Sister Ray shares “Reputations” – Debut album out May 13

By John Mike

On March 22, 2022

In News

Sister Ray

Shares “Reputations”

LISTEN

Debut album: Communion – May 13, 2022

Out via Royal Mountain Records

Pre-order

“Blending beautiful melodies and layers of guitars that grow heavier as the song progresses, the track might be about walking away, but makes you feel like you’re leaving with something better, letting severed ties begin to heal”– Paste Magazine

Press shot (credit Vanessa Heins

Sister Ray, the project of Edmonton-born songwriter, Ella Coyes (they/she) is today sharing their new single, “Reputations” which follows on from recent tips from Paste Magazine, Exclaim and more for earlier singles, “Visions” and “Crucified”.

The new track comes as the latest to be taken from Sister Ray’s forthcoming debut album, Communion which is set for release on May 13 via Royal Mountain Records (Alvvays, Wild Pink, U.S. Girls).

They will support Communion with a full run of North American dates (TBC shortly), these come off the back of a recent slot at SXSW and previous shows opening for Julien Baker and Mount Eerie.Communion is a raw, meticulously-crafted portrait of momentous, ordinary moments; experiences that define your past and instruct how you move through the world. It’s also a break-up album invested in exploring the motivations behind actions, rather than attempting moral judgment. It’s about “shitty shit” says Coyes.

Backed by Ginla, the Brooklyn-based duo behind early Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker and Lorely Rodriguez (Empress Of), Communion is anchored by guitar melodies that bear an undercurrent of turmoil and echoes with the wisdom of hard-won lessons. The new single signposts another crucial part of the forthcoming debut album documenting a true coming-of-age tale when Coyes packed up and traveled the length of Canada. Speaking about the track, they say: “I wrote this song to make myself feel better about breaking up with my partner and moving across the country. It felt so joyous to me when I was writing it, to say some of the things out loud that I had been tentative about for so long. It’s one of the most “produced” songs on the record, and we leaned into it. This was my little anthem and I wanted to hear some of that in the production.”

Listen to “Reputations”HERE

Born and raised on the expansive prairies of Sturgeon County, Sister Ray’s music is steeped in a wide range of cultural influences. With gospel bluegrass and 90’s country playing in the background of their youth, it was the traditional Métis music played at home that not only brought them closer to their heritage, but taught them a form of storytelling rooted in collective value, resilience, and safety. Through the existential questions that came with examining contradictory identities, Coyes came to understand music’s ability to archive personal histories while also unpacking overwhelming emotions with the support of a community. As their taste evolved, Coyes began to devour music across all genres, obsessing over the songwriting of Loudon Wainwright III, the eerie space of Do Make Say Think, the hard-hitting hooks of mid-western emo like American Football, and the ascending vocals of Jeff Buckley. Walking on stage armed with only the shape of a song in hand, and an experience they wanted to memorialize, Coyes engineered a style of “conversational” music. Through improvised sets and repetition that relied on feedback from the audience to guide the direction of the show, Sister Ray invited their music to evolve — writing songs that touched on generational trauma and interpersonal violence, with lyrics that dissected guilt, obligations, and freedom as a way to heal from the inside out. “I feel like the music exists in its truest form when it’s being witnessed,” Coyes says. “The witnesses are participants in revealing what’s being communicated.”You can pre-order the debut album, Communions here