Whitehorse: I Wanna Make Promises (That I Can’t Keep)
Signature harmonies and resonant guitar meet strings in a well-crafted gem.
By Kerry Doole
Whitehorse - I Wanna Make Promises (That I Can’t Keep) (Six Shooter): With no advance fanfare, this week Whitehorse announced the release of a new full-length album, Modern Love, coming out tomorrow (March 19).
This is the first full-length from Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland since 2017's Panther In The Dollhouse, though the prolific duo did detour creatively into the blues with two EPs, the Juno-nominated The Northern South, Vol. 1 and The Northern South, Vol. 2, plus a holiday album, 2018's A Whitehorse Winter Classic.
Clearly unimpeded by any genre barriers, Whitehorse will no doubt continue to both impress and surprise on Modern Love.
I Wanna Make Promises (That I Can’t Keep), the first taste of the new album, is a lovely and well-crafted tune that soon insinuates itself in pleasing fashion. A nostalgia-infused portrait of domestic life, it begins at a mellow pace with McClelland’s signature pure voice soon joined by Doucet’s harmony vocals, then builds in intensity with strings and Doucet’s resonant guitar.
Modern Love was recorded and produced by the duo at Toronto studio Taurus Recordings, with additional component parts by Thom D’Arcy (string arrangements), Fred Eltringham (drums), Gus Van Go (bass), Robin Hatch (wurlitzer, mellotron) and Drew Jurecka (string performances). We can't wait to hear more.
Whitehorse plays the Horseshoe Tavern's Hootenanny Livestream Series on Friday, March 26. Tickets here.
Links
Publicity: Emily Smart, Six Shooter Records
Management: Shauna de Cartier, Helen Britton - Six Shooter
Booking: Julien Paquin
Rogers Stadium during a rainy walkthrough in 2025.Courtesy Photo