up singles “Driving Around” and “Shooting At The Moon”, which shot up the CBC Music Top 20 Chart, with “Neon Blue”, a track she’s had “in the bag for almost two years,” says Buckley. “It needed some production to give it a lift, and I love where Marcus Paquin (The Weather Station, The Barr Brothers, Arcade Fire, The National, Julia Jacklin) took it. It’s a song about losing everything when you’re living too fast to notice. There’s themes of long distance love and trying to keep it together while apart, over-drinking to feel something and the classic VLT bars I grew up sneaking into.”

On the new video for “Neon Blue”, Buckley says “the tune itself started as a dark but nostalgic take on a couple of my old relationships, and how many of them revolved around drinking or unhealthy habits. When we made the video, I wanted it to be pretty close to the songs' narrative. Because it's a more image-based writing style, there's lots of stylized bar stuff I had envisioned to set the scene.”

“The director Mike Linton and his right-hand-man James Meagher found an incredible bar in the Transcona area of Winnipeg, The Royal George Hotel. Growing up on the prairies, I definitely had a picture of a specific kind of bar room, and this one fit perfectly. Unpretentious, dark, with cheap beers, VLT's, and a pool table.”

WATCH / SHARE “NEON BLUE” HERE

MORE ABOUT EVERYWHERE I USED TO BE
Unapologetically genuine, wry, and soft-hearted - Mariel Buckley has planted her flag firmly as a songwriter who’s in it for the long haul. She aims to find herself squarely on the fringes and exactly where she belongs: singing and writing songs for the underdog. And that’s exactly where her new album, Everywhere I Used to Be, lives.

Everywhere I Used To Be is sonically anchored by the haunting whine of pedal steel, a tastefully weighted, deep groove – rounded out by heavy synth pads and vibrant guitar parts. The resulting collection is a driving, swooning, toe-tapping catharsis; sealed and delivered by Buckley’s signature crooning brand of angst-ridden alt-folk.

LISTEN /SHARE /BUY / STREAM “DRIVING AROUND” HERE

WATCH / SHARE “DRIVING AROUND” (LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO) HERE

“When you grow up as the town freak, you get used to hiding who you are to become more palatable for those around you,” she says. “While I've been great at speaking my mind in person, my music has often remained a vague, if not softer representation of my stuff, until now. All I said about my life in direct detail on my last record was that I was ‘kept a secret’ - and I couldn’t go any deeper.

When I wrote this record, l felt myself becoming clearer in the process. I became softer in my personal life and sharper in my songs. I finally saw the person, musician and songwriter I wanna be coming into focus, all together. Mental illness, addiction, bad choices, and abusive relationships have made that journey really fucking long and really difficult. It felt like coming home. Selfishly, this album gave me something I’d been looking for my whole life. I hope to give people a chance to hear themselves in these stories. 

WATCH / SHARE “SHOOTING AT THE MOON” HERE

BUY / STREAM “SHOOTING AT THE MOON” HERE

I wrote this album for losers and underdogs. I want every outsider and lost soul to feel seen and safe with these songs. I wrote it for kids who do/did feel underrepresented in the mainstream media, in church, at school or at home. I wrote it for anyone who's ready to make a change, and especially for those who aren't.”

Buckley and Paquin made an intentional move towards contemporary production, and quickly found themselves in a daily rhythm of deconstructing and rebuilding each song to find its full potential. Backed by some of Canada’s finest session musicians, their collective efforts are showcased with abundant heart, and skillful flourishes while respecting the space necessary for the songs to speak. Perhaps her mysterious ambiguity around genre, traditional storytelling, and identity is what gives these new songs such an honest shine.

PRE-SAVE EVERYWHERE I USED TO BE HERE

MORE ABOUT MARIEL BUCKLEY
Born and raised on the prairies in a conservative core, Buckley spent most of her youth playing hockey, getting into trouble and writing it all down. After dabbling in guitar for near a decade, she took up some bar gigs, playing mostly traditional country music. Buckley began writing original music in her early twenties and found a natural comfort in speaking her mind through song. After several years of honing her craft on and off the stage, she began seeing larger support slots – k.d. Lang notably saying: “this kid has a big future.”

Buckley’s first official release, Driving in the Dark (2018), garnered international press and began solidifying her as part of the roots community in North America. With recognition from No Depression, CBC Music, Wide Open Country and PopMatters; she was building momentum quickly. And now after two-years forced hiatus and a new album, she’s ready to continue being a trail in her own right. With a firm grip on the steering wheel and a destination in mind - we’re just happy to be along for the ride.

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EVERYWHERE I USED TO BE TRACKLIST
01 Neon Blue
02 Whatever Helps You
03 Going Nowhere
04 Driving Around
05 Hate This Town
06 Love Ain’t Enough
07 Everywhere I Used To Be
08 Shooting At The Moon
09 Hose Named Nothing
10 Let You Down

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