The New Customs – “Chasing Light” (video)
Hardly afraid of the “F Word,” The New Customs are proud to call themselves folk! Deeply rooted in the tradition of capturing a story in a song, the indie-folk duo takes a bold and evocative approach to songwriting. With two strong voices, guitar, mandolin and fiddle in hand, Emma Cloney and Dale Brown use their anthemic heart and Americana backbone to charm audiences with a bombastic electrifying sound.
We’re stoked to premiere their new video for “Chasing Light” here on Roots Music Canada today (scroll down to check it out).
The perchance meeting that united these two artists in 2016 resulted in a curious blend of Emma’s singer-songwriter style and Dale’s edgier sensibilities. In a seemingly effortless transition, the pair forged ahead creating two successful albums together and culminating with what stands to be their boldest project to date. Their latest project, Selling Religion on Government Street, builds on the Winnipeg duo’s knack for telling it like it is, tracing its roots back to their debut album, All Walls Fall, which took its inspiration from the wake of the 2016 US election.
It was, however, the boulevards of Victoria B.C. littered with makeshift tent cities and the shifting gazes of passersby that illuminated the divide between those that have and those that have not. From the street preacher’s corner on Government Street amidst the buskers’ racket and the hum of an electric coastal city, they witnessed the pervasively undeniable “thoughts and prayers” attitude so often seen in Canada. The simple refusal to help those directly in front of one’s eyes, while seeking to sell ideologies to those with money to spend, motivated what would ultimately become the title track of the New Customs’ latest album.
Their single, “Chasing Light,” offers an introspective reflection of our habitual busyness and how living in tomorrow robs us of today. Affectionately written from a bird’s eye view of the wonders of Canada that the duo has come to know through their extensive touring over the past three years, the endearing and relatable “Hey Little Bird” calls to the wanderer in each of us. The BC wildfires sparked a gritty retrospective that encapsulates the listener and gives a glimpse of facing the smoky mountains with “Helicopters & Bombardiers” overhead snuffing out the near-untamable flames.
The New Customs are revealing themselves as ones to watch as they truly stand apart from the pack all while breathing new life into an old and sometimes under appreciated genre: folk!
See the New Customs live!
- Oct. 3 – Park Theatre, Winnipeg
- Oct. 18 – Ol’ Moose Hall, Innisfail
- Oct. 19 – Olde Smokey’s BBQ, Rockey Mountain House
- Oct. 30 – The WISE Hall, Vancouver
- Nov. 1 – The Railyard, Mission
- Nov. 5 – the Dream Cafe, Penticton
- Nov. 7 – The Venue, Erickson
- Nov. 8 – Langham Cultural Centre, Kaslo
