Toronto band Weaves release their second album ‘Wide Open’ on Memphis Industries.

It’s been almost exactly a year since Weaves released their acclaimed debut album. The self-titled album, which was recently short-listed for the Polaris Prize, was among the most anticipated of the year, and was lauded internationally upon its release for its exuberant approach to guitar pop, which was described as “one of the most unpredictable sounds of 2016” (MTV) and “a triumphant assault on all things conventional” (i-D).

‘#53’ is the album’s leadoff track and sets the tone for a record that sees the band embrace an expansive and ambitious sound that they have only hinted at on previous releases. Driven by an ascending guitar line and the frantic energy of the band’s rhythm section, who build to a dramatic crescendo that mirrors the intensity of singer Jasmyn Burke’s urgent performance, the track was, according to Burke, written in a burst of creative energy the band built up over the course of a year spent on the road in support of their debut.

The record sees Burke extend herself as a performer – moving more frequently to the centre of arrangements and revealing new facets of her unique and powerful singing voice – as Waters and the band’s dynamic rhythm section of bassist Zach Bines and drummer Spencer Cole find ways to interpret the growing diversity of her expression. From the glammy Saturday night strut of ‘Slicked’, to the stripped-down, pedal steel abetted torch song ‘Wide Open’, to the searing ‘Scream’, a warped duet with Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq that likely constitutes Weaves’ wildest recording to date, the album captures a band for whom exploration is a compulsion making a self-assured step into the unknown.

Initial vinyl pressing on white vinyl. Includes digital download code.