Bad Canada

Bad Canada // Independent

Upon first listen of Bad Canada's self titled debut, you may wonder why the hype? If you ask this question, then you haven't given the album your undivided attention which is what it deserves. Walking a weird line between bedroom-pop, space-folk and experimental this album is a triumph. There are a wide array of sounds and influences on display. "Everything" has simple acoustic guitar over the sound of crickets. “Oh My Love” employs piano with a background chorus to enhance frontman Noah Jordan’s beautiful sentiments of love. Other tracks employ drum machines and synths while experimental drones are used to tie various songs together. The subtle nature of these tracks is what makes them so special, each song is as fragile as a newborn and played as if a crying baby had finally been coaxed gently back to sleep. The arrangements are gorgeous but vocal delivery is the crucial piece of this puzzle as Jordan sings in a hushed tone with the harmonies sung even quieter. This discipline helps to ensure the lyrics never overpower the soft melodies. A perfect example is on “Oh My Love”, Jordan delivers lines like "we'll keep all the troubles of the night away” and the backing harmonies are nearly a whisper. This restraint is essential to the album’s success and is why Bad Canada are turning heads with this debut.