How do you navigate the aftermath of being cracked open? On their sophomore album Fair-weather, Montreal-based songwriter, producer, and multidisciplinary artist Russell Louder deploys a newfound vulnerability to scrutinize the structural integrity of devotion.

Due out September 29, 2023 the LP finds Louder exploring the many conditions that comprise patience, support, and compassion when circumstances take a downturn, looking inward to examine the universal and all-too-familiar realization of desiring what’s deserved but that isn’t offered, and surrendering in order to rebuild.

The result is a record that charts a gleaming evolution: interspersing their signature unyielding vocals over luminescent, asymmetrical 80s synth-pop, and the throb of “desert noir”-tinged folk rock. At times, utilizing pulsating disco as an alarm to call attention to the imperfect emotions we’d rather look away from; or, confronting the skin-crawl of jealousy through icy techno; and inviting minimal ascending strings to simulate the wobbly courage of grieving love while remaining open to it.

A masterclass in the potency of a collage-like approach that utilizes essential tools to maximum effect, Fair-weather was primarily crafted in their bedroom, with found percussion, Ableton Live, and their father’s classical acoustic guitar from the 1950s.

Reminiscent of Canadian’s renowned legacy of arresting and sparse vocal-centered electronica, yet taking cues from artists as varied as Sisters of Mercy and Bauhaus, to Laurie Anderson and Peter Gabriel, Fair-weather weaves together an amorphous blend of genres. That savant mélange truly is the mark of an artist with limitless ambition — and the skill to prioritize cohesion and clarity.

Born in rural Prince Edward Island and raised in a family of musicians, visual artists, and poets, Louder learned early how art could communicate a rich emotional lexicon. As a teenager, they traveled across Canada and the United States as a performance artist and received dispatches from Montreal’s early 2000s techno scene from their brother through mailed mixtapes.

Developing the foundations of the project from an attic room in Iceland eight years ago, they’ve since seen their debut album longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize and performed at numerous festivals : Sled Island, Flourish Festival, Pop Montreal, Liverpool Sound City, M for Montreal, and Future Forest, and a range of Pride festivals around the East Coast.

Russell Louder will celebrate the release of Fair-weather with a performance at Pop Montreal next month.