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Vancouver Indie

Heidi Vincent – Criminal: A Ruggedly Western Vignette of Vengeance

Vancouver’s Heidi Vincent fuelled her latest single, Criminal, with Femme Fatale fire-branded soul. Within the pistols at dawn ruggedly Western vignette of vengeance, the country-pop-rock siren reclaims her power after a sour romantic encounter while giving April March a run for her twangy rockabilly money.

As the ultimate soundtrack for the recently lothario-scorned, Criminal delivers enough vindication to devour your spite whole as you lose yourself within the stylised earworm which is a thematic continuation from her previous denial and betrayal-encompassing single, What Love Can Do.

While cinema may fail to write female redemption stories which don’t resonate as exploitative, that’s exactly where the independent singer-songwriter succeeded with Criminal, there’s catharsis by the smorgasbord in the invitation for every listener to find their power through the narratively electrifying sonic blockbuster.

Criminal hit all major platforms on November 1st; stream it on Spotify and connect with Heidi Vincent on Instagram and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Strange Tides chartered a voyage into indie ingenuity with ‘Out of Deep Waters’

Out of Deep Waters by Strange Tides, extracted from their Differentiation EP, is a striking illustration of indie music’s boundless potential. This multifaceted single is a masterful fusion of Grandaddy-esque synth melodies, crunchy grungy guitars, and an air of theatrical piano pop. It embodies the instrumental grandiosity of a rock opera while maintaining the intimacy of a bedroom indie pop track, presenting a revelation in experimentalism.

Kirsten Bale, the principal architect behind Strange Tides, based in Vancouver, BC, demonstrates her expansive musical vision and her folkish poetic eloquence in this sweetly sentimental track. Her role as both a songwriter and a producer, alongside sound engineer Dan Ponich, is evident in the meticulous crafting of this piece.

Bale’s relentless pursuit of new musical territories, experimenting with instruments, chord patterns, and genres, ensures a constantly engaging and fresh listening experience. For fans of Mitski and Lucy Dacus, Out of Deep Waters is an irresistible draw. The track exudes a sense of joy and creative liberation, evident in its playful composition style that knows no bounds. It’s an aural elixir, inviting listeners to savour its unique blend of sounds time after time. As for the lyricism, it could leave any of the great romantics weak at the knees.

Out of Deep Waters was officially released on February 15th; stream and purchase the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast