TWO HOURS TRAFFIC SHARE NEW SINGLE, ANNOUNCE CANADIAN TOUR DATES

TWO HOURS TRAFFIC RETURN WITH THEIR FIRST NEW SET OF SONGS IN A DECADE

I NEVER SEE YOU ANYMORE EP SET FOR RELEASE MAY 23, 2025

WATCH / SHARE “LEAVE TONIGHT” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LEAVE TONIGHT” HERE

ONTARIO TOUR DATES BEGIN MAY 28 - FULL DATES LISTED BELOW

PRE-SAVE I NEVER SEE YOU ANYMORE HERE

Photo Credit : Robert Georgeoff // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Recently, Two Hours Traffic returned with their first new music in a decade. Following a Polaris Music Prize shortlist nomination for 2007’s Little Jabs and inclusion on the soundtracks of iconic TV shows of the era (The Office and The O.C.), the band took their final bow in 2013. However, a quiet reunion some years later saw the Charlottetown group, comprised of Liam Corcoran, Andy MacDonald, Nick Doneff, and Derek Ellis, soon finding themselves playing together again, first occasionally, then more often, until new songs began to emerge naturally. Now, twelve years since their last release, Two Hours Traffic make an unexpected but welcome return with their new EP, I Never See You Anymore. 

Today, they share another new song from the EP, “Leave Tonight”, which is “another one of our countless attempts at writing a classic pop song, similar to what we grew up hearing on the radio in the late 80s / early 90s,” says Corcoran. “We have drawn huge inspiration from the British band The La's and this is a song where we are trying to channel their approach...a minimal arrangement where the vocal and guitar melodies have lots of space to shine over the anchor of the rhythm section. As for the story, it's another doomed romance...I had a very clear image in my mind of one person that is tied to a specific place and another person who is being forced to leave. They have a strong connection, but not strong enough to withstand the circumstances, so they are trying to enjoy their final moments together."

WATCH / SHARE “LEAVE TONIGHT” HERE
BUY / STREAM “LEAVE TONIGHT” HERE

MORE ABOUT TWO HOURS TRAFFIC + I NEVER SEE YOU ANYMORE
The six-song EP blends the experiences and influences of their early years with the maturity and clarity of a band shaped by another decade of life. The title, I Never See You Anymore, is reflective of encountering the bittersweet realities of no longer being a touring band, as bassist and producer Andy MacDonald explains. “Every time we made our way across Canada, and even on our trips to Europe, Australia, and the US, we’d run into friends and musicians we couldn’t wait to see,” he recalls. “Once we split up, it slowly dawned on us that we wouldn’t be seeing most of these people regularly again.” 

Recording the EP was a collaborative and organic process that unfolded naturally throughout 2024. Sessions took place at various friends’ studios on PEI, as well as at Fang Recording, Joel Plaskett’s studio, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. “Writing and recording this EP was such a pleasure because we weren’t beholden to any timelines,” MacDonald reflects. “We were able to slowly pick away at the songs and refine them.” 

“It takes a village to make a Two Hours Traffic record,” says Corcoran, referring to a village seemingly populated by some of Eastern Canada’s most acclaimed musicians. The process began with sessions at Greg Alsop’s (Tokyo Police Club) studio in Charlottetown. From there, bass and guitar were tracked at Plaskett’s studio in Dartmouth, followed by vocal recording in Hope River, PEI, at Mark Geddes’ studio, The Hold. Outside of these sessions, longtime collaborator Dan Griffin contributed synths and keys that subtly tied the songs together. 

WATCH / SHARE “ON THE SPOT” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ON THE SPOT” HERE

The newest member of the band, Nick Doneff, played a key role in the process, adding layers, working on rough mixes, and keeping things organized. “When we decided to record the sixth song, ‘Andy Magoffin’, Nick was in the engineer’s chair,” Corcoran notes. Reflecting on the band’s democratic approach, Corcoran praises MacDonald for stepping up to produce the project and guide them through the long and winding process. “Andy took on the task of making the executive decisions, ensuring that we retained our identity while also creating something fresh,” Corcoran says. 

The new songs seem to embrace the ethos that first brought them together: direct, melody-driven songwriting with an emotional core, but now with a refined maturity. While I Never See You Anymore carries echoes of Little Jabs’ infectious hooks and Foolish Blood’s polished confidence, it also leans into a warmer, more dynamic sound shaped by the band’s years apart. There’s a looseness in the arrangements, a sense of ease that comes from playing without expectation. Lead single, “Keep It Coming”, reflects this spirit. Written during a challenging year, the song became a mantra about staying present and trusting in resilience. “A reminder not to worry about every little thing in the future,” says MacDonald. 

WATCH / SHARE “KEEP IT COMING” HERE
BUY / STREAM “KEEP IT COMING” HERE

For Two Hours Traffic, “the old days” seemed to be a time of constant evolution, navigating lineup changes and shifting priorities, both creatively and personally. Their 2009 album Territory saw them stepping into a more expansive, textured sound, pushing beyond the bright immediacy of Little Jabs. By 2013’s Foolish Blood, they had refined their songwriting even further, balancing their knack for hooks with a newfound confidence. Those years that followed were full of all the growing pains, joys, and struggles that come naturally to a young band under a spotlight. Reflecting on that time, Corcoran says, “I get the feeling that we were still trying to prove ourselves.” 

Now, with I Never See You Anymore, Two Hours Traffic are less focused on proving themselves and more on staying connected to the music they love. As MacDonald puts it, “Everyone in the band is ultimately in love with the process of writing and recording music. It’s been a part of our lives since we were teenagers, and we’re all still at it. Whether it’s Two Hours Traffic, Liam and Nick’s solo work, or Golden Cinema, we’re all still picking away. I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. We’re hooked.” 

PRE-SAVE I NEVER SEE YOU ANYMORE HERE

TOUR DATES // TICKETS HERE
May 28 | Toronto, ON – The Rivoli (w/ Teen Ravine)
May 29 | Hamilton, ON – Mills Hardware
May 30 | London, ON – Rum Runners
May 31 | Guelph, ON – Sonic Hall

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I NEVER SEE YOU ANYMORE TRACKLIST
01 Keep It Coming
02 Leave Tonight
03 On The Spot
04 Moon Baby
05 Not A Day Goes By
06 Andy Magoffin

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COLD SPECKS FOURTH STUDIO LP, LIGHT FOR THE MIDNIGHT, OUT TODAY

Photo Credit : Ted Belton // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Singer, songwriter and producer Cold Specks (Al Spx) has released her fourth studio album, Light for the Midnight, on limited edition vinyl, CD and digitally via Secret City Records in Canada, and Mute Records for the rest of the world. 

Light for the Midnight is a 10-track collection of fervent ballads and atmospheric songs, with Spx’s soulful voice channeled into expansive sonic worlds. At its core, it is a raw and deeply emotional personal reflection on endurance, survival, and transformation. 

The album was conceived during a challenging period in Spx’s life, with work beginning amidst struggles with her mental health, experiences that are deeply embedded in the music. Spx emphasises its universality, despite its personal origins: "I definitely wanted to reflect on the last couple of years because it impacted me so much, but I also wanted the audience to walk away with this album. You know, the songs belong to them once I release them.”

LISTEN / SHARE “VENUS IN PISCES” HERE

The record was crafted in Toronto and Bristol, with Spx co-producing alongside Adrian Utley and Ali Chant. The album features string arrangements by Owen Pallett (Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Sampha) and additional contributions from Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck). Spx also worked with a stellar line up of collaborators, including Chantal Kreviazuk (Kendrick Lamar / Kelly Clarkson) who co-wrote “Wandering in the Wild” and “How it Feels” (the latter described by The Guardian as “… a bruised but unbowed piano ballad”), Malcolm Middleton (Arab Strap), Ben Christophers (who co-wrote “Lingering Ghosts”), Terry Edwards, Ed Harcourt, and Jonathan Quarmby.

Since she arrived on our screens with an unforgettable a capella performance on Later… with Jools Holland in 2011, Cold Specks has delivered crackling, pared-down guitar blues, gothic soul, gospel and warm electronics across three albums which won Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award nominations: 2012’s I Predict A Graceful Expulsion, 2014’s Neuroplasticity and 2017’s Fool’s Paradise. Her musical stretch is vast, she has worked with Swans, Massive Attack, and Moby and performed at Joni Mitchell’s birthday concert. This first album in seven years showcases her vast talent as a vocalist, songwriter, lyricist and producer to startling effect. 

Light for the Midnight captures Cold Specks at her most vulnerable and powerful, weaving stories of struggle into stunning compositions that resonate deeply. It is an album of hope and transformation.

BUY / STREAM LIGHT FOR THE MIDNIGHT HERE
ORDER LIGHT FOR THE MIDNIGHT HERE

PRAISE FOR COLD SPECKS

“’How It Feels’ is a matter-of-fact, raw and vulnerable reminder of how potent Cold Specks’s artistry is” – Dominionated

“Haunting and introspective” – Billboard (How It Feels)

“Compelling and timeless” - The Observer

“Haunting and healing in equal measures” - The Guardian

“… peerless” – Pitchfork

“Haunting doom-laden soul” - Vogue

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LIGHT FOR THE MIDNIGHT TRACKLIST
01 How it Feels
02 Venus in Pisces
03 Wandering in the Wild
04 Cold Goodbye
05 Endlessly
06 Lingering Ghosts
07 Cheap Dreaming
08 Lovely Little Bones
09 Curse Away
10 Closer

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DAN MANGAN SHARES “CUT THE BRAKES” FROM NEW ALBUM, ANNOUNCES NATURAL LIGHT TOUR

WATCH / SHARE “CUT THE BRAKES” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CUT THE BRAKES” HERE

ANNOUNCES FALL CANADIAN TOUR

ARTIST PRE-SALE - APRIL 9 AT 10 AM | PROMOTER PRE-SALE APRIL 10 AT 10 AM | GENERAL ON SALE APRIL 11 AT at 10 AM

FULL TOUR DATES LISTED BELOW

NATURAL LIGHT ALBUM OUT MAY 16

PRE-ORDER & PRE-SAVE NATURAL LIGHT HERE

SUBSCRIBE TO DAN MANGAN’S SUBSTACK - REALITY SHIELD

Photo Credit : Zachary Vague // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Last month, Dan Mangan announced his new record, Natural Light, an album filled with love songs about a society on the brink of collapse. First introduced by the rousing, irrepressible single “Melody,” Natural Light is Mangan’s return to folk music’s classic underpinnings of political resistance, and songs founded on building connection. No longer the hopeful young upstart or a stubborn folk-punk, Mangan’s familiar voice emerges to articulate our troubled times with tenderness and humour. Love songs about a planet on the brink of collapse. Campfire songs for a world on fire.

Today, Mangan shares “Cut The Brakes,” the second glimpse of Natural Light – a wry yet gently windswept tune that “attempts a brief history of human evolution,” says Mangan. “We came from plants in the water. We made up stories, built monuments, had a lot of sex, and nobody is driving the bus.”  

Over a driving folk rhythm, with chiming guitars and morning-light production hues, “Cut The Brakes” paints a contrasted picture of calmness amidst chaos, a sort of gentle melody before the storm: ‘Oh, someone cut the brakes while we were sleeping / Someone left the stove on again / Oh, what’s the point of all this bob ‘n weave’n’? / Someone ate the last Oreo.’

WATCH / SHARE “CUT THE BRAKES” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CUT THE BRAKES” HERE

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MORE ABOUT NATURAL LIGHT
Before a single note of Dan Mangan’s 7th LP Natural Light was recorded he listened through a series of song demos and sincerely considered the title Schminger Schmongwriter. After years of rolling his eyes at the genre, there is poetry in accepting that the two best words to describe him may in fact be “singer” and “songwriter”.

In context, the nod to Harry Nilsson’s landmark album Nilsson Schmilsson is not out of place. There’s a feeling of timelessness to Natural Light in the curiosity, the wit, and the playfulness in Dan’s voice, through his words, and the vibrancy of the music. The analog patina and subtle reminders that this tender, funny and devastating work was made by humans together in a room. Mangan’s newest offering bears the the poise of a modern classic, seeded by Dan’s singular lyricism and forged unexpectedly by four best buds over six days in a cabin in the woods.

There is something fitting in Mangan hitting this high watermark at this stage of his life. You can trace the chapters of his story in the fabric of Natural Light. You’ll find remnants of the tenacious young artist who booked tours of Europe via Myspace in the mid 2000s. The emergent songwriter who hibernated into fatherhood just as arena-folk exploded in the early 2010s. The genre-bender who has subtly challenged his audience with each album, tracing a unique trajectory of confronting and eclipsing his own art. Over two decades, Mangan has managed an enviably strong creative ethic, and his integrity as both a singer and songwriter has only strengthened with age. The big picture cohesiveness of Natural Light harkens to a pre-streaming, album-focused sensibility. Songs bleed together through focused transitions and overlapping interludes. Mangan’s lyrics act as gondolier for the journey, reassuring the listener that it’s cool to care. Dan sings for his kids, for his wife, and for a society in existential crisis. 

Following several studio-centric albums with esteemed producer Drew Brown (Radiohead, Beck), Dan secluded himself deep in the woods of southern Ontario for a week with long-time bandmates Jason Haberman, Mike O’Brien and Don Kerr. They had intended to workshop existing songs, maybe write some new ones, and generally impose zero pressure to accomplish much at all. They pooled recording gear and turned Haberman’s rustic cottage (coined SOUVENIR) into a makeshift studio.

WATCH / SHARE “MELODY” HERE
BUY / STREAM “MELODY” HERE

“This entire album feels like one big happy accident. A gift from the ether,” says Mangan from his home in Vancouver. “Even if it was never to be released, I can’t fully articulate how grateful I am to have had such a cosmic and charged creative experience with these three people I love so dearly. We were completely locked in. I get choked up just thinking about it.”

The evening they arrived, Dan introduced the band to a song he’d written for his sons - a meandering stream of consciousness lamenting how their modern adolescences might pose challenges from which he cannot spare them. Lightning struck and in three quick takes, the framework for the song was complete, and the table had been set. “It Might Be Raining” was the first song recorded, is the first song on Natural Light, and was the catalyst for six days of jubilant creative frenzy. Between lake jumps and egg scrambles, the crew brought to life 13 songs, many of which had been stewing in Dan’s head for years.

Though these songs were written over the last half-decade, the timing of Natural Light feels urgent. The power and the beauty of this music, as well as its sadness, are imbued with the present political and social zeitgeist. If there exists a need for creative voices to cut through the world’s deafening static with eloquence and honesty, this work is an undeniable candidate.

Dan’s voice and songs have the power to unite and silence a concert hall. A centrepiece of his lyrical prowess is “Soapbox”, a Guthrie-esq rip into “the lie” of modern society. Though he considers it his preachiest song, Mangan’s determined stanzas unfold like a close friend helping to untangle the complexities of our collective struggle. “I hate that, so often, the thing that is most infuriating about society is also the hardest to explain,” he says.

The band’s contributions are paramount to Natural Light’s charm and vitality, effortlessly elevating Mangan’s offerings without ever getting in the way. The recordings capture the foursome’s brotherly intuitions, as each note feels responsive, spontaneous, and serendipitous. Jason, Mike and Don buoyantly propel Dan’s melancholic lyrics with assurance and whimsy - a glorious juxtaposition perhaps best demonstrated by Natural Light’s first single “Melody”. Clarinets and slide guitars dance like drunken fools to his elegy about unrequited love.

All four musicians are credited as producers on the album. While O’Brien did the heavy lifting on lead guitar and Kerr on drums, the whole cast shuffled between instruments frequently as the recordings took shape. Minimal time was given to working out “parts”, and they allowed first impulses to direct the process, tracking the songs together “live off the floor”. Back in their respective cities and studios, the foursome continued to hone the recordings over the following months, adding subtle overdubs such as horns, strings and woodwinds.

What cannot be understated here is the creative input from bassist Jason Haberman, who engineered the recordings and even took the photos adorning the LP’s front and back covers. Jason also mixed the album from his Toronto studio. Though several other renowned engineers were initially considered, every step of the process had been intimately tied to the quartet's experience at the cabin, and it felt important to keep the project in the family, so to speak.

Natural Light is a natural resolution for Mangan as a scene-survivor. Dan has emerged as a politically-conscious family man with the maturity and wherewithal to articulate our troubled times with tenderness, intelligence and humour. There is luck involved too - this perfect storm of creativity was not so much conjured as ridden like a wave by four friends with a century of collective experience making records.

Mangan has often described songwriting as a way to articulate his anxieties and unburden his mind. This particular collection of recordings explores the darkness of our time, but embraces the listener like a weighted blanket. Sewn into the fabric, in a secret language, are the words instructions for survival. Dan reminds us that the pain of living frees us. That there are those who leave a light on in case another needs to see. That the feeling will go on. That we should seek the natural light, and when we find it, bask in it like a cat.

MORE ABOUT DAN MANGAN
Dan Mangan is a two time JUNO Award-winning and three time Polaris Music Prize-nominated musician and songwriter. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife and two sons. For decades, Dan has brought signature wit, sonic innovation and lyrical insight to the indie/folk community, garnering him a fiercely dedicated and deeply involved audience. He has played Glastonbury and Jimmy Kimmel Live, sold out Massey Hall and scored acclaimed soundtracks for television and feature film. In 2017, he co-founded Side Door, a community marketplace platform for the arts that seeks to democratize and decentralize the entertainment industry by connecting artists with alternative venue spaces.

PRE-ORDER & PRE-SAVE NATURAL LIGHT HERE

TOUR DATES  
Sept 25 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
Sept 26 - Edmonton, AB - Winspear Centre
Oct 1 - Victoria, BC - Royal Theatre
Oct 3 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
Oct 10 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
Oct 11 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre

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NATURAL LIGHT TRACKLIST
01 It Might Be Raining
02 Diminishing Returns
03 I Hated Love Songs
04 Contained Free (Interlude)
05 No Such Thing As Wasted Love
06 Melody
07 My Dreams Are Getting Weirder
08 Soapbox
09 Cut The Brakes
10 For Him
11 Sound The Alarm
12 Proximity
13 Hit The Wall

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