Three-piece group The East Pointers have released their new single ‘82 Fires’ alongside bonus track ‘Tanglewood’ in anticipation of their September 29 album release for What We Leave Behind.
The band had been planning on releasing the song ‘82 Fires’ as the first single off of their new album but grew hesitant once the fires started raging across Canada’s west coast.
“The last thing we wanted was to seem in any way tone-deaf to what was happening in our own backyard,” said the band. Though no relation to our country’s current state was intended, the song’s content is surprisingly topical.
The track is about the band’s personal experience on tour in Tasmania when the 2016 bushfires broke out. “We spoke to a lifelong resident who said that there were 82 wildfires on the loose in Tasmania, the most in over half a century. It was a restless few days for us,” explained banjo player and vocalist Koady Chaisson.
“It hit home the severity of what we were all experiencing. Small human decisions about where to live or whether or not the show would go on didn’t matter, Mother Nature would always have the final say.”
The clear vocals in the song and the catchy lyrics play over fiddle and banjo melodies and a steady beat. This is the type of song you want to sing along to—whether you’re at a concert or just in the car with your friends.
The instrumental bonus track, ‘Tanglewood,’ comes as a pleasant surprise. The track starts out with relaxed acoustic guitar and slowly picks up with the banjo. Gentle fiddle sounds in the background and a tambourine beat create a groovy sound before picking up again. The fiddle speeds up and turns the song into an upbeat jig that makes you want to stomp your feet.
These three are bringing roots music to the forefront by combining new and old styles of folk music in the creation of something both traditional and modern.
The 2017 JUNO Award-winning band from Charlottetown is quickly gaining popularity and is touring internationally. They will be playing their upbeat folk tunes at venues in the US and the UK as well as Canada.