THE TRADE-OFFS NEW LP, let go, give in, fall down, OUT NOVEMBER 4, 2022 VIA AAKULUK MUSIC
PRE-SAVE let go, give in, fall down HERE
WATCH / SHARE “Let Go, Give In, Fall Down” HERE
“Joshua Qaumariaq stands out in every possible way with his bellowing vocals, vulnerable lyrics, impassioned shredding and striking fashion sense, which all help inform the Trade-Offs' exciting take on blues rock. The singles from sophomore album let go, give in, fall down find the band showing off some soul and country chops while Qaumariaq's lyrics share stories about the ups and downs of life north of the 60th parallel.” - Exclaim!
LISTEN TO JOSH QAUMARIAQ CHAT ABOUT THE TITLE TRACK ON CBC q HERE
Photo Credit : Joshua Qaumariaq / Jeff Maurice // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
This Friday, The Trade-Offs will release their new LP, let go, give in, fall down, via Aakuluk Music. Of the new record, lead singer and guitarist Josh Qaumariaq. “I want the listener to make their own version of what the song is and hope they feel all the feelings I felt as I wrote some of these songs. Some songs are more blunt and clear. Songs about death, songs about after death and what feels like a never ending death of friends, family and our culture."
For one last taste of the album before it’s available everywhere, the band are sharing the title track from the new record, “Let Go, Give In, Fall Down”. "It is a song I wrote mixed between losing people in life and learning from life in general," says Qaumariaq. "Let go of regrets and give in to that one thing you have been holding off on, falling down and learning to get back up."
WATCH / SHARE “Let Go, Give In, Fall Down” HERE
PRE-SAVE let go, give in, fall down HERE
MORE ABOUT let go, give in, fall down
On their new record, let go, give in, fall down, The Trade-Offs have refined their unique sound with a blend of deeply personal Inuktitut and English lyrics singing the Arctic blues about universal themes of darkness and light and closeness and isolation. Arctic Soul, the band’s iconic brand, is distinguished by the deep brooding voice of Josh Qaumariaq and soulful backing of Jeff Maurice, Galen Pelley, and Michael Eckert set against blues and rock and roll sounds echoing from the depth of the Northern tundra.
let go, give in, fall down – in both its title and in the content of its nine tracks — is about how to bend, but not break; it’s about how to survive and find hope in the North amid loneliness, isolation, and deaths of close relations.
WATCH / SHARE “PUT EM DOWN” MUSIC VIDEO
(FEAT. TERRY UYARAK AND HIS DOG SLED TEAM) HERE
BUY / STREAM “PUT EM DOWN” HERE
“It’s just the feeling of the album,” says lead singer and guitarist Josh Qaumariaq. “From losing people to being alone, you just gotta let go, give in, and fall down.”
There’s solace and joy to be found here, too. Lead single “Qanuirunniilaarmijuk” is a patient, smoky alt-country sway that switches between English and Inuktitut lyrics, while Michael Eckert’s slide guitar whines and croons in the background. “The title means, ‘things will be okay again,’” says Qaumariaq. “Things get tough, and you have to remember to say, ‘Okay, this is crazy right now, but it’ll calm down.’ I thought it was important to put it out right away, especially for Inuit.”
WATCH / SHARE “CROWBERRY HILL” HERE
BUY / STREAM “CROWBERRY HILL” HERE
The blues rock stomp of second single “Crowberry Hill” is a love letter to Qaumariaq’s home, and the rituals, both simple and critical, that he and his kin have built there. ‘Hunting down young ring seals/Glassy lakes and long big fields/Now you know, baby, where I come from!’ he calls on the chorus. Across the record, Qaumariaq howls and roars like the Arctic wind, then broods and glows like late-night embers in the hearth, while the band swaggers between rootsy, earnest alt-country, -rock, -blues, and -soul.
The Trade-Offs—Iqaluit-based members Qaumariaq and Jeffrey Maurice (bass, backing vocals), along with Toronto collaborators Eckert (pedal steel) and Galen Pelley (drums)—recorded let go, give in, fall down over six days at Toronto’s Orange Lounge Studio with producer JP Maurice (Jeffrey’s cousin). Jace Lasek mixed the record and Philip Gosselin mastered it.
Qaumariaq says it’s the record he and Maurice have always wanted to create, finally pinning down the sound they’d been chasing for 10+ years as a band. “We finally feel so good because we sound like ourselves,” says Qaumariaq. “This album means a lot to me, and I finally feel like I have something that feels like me.”
let go, give in, fall down TRACKLIST
01 Crowberry Hill
02 Qanuirunniilaarmijuk
03 Put Em Down
04 Taaqtumik
05 Push Myself Away
06 Never Knew
07 Let Go, Give In, Fall Down
08 Almost Fell In