Where Are The New Albums? January 2021 Update

Happy New Year, everyone! To kick off what I hope will be a much better year at the SMS, here is our first "Where Are The New Albums?" post of 2021! This monthly feature look at the current release statuses and whereabouts of publically annnounced upcoming albums from local metal, hard rock and punk artists, in order to see where they are publically in the recording/release process. Minimal changes from last month, alas, but we do have one updated entry of this month's five, and it is noted with it's title in italics. So, where are the new albums? Read on below to hopefully find out!

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Awokest & Chase James Wigmore's new albums

Rumoured Songs: Unknown

Background: Ever the prolific musician and songwriter, local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore announced the upcoming release of two new albums for his metal/techno project Awokest on their Facebook page on July 8th, including the guitar-focused "The Majestic Seagulls of Satan's Army" (which was released for free on YouTube last fall under his own name) and the electronic-based "Beyonder". While "Beyonder" was allegedly awaiting a final mix & master at last report, Chase posted on his eponymous Facebook page on August 31st to indicate that it's progress was dialed back, while also announcing two more distinct acoustic albums and the long-gestating completion of his 33 part rock opera "A Story About A Kid Named Todd". He did not give specifics as to those albums' progress.

Current Release Status: Your guess is as good as mine, but remember that Chase is very prolific and varied in his musical interests, and not every album of his has seen a formal paid release, either by finishing it's lifespan as a demo, or by being released online for free. Chase himself admitted on Facebook that he was "not sure how many of these I can finish fully this year", but stay tuned for updates from his camps when they roll in!
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Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's fourth album

Rumoured Songs: "Lost & Found", "All Broke Down", "No Control"

Background: After a lengthy hiatus dating back to the summer of 2016, local Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide resumed public activity in early 2018, later beginning recording sessions by that October at Dustin's own Mission Control Studios, as per their Facebook page. The band confirmed that they were indeed recording a fourth studio album (and first in 8 years) in January 2019, which will presumably be released through Tidal Records, and will also be their first album with second guitarist Liam Seymour and drummer Chris Johns. While "All Broke Down" was initially cited as the first single in December 2018 (source here), the first two released singles were "Lost & Found" in March 2019, and "No Control" last month. Credits on the above songs' music videos note that Kyle Whittaker at Strange Pumpkin Studios in St. Catharine's is mixing the album, as he has done for multiple Tidal/Mission Control releases.

Current Release Status: When The Tide shared a teaser clip for "Lost & Found", they mentioned that the album was "coming soon", which doesn't tell us much. With recording sessions a few months in, and two music videos now public, it's likely that Dustin and company aren't early in the process, but we'll let you know when more comes out on the album!
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The Elements' debut EP 

Rumoured Songs: "Liar", "G20", "Triple H", "The Rut", "I Need A Friend", "Riptide"

Background: Arguably better known for their funk, ska, and hard rock covers, local quartet The Elements have been adding original material to their sets since 2015, and have since publically confirmed earlier teases that they are working on a debut EP. Frontman Rob Speers has confirmed in personal conversations in early 2016 that they have been working in studio on the release, which will have at least 5 tracks, and I believe it's being self-recorded, but further public updates are minimal at best. A studio recording of "I Need A Friend" was quietly posted onto their Facebook page in February, following personal Facebook postings that revealed that EP sessions were further along than public statements indicated, though they have not elaborated since.

Current Release Status: At this stage, I have no idea, but Rob sounded like things were going well in studio. That said, these were largely personal conversations over a year ago, and it's anyone's guess when The Elements will provide a public statement corroborating the private teasers. I won't go into detail on that front unless the band does or gives permission, so we'll have to see if updates come out on it soon!
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Mike Haggith - Bridges

Rumoured Songs: "From The 55th Parallel", "Over Indecision", "The Nature of The Times","An Act of Strength","The Catalyst", "Dangerous Town", "Come on Home", "Blue Highway", "Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost", "Bridges"

Background: After moving to Thompson, Manitoba in November 2017, prolific local/Windsor hard/alternative rock musician Mike Haggith relaunched his dormant solo project, and soon commenced work on a new CD named "Bridges", which finished recording sessions in early 2019. His Facebook page has documented songwriting sessions, acoustic videos of new original songs, plus solo concerts in Thompson largely featuring new tracks. Despite the unveiling of the cover artwork, three singles, and even a music video for "The Nature of The Times", Mike indefinitely postponed the release of "Bridges" in late 2019 due to mixing delays, personal life concerns, and the quick development of a new album named "If Ever Comes The Day", which was released in June.

Current Release Status: Despite promises of a formal release for "Bridges" by the end of 2020, Mike hasn't posted on Facebook regarding his original solo music in over three months. With Mike's candor & honesty, you know he won't hide anything regarding "Bridges", so keep tabs for updates, but watch #LockdownLive IV to hear the whole album unplugged and hear his side of the album's progress and delays as of April!
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The Uncanny Valley's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "The Uncanny Valley", "Glowin'", "Middle Man", “This Love is Psychedelic”, "Stuck In Rotation", “Sweet Like Sugar”

Background: The new classic hard rock band from 2019 Soo's Got Talent winner Adrian Sullivan, fans will have seen original material of theirs right from the start, as The Uncanny Valley debuted their own songs in their first live concert at The Canadian on New Year's Eve 2019. Live concert & jam session videos have followed on their Facebook page featuring their own material as well. After posting a teaser audio clip of "Sweet Like Sugar" in September, they posted the full studio version of "Middle Man" in October, finally confirming there that they are working on their first album, though no other details have followed suit.

Current Release Status: No clue, which isn't helped by The Uncanny Valley's age and relatively unfamiliar profile for many readers, not to mention the complications of the pandemic, and the apparent departure of bassist Adam Fahrer in recent months. That said, they are a talented group who seem to be taking the right steps for the future, and hopefully more updates on their debut album follow when ready!
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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series will return on or around February 2nd, while our next monthly feature post will either be this month's Defunct Local Band Profile around December 10th, or perhaps this month's CD review, pending how slow news is next week. In any event, we'll keep you guys posted! Thanks everyone!