Canadian outfit Badge Époque Ensemble have announced their second album Self Help, out on Nov. 20 via Telephone Explosion Records. Today, they’ve also shared its lead single “Sing A Silent Gospel.” Earlier this year, Paste named the group one of 30 Canadian Artists You Need to Know in 2020, praising their “groove-centric, improvisational music built for the highest tier of psychedelic transcendence.”
Though much of their music is instrumental, “Sing A Silent Gospel” features vocals from Dorothea Paas and Meg Remy of U.S. Girls. It’s a wonderful, mid-tempo odyssey of jazz-funk—breezy yet sophisticated, animated, but never too busy.
“‘Sing A Silent Gospel’ expresses a paradox I have felt while making this album,” lyricist Maximilian Turnbull says. “While the habitability of the world disintegrates, I sense the spiritual realm calmly persists. The world moves through a cycle of apocalypses and it is up to us each to find this movement either meaningful or banal.”
The seven-piece band is led by Turnbull (Slim Twig) and features a host of Toronto musicians, many known for their work with U.S. Girls and Andy Shauf. The album was recorded live at Palace Sound Studio in the months before lockdown. In addition to Remy and Paas, it also features guest vocalists James Baley and Jennifer Castle.
Listen to “Sing A Silent Gospel” below, and preorder Self Help here.
Self Help Album Artwork:
Self Help Tracklist:
01. Sing A Silent Gospel
02. Unity (It’s Up To You)
03. Cloud
04. The Sound Where My Head Was
05. Just Space For Light
06. Birds Fly Through Ancient Ruins
07. Extinct Commune
