Small-town stories, big guitars

The title track kicks things off with town gossip, a missing councillor, a stolen church bell, and horses running wild. Electric guitars, whining pedal steel, and shouted harmonies turn it into a wonderfully unruly country-rock anthem. There’s a clear nod to Neil Young and Fred Eaglesmith, with a little of The Tragically Hip’s distinctly Canadian spirit thrown into the mix.

The band keeps things lively, too. Olivier Palkovits handles lead guitar, joined by Jonathan Danyliw on bass, Dylan Kelly on drums, and Matthew Wiewel on pedal steel. Folk and country set the foundation, but rock is never far away.

The things we carry home

What makes Whitefish stick isn’t just its portraits of rural life. It’s the feeling that the past never stays in the past. The land, the people, and the memories all have a way of finding their way back into the picture.

At the end, the music gives way to running water. It’s a fitting goodbye to a record that understands how a place can become part of you. You can leave town and take the long way around. Sometimes, though, the old landscape is still there, waiting for you.

Header photography by Eric Papineau.