By Stevie Connor. Photo Credit: Andy Ford
Juno Award-winning, powerhouse rock duo Crown Lands – Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) and Kevin Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys)—share details of their sophomore studio album Fearless set to release on March 31 through Spinefarm Records/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. Fans can pre-order the album now, here. Alongside the album announcement, Crown Lands release the 18-minute composition “Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II,” the first track on the record which throws down the gauntlet and introduces the whole Fearless experience.
"This is truly our crowning achievement. The best song we have written so far. An 18-minute opus. A testament to the power of prog. A document of just how much noise two people can create," exclaims Comeau.
The nine-track album follows Crown Lands self-titled debut (2020). It was recorded in 80A Studio at Universal studio in Toronto with producer David Bottrill (Rush, Muse, Tool, Mastodon) and came together over a six-month period, in short, intense bursts between tours. Where the debut record showcased Crown Lands aptitude for raw blues rock, Fearless embraces more of the band’s earliest passions in prog-rock. The album is an unapologetically rich, ambitious work yet easily accessible, plus fans will notice some previously released tracks “Context: Fearless Pt. I” and “Right Way Back” that act as familiar touch-points framing in the new soundscape.
“I mean, let's be honest here, there's a little bit of cleverness for cleverness' sake in there too,” Comeau chuckles. “But it is really fun. We had so much fun tracking this music. I think we were both able to do what we wanted to do as artists for so long.”
Rather than clobber its audience with complexity, Fearless creates a world you want to spend time in.
Bowles anticipates, “I hope that our playing on this record inspires people to kind of take up playing in that way. It's something that's not so common now, but when you get into it, it's just so beautiful.”
The lead single, “Starlifter: Fearless Pt. II,” embodies otherworldly, Vangelis-esque qualities offset by juicy rock solos, sci-fi mystique, a captivating 11/8 section, gentle chimes and gauzy synths. It also builds on the same protagonist, the same universe that Crown Lands have been cultivating.
Bowles explains the premise, “this epic story spans hundreds of years following our titular hero: Fearless after the events of (2021 single) ‘The Oracle.’ He stands against the colonization of outer space and the decimation of his people to reclaim what was stolen by capitalistic greed and bloodshed.”
Bowles, who also writes science-fiction continues, “These are themes that may sound like a mere fantastic tale to some, but we wanted to marry sci-fi elements with very real issues Indigenous people have gone through time and time again. I guess that would be called Indigenous futurism. I have always loved songs that give you more the more you lean into them, and there is a deeper meaning to this story if you look for it.”
Crown Lands continue to introduce themselves to the rest of the world through their high energy live shows. Last year, they joined Greta Van Fleet on the final leg of their “Dreams In Gold” world tour in the U.S. Starting March 10, they head out with fellow Canadian rock outfit, July Talk, playing iconic venues across their home country on “The Never Remember Tour,” plus some headlining shows.
THE NEVER REMEMBER TOUR (2023) / JULY TALK
March 10—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON (supporting July Talk)
March 11 – Massey Hall—Toronto, ON (supporting July Talk)
March 13- Farm League Brewing – Cambridge, ON
March 16 – Geraldton Country Club- Geraldton, ON
March 18- Royal Canadian legion-Fort Frances, ON
March 19- Red Lake Legion – Red Lake, ON
March 22- The Exchange – Regina, SK
March 23 – The Vat – Red Deer, AB
March 25 – Showshoe Sam’s – Kelowna, BC
March 28—Royal Theatre—Victoria, BC (supporting July Talk)
March 30–Commodore Ballroom—Vancouver, BC (supporting July Talk)
April 1—Grey Eagle Resort and Casino—Calgary, AB (supporting July Talk)
April 4—Winspear Centre—Edmonton, AB (supporting July Talk)
April 6—Burton Cummings Theatre—Winnipeg, MB (supporting July Talk)
April 9—London Music Hall—London, ON (supporting July Talk)
April 10—National Arts Centre—Ottawa, ON (supporting July Talk)
April 11 – MTELUS – Montreal, QC (supporting July Talk)
Crown Lands are born storytellers. Advocates for the LGBTQ+ and indigenous communities. Counter-culturalists for the 21st century, informed by a cocktail of ancient voices, social injustice, science-fiction, and musical narrators from Rush to Paul Simon, Led Zeppelin to John Butler. Since meeting in 2015 at a band audition, singer/drummer Bowles (a half-Mi’kmaq who identifies as Two Spirit) and guitarist/keyboardist Comeau have cultivated a diverse sonic and lyrical palette. Touchstones range from the mistreatment of Canada’s indigenous population to Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa, the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and Dune author Frank Herbert.
Originally, they got their foot in the door with raw blues rock, on their Juno-nominated, 2020 self-titled LP, working with Grammy nominated Dave Cobb. This paved the way for an introduction to three of Crown Lands heroes: Terry Brown, Nick Raskulinecz, and David Bottrill – all prolific producers that worked with them on their breakthrough track “Context: Fearless Pt. 1,” which premiered on Rolling Stone. After a steady stream of new music, the band’s fresh approach and mission-driven catalogue garnered them the 2021 Juno Award for “Breakthrough Group of the Year.”
Crown Lands ended 2022 with the release of their rendition of The Beatles’ quintessential rally song, “Come Together,” released in partnership with TSN as part of a campaign for the Canadian Men’s National Team during FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022,™ watch the commercial featuring the track here (track starts at 3:20).
With the latest instalment of tour dates and stacked with new music, Crown Lands are ready to bring elegant, clever, progressive rock to the masses.
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