Fuelled by distance and nostalgia, The Parish Choir is a recording project helmed by Trevor Murphy (Quiet Parade/Dance Movie) and newcomer Becky Murray. Their debut self-titled single is built on a foundation of experimentation, creative re-interpretation, and deep-seeded appreciation for late 90s CanCon.

The two tracks – covers of Matthew Good Band’s “Running From Home” and David Usher’s “St. Lawrence River” – were stripped bare at the outset, moulded around darkened, down-tuned acoustics. The approach allowed the duo to rebuild the tracks in the moment, while championing a renewed focus on the lyrical content of the originals.

Recorded at the renowned Echo Chamber studio in Halifax, NS with Palmer Jamieson (Beauts/Night Surf), the selections chosen by The Parish Choir capture particular themes: the solitude of winter, the persistent chase towards uncertainty, the haunting pangs of regret. “I always thought I’d make it up to you,” the duo sings on the B-Side.

It is here, amidst this melancholic and somber atmosphere the Parish Choir recordings bend towards beauty. A glance into the vapours of the past, mired in the haze of mistakes, memories, and unrelenting rurality.

The Parish Choir’s self-titled debut (AE021) is available today as a free download in the Acadian Embassy store.

Quiet Parade releases their new, self-titled album on Friday, September 18 via Acadian Embassy. Watch the video for the full-length’s lead single, “We Were Here,“ HERE or below. In support of the new record, the band embarks on an Eastern Canadian tour. Dates are as follows:

September 12 - Charlottetown, PE @ Fishbone’s
September 17 - Toronto, ON @ The Burdock Music Hall
September 18 - Hamilton, ON @ Homegrown Hamilton
September 19 - Wakefield, QC @ The Blacksheep Inn
September 20 - Sackville, NB @ Thunder & Lightning
November 20 - Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse Tavern

When people ask where the name Acadian Embassy comes from, the answer is always the same: “it was the name of our house.”

What started as a simple nickname for the little yellow bungalow on Micmac Street quickly developed into so much more.

At its heart, the name reflects a strong sense of community and carries with it a vibrant philosophy that keeps us all intrinsically connected – we build together, create together, learn together, fuck up together, grow together.

This undercurrent runs deep in the walls of this house.

Over the last five years, this place was many things to many people: an office, a rehearsal space (sorry Nicole!), a warehouse, a place to stay for traveling bands and friends, a prime location for many video shoots, a recording facility, a host for several backyard, basement, & living room concerts, a ground zero for some of the most epic neighbourhood-wide water balloon fights, a home.

Here we have learned so much not only about who we are and what we do, but also about what we’re capable of doing. As musicians, industry professionals, friends, and community-oriented people, this little house was a breeding ground for ideas, creativity, support, and trust. We carry these things with us as we move Embassy HQ to a new space, but it is this original location – both in a physical and metaphysical way – that started it all for Acadian Embassy.

Thus, it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye.

Au revoir old friend. Long may you remain in our memories.

Keep an eye on Les for us, would you?

A week before it’s official release on June 16, Still Waking Up, the new album from Rain Over St. Ambrose, is streaming in its entirety exclusively on AUX. Stream the album HERE.

“Still Waking Up, the follow-up to 2012’s Truth for News was recorded in Riverport, Nova Scotia by Wintersleep’s Tim D’Eon, and follows the tried-and-true St. Ambrose blueprint of chunky guitars and fist-pumping choruses, all topped off with singer Cory LeBlanc’s gutsy howl,” the blog writes.

“Still Waking Up‘s rockier offerings like ’29 Takes,’ ‘Talk Talk Talk,’ and the title track sound like Frankie Stubbs from Leatherface fronting British Sea Power, while ’1×1′ calls to mind a grittier, Cancon Heartbreakers – Stompin’ Tom Petty. Still Waking Up and Rain Over St. Ambrose exist at the intersection of edginess, authenticity, and approachability.”

Order your copy of Still Waking Up by paying a visit to our STORE.

Rain Over St. Ambrose returns with their new full-length album, Still Waking Up, on June 16.

Pre-order the album now by clicking HERE, visiting our STORE, or by clicking the Still Waking Up pre-order links on your right (just over here under the album cover —>).

Drenched in coastal haze, Still Waking Up pulsates with an urgent thunderous drive. The sophomore full-length from Rain Over St. Ambrose reverberates with anthemic sing-alongs, swampy fuzzed-out riff rock, and swirling synths. From the buzzsaw guitars of “29 Takes,“ to the falsetto backups on the hook-heavy “Petty Thief,“ to the stoner-infused breaks on “Broken Love” and “Death of a Salesman,” the album is enormous in tone and uninhibited in its approach. Raw, contemplative, and feverish, Still Waking Up once again showcases the band’s commitment to “honest, from-the-gut rock and roll” (The Chronicle Herald).

Produced by Tim D’Eon (Wintersleep) and recorded by Diego Medina at the Old Confidence Lodge in Riverport, NS, the album was mixed at the Castle of Doom in Scotland by Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle and Sebastien, Hey Rosetta!) and mastered at Sterling Audio in New York by Greg Calbi (War on Drugs, St. Vincent, Paul Simon).

When you pre-order the album, you’ll get an immediate download of the single “Broken Love,” and a digital download link sent your way on June 16. If you’re ordering a CD, albums will be sent out on or before June 16.