Back in July, Winnipeg-based quintet Royal Canoe released a rather good new record called Sidelining, the fruits of the band’s labour over the two years since 2019’s Waver. They probably weren’t planning on putting together a follow-up so soon, but seizing upon the lone upside of a pandemic putting the last year on ice sounds about right for this remarkably creative band. The album features collaborations with NNAMDÏ and Begonia, and we’re delighted to be premiering the delightfully surreal video for its shapeshifting current single ‘Surrender’.
Directed by Vince Tang, the band say of the clip that the team-up spawned from them “[being] fans of his video work with other artists in the Winnipeg scene over the last couple of years. We reached out to him for this project and he presented the concept of a heist film with a dance-off (instead of a shootout). We instantly loved the idea and are so happy with how it turned out. It was nice to leave the dancing to the professionals this time.”
Said professionals have some serious moves; the six-minute video is a treat, and the song’s just as good. Check out both below, and once you’re done you can head over to Bandcamp for more of Sidelining, which is out now on Paper Bag Records.
