WATCH / SHARE “BODY” HERE
SOPHOMORE LP, WISECRACK, OUT TODAY VIA ARTS & CRAFTS
BUY / STREAM WISECRACK HERE
“Vancouver indie darling Haley Blais returns with a sophomore album that’s nostalgic for the past and uncertain about the future. The 11-track record unravels themes of conscience, morality and the superego.” The Toronto Star
“Wisecrack finds Blais winningly pushing herself into new territory ... her songs spiked with left-field moments of jagged majesty.” The Georgia Straight
"The album, which focuses on nostalgia, innocence and shifting family dynamics, is her most personal record. On Wisecrack Blais has achieved both lyrical and sonic cohesion" Exclaim!
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 23
Photo Credit : Mackenzie Walker // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Haley Blais releases her sophomore album Wisecrack via Arts & Crafts. Across the eleven tracks of Wisecrack, produced with Dave Vertesi, Haley explores concepts concerned with conscience, morality, and the superego. The album is textured and wryly poetic, oscillating somewhere between a cherished childhood memory and the creation of a new self.
Alongside the album's release, Haley shares the video to focus track "Body". Directed by Bertie Gilbert, the video sees dancer Laurie Case traverse through neighbourhood streets into a playground and across a field with captivating contemporary dance movements. About the sonics of "Body", Haley reflects, "I wanted this song to be my 'Sister' by Angel Olsen moment, with a huge instrumental outro building towards a crescendo of guitars. I think Dave kind of mellowed it out, it has this swagger to it. There’s still the huge swell, but it feels more like a sigh of relief than a big emotional moment."
MORE ABOUT WISECRACK
On Wisecrack, Haley is more confessional, focused, and explorative of darker tones than on anything she has yet produced. For Haley, the purpose of looking backwards was never just for nostalgia’s sake, it’s to come to terms with the past in an effort to push herself forward. Not only is the sophomore effort sonically mature, but its themes are also concerned with maturing. Within the creases of Wisecrack, Haley dives into the existential, everyday worries we all contain but rarely share and lays them bare, performing them exquisitely with profundity, grace, and humour. Wisecrack includes the recently shared track "The Cabin", which arrived with a video directed by Zia Kalyan, "Baby Teeth", which was paired with a video directed by Vancouver VFX artist Shea Oracheski, and "Matchmaker" along with the 2022 singles, "Coolest fucking bitch in town" and "Survivor's Guilt".
WATCH / SHARE “BABY TEETH” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “MATCHMAKER” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “THE CABIN” HERE
Haley is set to hit the road to support Tommy Lefroy this September and October for 8 shows in North America. On October 20th, Haley will perform a hometown album release show for Wisecrack at The Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver before heading over to Europe for a string of shows. Haley is also set to perform at Pitchfork Paris on November 12th at Petit Bain. Full tour routing listed below and ticket information HERE.
MORE ABOUT HALEY BLAIS
About a decade ago, Haley started developing a community and fanbase as a teenager with her diaristic YouTube videos and tender ukulele covers. Since then, Haley, who sang classical opera for ten years, traded in the solo ukulele for a guitar and a five-piece band. In 2020, she released a debut full-length album of jangly pop anthems, Below the Salt, produced with indie staples Tennis and Louise Burns, featuring the vocally powerful, complex slow-burn favourite “Be Your Own Muse.” Below the Salt amassed millions of streams and avid support from publications like NPR, NYLON, and i-D and led to a North American tour with Peach Pit. Ahead of the Wisecrack release, Haley signed with iconic indie label Arts & Crafts.
LISTEN / SHARE “THE COOLEST FUCKING BITCH IN TOWN” HERE
LISTEN / SHARE “SURVIVOR’S GUILT” HERE
BUY / STREAM WISECRACK HERE
UPCOMING LIVE DATES
^ = Tommy Lefroy
% = headline show
9/23 - Boston, MA @ Cafe 939 - Berkeley^
9/25 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom^
9/27 - Toronto, ON @ Drake Underground^
9/28 - Montreal, QC @ Le Ministrere, Pop Montreal^
9/30 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Lounge at World Cafe^
10/2 - Washington, D.C. @ Pie Shop*
10/4 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Purgatory)^
10/5 - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In^
10/6 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas^
10/20 - Vancouver, BC @ The Hollywood Theatre* [ALBUM RELEASE SHOW]
10/25: Berlin, DE @ Lark
10/28 - Amsterdam, NL @ London Calling*
10/30 - Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar*
10/31 - Stockholm, SE @ Nalen*
11/4 - Glasgow, SC @ CAA*
11/6 - Bristol, UK @ Dareshack*
11/7 - Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute at The Lodge*
11/8 - London, UK @ Colours*
11/9 - Brighton, UK @ Zahara*
11/12 - Paris, FR @ Petit Bain -- Pitchfork Festival*
DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
WISECRACK TRACKLIST
1. Soft spot for monarchs
2. Survivor's Guilt
3. Coolest fucking bitch in town
4. Rest button
5. Matchmaker
6. Concrete
7. The Cabin
8. Baby Teeth
9. Body
10. Winner
11. Beginner's guide to birdwatching
HALEY BLAIS ONLINE
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER
YOUTUBE