Yukon Blonde: You Were Mine

By Kerry Doole

Yukon Blonde - You Were Mine (Dine Alone): The indie rock favourites will release a fifth studio album, Vindicator, on Nov. 13, and advance singles In Love Again and Get Precious have sharpened anticipation. That continues with the arrival of this third single, another charming winner.

The tune begins in jaunty fashion, with joint male and female vocals, then, a minute in, a languid psychedelic feel takes over, before the cut returns to its early mood. The album is the band’s first self-produced release, but these clever touches show they have learned studio lessons well.

In a label press release, principal songwriter Jeffrey Innes explains that “We were all on Galiano Island for this recording. James [Younger] brought the initial idea to the table, and after several hours of jamming, eating Scooby-snacks and drinking Churchill martinis, it started to fall apart in the most perfect way imaginable. I feel like this song somehow epitomizes the spirit of a successful collaboration in our band. Words like ‘compromise’ had no place in that session; everyone sings leads at some point, everyone plays everything. It’s certainly among our favourites from the record.” 

Since making a  splash with an eponymous debut in 2010, Yukon Blonde has remained in the Canrock elite by mixing up its sound while never losing a knack for infectious and rock radio friendly melodies. You Were Mine is no exception to that.

On its previous album, 2018’s Critical Hit, the Vancouver-based quintet placed an emphasis on synths and drum machines, but we're pleased to hear that Vindicator returns to a guitars-first approach, given the glut of electro-pop outfits out there. “We’re more mature and comfortable with ourselves now and we know that we can try something new even at this stage in our career,” explains Younger. “We completely deconstructed the narrative of the band and made the music that felt good at the moment.” 

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Publicity: Ken Beattie, Killbeat

Management: Dave Spencer.

Agent: Rob Zifarelli