BIO

Surrendering to primordial instinct is a skill developed over time. On “Animal Thing” by Sister Ray, the project of singer-songwriter Ella Coyes, they meditate on realizing the outsized possibilities derived from lingering. Set in the off-hours of Toronto’s beloved 80-year-old Imperial Pub, the liminal space between resisting the urge to leave, and the desire to know someone deeper becomes a conduit. Deciding to stay is far from incidental — it’s the satisfying outcome of a hard-earned journey towards trusting their intuition, and believing that they can design their ideal outcome. Conjuring the searing alternative Americana of Smog and Lucinda Williams, the track rings of an unhurried and spacious resonance; steady guitar lines and amber-toned keys are held together by Coyes’ unmistakable voice, always sprawling and scraping towards a greater emotional precision. A discerning lyrical storyteller, they practice a form of unflinching empathy capable of breaking down generational wounds. In its place, unfurling a bold and stirring articulation of hope.

Raised in the Albertan prairies of Sturgeon County, and now based in Toronto, the 25-year-old artist earned widespread attention with their acclaimed debut effort, Communion, and follow up EP, Teeth. The album was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Prize, and across both releases they have been featured in Pitchfork, Audiotree, Paste, NPR, The Guardian, Line of Best Fit and more, along with tours supporting Hurray For The Riff Raff, and appearances at Pitchfork Festival in Paris & London, Primavera Weekender. If the tracks on Communion were fueled with intentional sense of urgency, for their songwriting to operate as a vehicle to excavate in-motion revelations, their music since now yearns in a different direction. It rings with the certainty that self-assurance is cultivated through the cracks of discomfort.