LAUREN DILLEN SHARES NEW SINGLE / VIDEO, “ONE MORE TIME FOR THE ROAD”

LAUREN DILLEN SHARES “ONE MORE TIME FOR THE ROAD” VIA VICTORY POOL RECORDS

WATCH / SHARE “ONE MORE TIME FOR THE ROAD” HERE
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Photo Credit : Heather Saitz // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Lauren Dillen is a Toronto-based tattoo artist and musician. As a member of the band Burs, Dillen is one of four musicians cultivating an ecosystem of expansive psych-folk and rock. When it comes to her solo music, Dillen’s approach is simpler. She distills the weighty chaos of being alive into quiet moments using the soft vibrations of an acoustic guitar and her warmly affecting voice. This is the sound of a sunset after a storm.

Today, she shares the new single “One More Time for the Road”, which poses a seemingly simple nonetheless unshakable question: "Can the circle ever be broken?" It’s a song for those who will spend their lives longing for someone, unable to keep themselves from turning over the past like river stones. ‘One more time with the wheel, we drive in circles 'cause that's how it feels,’ she sings, her subtly stirring voice carrying the ache of nostalgia for something that almost was. Recorded in Calgary at the National Music Centre with Burs bandmate Ray Goudy while on tour and done live off the floor in a single take, the song’s raw emotion flowing unfiltered.  

A Trojan horse of a song, “One More Time for the Road” sneaks its weighty emotional core into something deceptively simple. Echoes of artists like Big Thief, Laura Marling, and Haley Heynderickx ripple through her work, but Dillen’s voice remains entirely her own, a thread of light unfurling like tangled vines, reaching for the light.

WATCH / SHARE “ONE MORE TIME FOR THE ROAD” HERE
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MORE ABOUT LAUREN DILLEN
In August 2024, Dillen released her first solo offering via Victory Pool Records, every-woman sore, a breathtaking meditation on kinship and the quiet ways we hold one another up. 

Her love of music runs deep, tracing back to summer camp nights in her early teens, when she first picked up a guitar and started writing songs. Later, while studying jazz at Humber College, she found kindred spirits in her future Burs bandmates, playing together in a Joni Mitchell ensemble. Since 2019, Dillen has released a handful of songs under her own name and in collaboration with other Toronto-based musicians.   

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AMBRE CIEL ANNOUNCES DEBUT LP, SHARES FIRST SINGLE

AMBRE CIEL’S DEBUT ALBUM, STILL, THERE IS THE SEA, OUT JUNE 6, 2025 VIA GONDWANA RECORDS

LISTEN / SHARE “THE SUN, THE SKY” HERE
BUY / STREAM “THE SUN, THE SKY” HERE

PRE–SAVE STILL, THERE IS THE SEA HERE

Photo Credit : Lawrence Farfard // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Ambre Ciel is a composer, violinist, pianist and singer who hails from Montreal and is a purveyor of dreamy, expansive, spacious pop music. Ambre, who sings in both French and English, hails from a family of singers and artists. “I started my journey learning violin at six and began experimenting with pedal effects and looping melodies later on,” says Ciel. University followed with a focus on composition and recording. “That’s when I started exploring composing and songwriting more deeply—both the world of sounds in itself and songs built mostly with layers of violin and voice. It was also during this time that I returned to my ‘first’ instrument, the piano, which opened more harmonic possibilities.” 

For Ambre, her debut album, still, there is the sea, represents a beginning, a first and she says imperfect attempt to create this other world that was living in her mind. She has crafted a beautifully refined ‘pop album’ making a lot of space for strings arrangements and other acoustic instruments, as well as her own beautiful voice. “On a personal level, I was searching for silence. I had just finally moved to a quiet apartment in Montreal and for the first time, I had all the time and space to hear silence and create, being solitary and living in the intangible world of possibilities”. 

Today, she shares the album’s first single, “the sun, the sky”, a song about “returning to a familiar place but feeling like our perception has shifted, that we’ve changed, grown in some way,” says Ciel. “The sun and the sky are at the same time metaphors of this dynamic state and constant figures as the narrative around them evolves. The whole structure of the song reflects this cyclical journey, embodied by the first four chords on the piano — they go somewhere but return to their original point, like a sort of paradigm. On a larger scale, the album also starts and ends with this theme of four chords, mirroring a cycle in itself.”

LISTEN / SHARE “THE SUN, THE SKY” HERE
BUY / STREAM “THE SUN, THE SKY” HERE

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MORE ABOUT STILL, THERE IS THE SEA
The enigmatic title of the album, still, there is the sea, came to Ambre when she realised that water was a subconscious but recurring theme throughout the album in terms of melodies and lyrics; “eau miroir” refers to how the water can be some kind of mirror, “cycle” embodies a cyclical, perpetual movement, “atlantis” refers to this inward looking quest and distancing from the world, “sometimes” has sounds from rain and storm, and refers to a storm happening inside someone’s thoughts. “The water element can be very thin, fragile, but it’s always in movement and can resemble a larger and massive current, expansive, and I wanted to move between instrumental and song with this fluidity and was interested in finding ways to create something that could still feel cohesive. It also reflects this entire season of solitude and silence, how to me creating music represents this access to an underworld closer to the realm of dreams, that can be deep, surreal, rich and very grounding too.”

The songs and compositions on still, there is the sea also aim to offer a way of coping with what is going on in the world, an escape from the horrors of war and climate change. An attempt to create beauty and hopefully offer escapism and to engage with the world in a way that is meaningful and authentic. “Music is mysterious and powerful,” explains Ciel. “You don’t always know how you feel and then just by improvising at the piano there’s a transfer operating and the opaqueness of your emotions translate in a music that can be as emotionally complex and inherently constructive.” 

While still, there is the sea is very much Ambre’s own personal statement and artistic vision as a composer, arranger and producer, Pietro Amato (Bell Orchestre, The Luyas, Patrick Watson, Arcade Fire) offered support and experience (and an extra pair of ears) as co-producer and Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy, Arcade Fire) gave assistance with the orchestral arrangements Ambre wrote for the FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra conducted by Sasho Tatarchevski. And deeply sensitive musicians such as percussionist Stefan Schneider (Bell Orchestre, The Luyas), clarinettist Guillaume Bourque and a string trio made of Marilou Lepage, Sebastian Gonzalez Mora, and Julien Siino all brought their unique voices to the record.

PRE–SAVE STILL, THERE IS THE SEA HERE

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STILL, THERE IS THE SEA TRACKLIST
01 the sun, the sky
02 eau miroir
03 cycle
04 atlantis
05 dream - mirage
06 sometimes
07 pièce no. 8
08 fragment of

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YOUNG FRIEND’S DEBUT ALBUM, MOTORCYCLE SOUND EFFECTS, OUT TODAY

YOUNG FRIEND’S DEBUT ALBUM MOTORCYCLE SOUND EFFECTS OUT TODAY VIA NETTWERK

BUY / STREAM MOTORCYCLE SOUND EFFECTS HERE

HEADLINING CANADA ONLY SUMMER TOUR BEGINS JUNE 3
TICKETS ON SALE HERE

LISTEN TO YOUNG FRIEND’S INTERVIEW WITH CBC Q’s TOM POWER

“His music breathes with the same effortless wit as his personality, laced with a conversational intimacy that mirrors the kind of ease you’d find in a late-night chat with a close friend.” – RANGE (Cover Story)

"...fuzzy, jangly and all kinds of refreshing, sauntering through glitzy indie-rock riffs and headstrong, energetic rhythms." – Paste Magazine

"...young friend has established himself as a rising act in heartfelt pop, building an expansive sonic world brimming warm nostalgia and self-reflection." – EARMILK

"young friend keeps it casual and cheeky, but can’t help but charm listeners as the chorus melts into an earnest admission." – Ones to Watch

"One remarkable aspect of songwriting is the ability to paint a picture. It’s a rare talent, being able to use words to create a visceral image within the mind of a listener. With his slow-burn acoustic pop hits, young friends has mastered this art." – V Magazine

Photo Credit: Zachary Vague // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Vancouver indie rocker and JUNO Award nominated artist-producer young friend is proud to release his debut album, motorcycle sound effects. The twelve-song effort feels like a culmination of everything multi-hyphenate Drew Tarves has accomplished since his 2021 breakout. He takes on the nuances of growing up (“soft light”) and builds a dynamic world full of intimate details about love (“the real deal”), lust (“boyfriend material”), bravado (“american spirit”), and anxiety (“loose”). 

Drew Tarves appeared on Q with Tom Power last week, where the host described the album as being about your 20s. “The years that you figure out who you want to be but also who you don’t want to be, and what you’re going to do about it. The songs are messy and raw and self-reflective, but they’re still sunny.”

To help tell his story and build the world of motorcycle sound effects, Tarves worked with his friend and in-demand producer David Marinelli (FINNEAS, JAWNY, Spill Tab, Wallice). Between trips to Vancouver and Los Angeles, they crafted the narrative and honed it into a dynamic, genre-bending fever dream of an album. 

young friend is also excited to embark on his first headlining Canada only tour. The tour kicks off on June 3rd in Windsor, Ontario, and wraps in Victoria, British Columbia, on July 5th. young friend will be joined by Frances Whitney and Sam Lynch for support. Find the full list of dates below and for more information visit: https://youngfriend.store/pages/tour

BUY / STREAM MOTORCYCLE SOUND EFFECTS HERE

Drew Tarves' music as young friend feels classic and immediate all at once, capturing the nostalgia of post-adolescence while diving deep into a pool of self-reflection. His next project is bursting with big feelings and perfect golden light. It feels messy and raw, like long summer nights piling into the back of a pickup truck with all your friends, sprinting to catch the last summer sunset, taking off your shoes and dancing in the grass, falling, getting back up. 

A trained dancer for most of his adolescence, the 24-year-old Vancouver native switched artistic disciplines after spending time jamming with his musician friends. "I found out very quickly that I loved it," he recalls. "It was my favorite thing to do." Armed with a guitar and a laptop, Tarves started hashing out early songwriting attempts on GarageBand as he found his own style that suited him: "It was all about experimenting while trying to find what worked for me."

WATCH / SHARE “TROUBLE” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “THE REAL DEAL” HERE

In 2022, Tarves released his indie-pop debut EP, HOW DID WE GET HERE?, and quickly followed it up with a sophomore in 2023 titled scaredy cat. 2024 brought in his first Canadian and international touring, as well as a JUNO Award nomination. Now, young friend is releasing his debut full-length motorcycle sound effects. The album pulls inspiration from a multitude of places and artists, landing in this comfy space of new and familiar while also making room for self-discovery. It will take you along for the ride of your life. “This album takes notes from a lot of different artists and bands that I really love, and as a result, it is this sort of genre-bending fever dream album.”

WATCH / SHARE “SOFT LIGHT” LYRIC VIDEO
WATCH / SHARE “I LIKE GIRLS” HERE

“motorcycle sound effects is really just about growing up. It’s about the people you encounter and the experiences that make you into the person that you are,” explains Tarves. “I really wanted to capture all the sides of the coin; the shitty sides, the side where I was wrong, the side where I did the right thing, and it still didn't work out, the side where something is new and exciting and it's all you can think about, all of it.”

WATCH / SHARE “GOLDEN RULE” HERE

YOUNG FRIEND 2025 SUMMER TOUR DATES
Jun 03 – Windsor, ON @ Meteor*
Jun 04 – Guelph, ON @ Sonic Hall*
Jun 05 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Underground*
Jun 06 – Hamilton, ON @ Bridgeworks*
Jun 07 – Kingston, ON @ Something in the Water
Jun 08 – Montreal, QC @ L’Escogriff*
Jun 12 – Penticton, BC @ Dream Café^ 
Jun 13 – Kelowna, BC @ Red Bird Brewing^
Jun 14 – Kamloops, BC @ The Night Shift on 5th^
Jun 17 – Calgary, AB @ Modern Love*
Jun 18 – Fernie, BC @ The Northern*
Jun 19 – Red Deer, AB @ Bo’s Bar and Stage*
Jun 21 – Swift Current, SK @ Long Day’s Night Music Festival
Jun 25 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange*
Jun 26 – Winnipeg, AB @ Sidestage*
Jun 27 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Capital Music Club*
Jun 28 – Edmonton, AB @ Double Dragon*
Jul 05 – Victoria, BC @ Phillips Brewing & Malting Co

*supported by Frances Whitney
^supported by Sam Lynch

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MOTORCYCLE SOUND EFFECTS TRACKLIST
1. golden rule
2. loose
3. american spirit
4. eye to eye
5. thank you for the ride
6. sweet tooth
7. stranger
8. the real deal
9. trouble
10. soft light
11. i like girls
12. boyfriend material

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