WATCH / SHARE “THE HOLD” HERE
BRADEN LAM’S DEBUT LP, THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY, OUT NOW
SPRING TOUR DATES BEGIN APRIL 25 - TICKETS HERE
BUY / STREAM THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY HERE
“Welcoming Vancouver-based singer Michaela Slinger onto the track for an old-fashioned duet, the two sing about heartbreak and reconciliation while pushing through the toughest of times and coming out strong on the other end.The two soft-spoken vocalists prove to be a great match for each other, blending their tones together as they tentatively venture requests to start taking the slow steps to fully opening back up emotionally.” RANGE on “Wide Open”
“Wide Open" has a classic country feel reinforced by haunting pedal steel and the harmony singing of Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger, who co-wrote the tune with Lam in Nashville. Lyrically it digs deep, probing a challenging time in a relationship and the warm and poignant vocals of Lam deliver the message skillfully.” Billboard on “Wide Open”
"Braden Lam's inviting voice rings out over gentle guitar and vibraphone on ‘Beautiful Neighbourhoods’, a timeless single that vibrates with warmth and longing." - CBC MUSIC
"Crafts an expansive but intimate sonic world for us to lose ourselves in" - Earmilk
"Calling to mind the happiest takes by Ben Howard or Tim Baker" - The Coast Halifax
“The Hold” Video Still
Today, Braden Lam is following up the release of his debut album, The Cloudmaker’s Cry, with the new video for “The Hold”, a song which “has all the ingredients for this record in it, like a little appetizer to open The Cloudmaker's Cry and give you a taste of the sonic and lyrical themes,” says Lam. “It's a love song in the purest form where I've done my best to articulate the feeling of longing for someone or someplace in a new and timeless way. ‘You're an island of everyone I missed / I'll never go back over that bridge’ is a reference to the bridges that span the harbour between the Halifax peninsula and my home in Dartmouth. And just like a bridge, the music video directed by Tim Mombourquette takes us from a depressing and lonely game of bingo to a more colourful and pleasant reality where anything is possible. Like when you find your person and it feels like from that point on your lives or timelines are inextricably linked.”
WATCH / SHARE “THE HOLD” HERE
MORE ABOUT THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY
The Cloudmaker’s Cry is Lam’s debut full-length album, and he means album in the classic sense: 10 considered and thoughtful folk songs, meticulously arranged and painstakingly sequenced, meant to be played on a turntable in a single sitting, whiskey optional. Though barely 27, he has lived the life of a much older man—with years of touring, entrepreneurship, and marriage already accounted for—and this collection of songs reflects lessons learned earlier than most, about time and love and the world.
WATCH / SHARE “COWBOY BOOTS” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBOURHOODS” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE
WATCH / SHARE “WIDE OPEN” FT. MICHAELA SLINGER HERE
It was produced in Toronto by Eli Browning, a new approach for Lam, who made his previous three EPs with a host of producers across Atlantic Canada. The pair’s touchstones as they worked through a city springtime in a converted church studio were George Harrison, Neil Young, and other sounds from the 1960s and 70s: music that is lyric-forward and performed with folk instrumentation in analogue tones, resulting in a timeless singer-songwriter record.
This vibe carries through the entire package, from the tintype photographs of Lam to the images wrought in 35mm in the liner notes, to his charming video collaborations with Griffin O’Toole that combine nostalgia, surrealism, and camp into a distinct style of film. Each particular piece fits perfectly into the primary vision, creating something grand in its authenticity and comforting in its warmth.
The album features singles, “Beautiful Neighbourhoods”, which climbed to #7 on the CBC Music Top 20, “Highway Jesus”, “Hurricane Season”, and “Wide Open”, a duet with Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger. Lam was also named as one of 8 semi-finalists in SiriusXM’s 2025 ‘Top of the Country’.
WATCH / SHARE “HURRICANE SEASON” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “HIGHWAY JESUS” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE
TOUR DATES
Apr 25, Dartmouth NS, Sanctuary Arts Centre *album release show
May 4, Toronto ON, Adelaide Hall *supporting The Franklin Electric
May 5, Peterborough ON, Sadleir House
May 7, Ottawa ON, First Baptist Church *supporting The Franklin Electric
May 10, Fredericton NB, The Abbey
May 15, St. Andrews NB, Paddlefest
May 17, Belfast ME, All Roads Music Festival
May 18, Portland ME, TBA
June 12, St. Catharine, ON - Warehouse Concert Hall
June 14, Uxbridge ON, Springtide Fest