On Shred Kelly’s fifth album, Like a Rising Sun, one can sense a change of direction for the group as if life has taken a sharp turn for the Fernie, BC based alternative-folk rockers. From the first strum of “Rising Sun” to the dissonant fadeout of “Disconnect”, a fast paced and emotional album is laid out through 11 tracks that tell of major life upheaval in rapidly changing times. Written mostly in 2019 when lead singers/songwriters Tim Newton and Sage McBride welcomed their first child into the world only to lose Tim’s father to an illness one month later. The joy, sadness and uncertainty of that time allowed for a new lease on their highly energetic music and the stories they tell. The album is woven together in the immediate aftermath with themes of love, life, death, fear for the future, and new beginnings. After recording the album in Vancouver with producer Nygel Asselin, the band, Tim, Sage, along with Jordan Vlasschaert, Ty West and Ryan Mildenberger, could never have imagined the turn of events the world would take in 2020. Gearing up for an album release at the mercy of a global pandemic brought on a whole new set of challenges, but one that they were ready to take in stride. With a sold out European Tour supporting The Dead South cancelled and no way to bring the new songs to a live setting much seemed uncertain for the future of the new album. The band quickly realized that many of the themes presented on Like A Rising Sun reflected the current events of the world with striking similarity so they sat down and worked on modifying their plans. This included hosting weekly performances sharing new songs, sometimes with Sage and Tim’s one year old baby in a carrier on their back. They were joined by guest appearances from Canadian indie staples such as Elliott Brood, Jeremy Albino, Carmanah, Current Swell, and more. The shows were a huge success and reignited their passion and need to connect with fans. Their first backyard isolation stream has since had over 74000 views, and offered the connection that everyone was needing to help get through those first few weeks. From there they found a creative way to make a music video for their single “Disconnect” when they stitched together phone camera footage of themselves performing the song in the outdoor locations they were isolated in producing a powerful and haunting timestamp of the times. As the lyrics of “Disconnect” suggest being disconnected and ‘inside a bubble that’s just about to pop’, the visual representation of lonely isolation feels so relevant to the world in 2020. In a time of complete uncertainty, Shred Kelly presents an album that takes note of the big moments, joyous and painful, and delivers them with passion and reassurance. In a lot of ways, Like A Rising Sun is about just that. Finding joys in times of pain. And like the resetting of a day, we will come out on the other side changed and with new perspectives on life.
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