By Kerry Doole
Royal Canoe - Feels Good (Paper Bag Records/Birthday Cake): The Juno-nominated and World Music Award-winning indie rock band from Winnipeg releases its fourth full-length, Sidelining, on July 9. This comes after the successes of 2019 album Waver and subsequent RC3PO and Glacial (Live) EPs (where all instruments played were made out of ice!).
This advance self-produced single has a rather woozy, laid-back feel, with a touch of trip-hop in there, while frontman Matt Peters' vocals possess an airy quality. The mood rather matches the sentiments of the song, a reflection upon pandemic-plagued times. Sample lyrics: "I’m done with the lockdown groaning, tired of all the brain-dead search bar roaming. When did I get so boring? It’s time to remember how it felt."
In a press release, the band explains that "We wrote Feels Good during the middle of the summer last year, imagining what that first real hang with our friends will be like when things finally get back to normal. Things are still pretty crazy here in Manitoba, so we’re still just dreaming about that stuff, but if you’re out there where things are normal, and you’re living the fully-vaxxed life, this song is about how you’re probably feeling."
Sidelining features guest turns from NNAMDÏ (Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, also known as Nnamdi) and the wonderful Canadian alt-diva Begonia, and we're keen to hear more.
Links
Publicity: Julie Booth, Freshly Pressed
Management: stu@mightycypress.com
Booking (North America): bucky@firstdatetouring.com
The Weeknd at Rogers Centre in Toronto on August 8, 2025.Hyghly Alleyne, Courtesy XO Records