Fresh Tracks: New albums from Electric Religious, Caylie G., and Sonny Mac

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Electric Religious: The Taste

Local Métis artist Brandon Baker has returned with another installment of his Electric Religious project. Released this summer, The Taste delves deeper into a dance-friendly “Métis disco” sound he explored on his previous album 2021’s One More Night.

Running at a brisk eight tracks, The Taste is full of squelchy synths, four-on-the-floor beats and throbbing bass licks. Its first single “Good Bread” equates baking with sex. “Like so many folks, I got really into making sourdough,” says Baker in a press release about his time spent in pandemic lockdown. “Homemade bread is honestly one of the most sensual things to experience.”

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Much of The Taste is tongue in cheek; slightly more risque than Maroon 5 but below Dirty Mind-era Prince. Album highlight Stole My Money locks into a pumping groove, with Baker squawking like Morris Day: “You stole my heart, then you stole my money.” Baker is joined on the album by the likes of Omar Hakim, Kenny Arnoff and Edmonton’s Riwo Egor who joins him for a sensual duet on Do What You Gotta Do.

Listen to The Taste via streaming services. Electric Religious is holding an album release concert on Friday, Aug. 30 at Soho where local R&B artist Tea G will also join him.

Caylie G: the trials and tribulations of a twenty two year old teenager

Local musician Caylie G calls their style of music “queer sad-cowboy pop” and honestly I could not improve upon that. Caylie G’s solo debut EP the trials and tribulations of a twenty two year old teenager sufficiently delivers on that mission statement.

Kicking off with nauseous from existential dread, listeners feast on a catchy slice of bedroom indie-pop with gurgling synths and anxiety-plagued vocals that take a page from Phoebe Bridges’ playbook. The rest of the EP detours into sparse, acoustic ballads, such as ohio and Gravitron. It ends with the silly, from-the-heart eat bugz, with the hooky chorus “f–k love, eat bugs and stare at the stars/I can’t wait to be an alien living on Mars.”

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The EP is a remarkable introduction to the 22-year-old Caylie G, showcasing their wide-ranging talents. Listen to the trials and tribulations of a twenty two year old teenager on your favourite streaming service.

Sonny Mac: Nightrider Ballads

Carson MacDonald a.k.a. The South Strathcona Songsmith a.k.a. Sonny Mac is back with another album of retro story-songs. Sonny Mac is a tribute to the singing cowboys of the past, back when country music wasn’t obsessed with pickup trucks and girls in cutoffs drinking beer. 

Nightrider Ballads is billed as a concept album of sorts. Across its eight tracks Sonny Mac tells the story of his first meeting with his despicable foe The Night Rider. It’s not all dastardly deeds and prison breaks, however, as other tracks also pay tribute to the joy of drinking. Musically it contains the expected twangy guitars and pianos, staying true to its source material.

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Credit to MacDonald for sticking to the bit, from the cowboy attire he wears during concerts right down to this manner of speech. Sonny Mac is a light-hearted satire of the country & western genre and you can expect more material from him in the near future.

Listen to Nightrider Ballads online.

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