Blending psych-tinged indie-pop with Appalachia-sourced folk music, Toronto sextet Beams have long been a unique voice among the Canadian indie rock scene. With their newly announced third album Requiem for a Planet, the outfit fronted by Anna Mērnieks-Duffield is set to dive headfirst into the difficult experience of coming of age in a world that isn’t nearly as functional as the one we may have perceived growing up. “Requiem is about grieving the loss of the planet we were promised as kids,” Mērnieks-Duffield explains. “One where it seemed like we were collectively working to create a more positive future for all, and being faced with the reality that this is simply not true.”
The first single from the release arrives today in the form of “A.W.I.L.,” a track that mimics Grizzly Bear’s intricate guitar tapestries while also bringing to mind the slightly-fuller-than-full-band sound unique to Canadian indie supergroups. Lyrically, the track takes a more positive spin on the record’s central theme, serving as something of a call to action. "A.W.I.L is a wake-up call that we as humans are programmed for life,” Mērnieks-Duffield shares. “We’re on the same side, and if we could just sit through the discomfort of our differences long enough to see the deep root of love there, the true humanity, we could work together towards justice for each other, and for every being. We are more likely to fight for the protection of those with whom we share a loving bond, or at least feel somewhat safe with.”
The track comes paired with a music video directed by Jess Price of Campdogzz, the indie-folk outfit signed to Cursive’s 15 Passenger Records. “When I asked Anna for her thoughts on this track, she explained the overall sentiment is a call to put our differences aside in an effort to better understand one another,” Price shares. “A practice in humility. The words began to resonate with me while arranging images for this video.” Regarding the visual motifs of fire, bouncing waveforms, and kaleidoscopic imagery, she adds: “The idea is that these parts are running simultaneously. What we sense, what we experience, what we perceive.”
Check out the video below, and catch Beams on their upcoming North American tour at the dates listed here.
