advertisement
FYI

Braids: Eclipse (Ashley)

The Juno-winning Montreal art-rockers return with a new track featuring ethereal vocals and lush production.

 Braids: Eclipse (Ashley)

By Kerry Doole

Braids - Eclipse (Ashley): This is the first music in quite some time from the highly-touted Montreal-based indie art rock band, and it teases a new album releasing next year on Secret City Records.


Singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston explains in a press release that "Eclipse (Ashley) is a love song made for my best friend Ashley Obscura. During the car ride to go and view the total solar eclipse, we were fretting about not having glasses to stare at the sun, you know, those funny ones that look like you’re sitting down to watch a 3D movie. Amongst the chatter Ashley said 'we should take this opportunity to think about what eclipses us in our lives.'"

advertisement

"Bam. Refocus. We all took this sentiment with us as we sat on the side of the quarry, as the moon came to hug the sun.' We sat in silence perched amongst the tall grass, the wildflowers, the rocks and glistening water, closed eyes, reflecting. Returning to the studio, the song poured out of us in one shot."

Standell-Preston's ethereal yet strong vocals are placed amidst a lush production, while the pastoral setting of the accompanying video is similarly verdant. Kate Bush fans are sure to find this appealing.

Braids, comprising Standell-Preston,Austin Tufts, and Taylor Smith, formed in 2007 in Alberta. Their adventurous sound has netted two Polaris Music Prize shortlistings and earned them the 2016 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. It has travelled well too, via appearances at major fests like Glastonbury and SXSW, and fawning notices in  Pitchfork, NPR, New York Times, NME, The Guardian and more.

Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Publicity: Killbeat

advertisement
Hillside Festival poster
Artwork by Alyah Holmes

Hillside Festival poster

Concerts

Guelph, Ontario's Hillside Festival Gets Richard Thompson, Aysanabee, Patrick Watson for 2024 Edition

Running July 19-21, the Ontario summer favourite's eclectic lineup also featuresBry Webb, Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Jim White.

Long one of the most popular Ontario summer music fests, Hillside returns to Guelph Lake Island, July 19-21. The just-announced lineup features artists from Australia, South Africa, Morocco, Benin and Cameroon as well as notable names from across Canada and the U.S.

Heading that list are British folk legend Richard Thompson, roots rock supertrio Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, with guests Daniel Lanois and Terra Lightfoot, the Polaris-winning Patrick Watson, Ashley MacIsaac, recent Juno winner Aysanabee, former Constantines frontman Bry Webb, long-running indie rock band Land of Talk, The Messthetics (which features Joe Lally and Brendan Canty from Fugazi) and American indie faves Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Jim White.

keep readingShow less
advertisement