Video premiere: Smokey - Sudden Death
Smokey is on a hot streak these days. We premiered the video for his song “Springtime” on May 5th, and we’re pleased as punch to premiere his new single “Sudden Death”, with an accompanying video from Edmonton filmmaker Laura La France. The song was actually recorded back in 2017 onto fellow Edmontonian Paul Arnush’s tape machine, intended for release on a compilation record by a small punk label. The song never saw the light of day, and is finally out this week in advance of Smokey’s performance at Sled Island on Thursday, June 20th at the Palomino.
The video shows the annual process of processing firewood out at Mossy Trails, Smokey’s parents’ home out in the bush. The song is driven by a lightly fuzzed out electric guitar, a relative rarity in the songwriter’s catalogue. It also features some notably higher energy moments, driven by the guitar and Smokey diving into the higher range of his voice in a couple climactic moments through the tune. It takes the song a little outside of what we’ve heard from the artist in the past, while still being guided by Smokey’s deep baritone and slightly gothic country sensibilities. There’s a tinge of Wilco and Neutral Milk Hotel in the production, and it’s a welcome addition to the toolbox that we’ve seen Smokey pull from in the past.
You can check out the video below, and catch Smokey at the Palomino for Sled Island on Thursday, June 20th at 11PM. We’re told that this song is from his upcoming full length album, and while we don’t have a release date yet, you can watch this space for more news as we get it.