Check out the new single from Winnipeg-based Americana band Leaf Rapids, whose cinematic style has been called Canadiana. ‘In the Woods’ is a darkly atmospheric song that draws us in with its haunting melody. Joanna Miller’s drums are hypnotic, her swaying rhythms at the heart of the song, while singer-songwriter Keri Latimer delivers a typically ethereal vocal performance, which is lifted by hymn-like backing. The song’s mood is enhanced further by the gorgeous theremin.
Songwriter Keri Latimer uses the song to deliver a forceful message as she explains: “When you think about it, it’s pretty ridiculous that humans have the gall to claim to own land. We create borders and barriers around particular pieces of this spinning planet to keep people off or keep people in. We price it, buy, sell, and kill for it, even though we are all just a bunch of parasites.”
Featuring ghostly apparitions and strange costumes, and set in dense woodland, the accompanying video is suitably tense and creepy. Jillian McDonald, the director, says: “The video was shot in the forests of Stony Brook, New York. I’ve been interested in the natural world as it appears in horror films for almost 2 decades. The woods is haunted by stories, is a bold protagonist, and conceals what we most fear.” The moody woodland is, itself, like an additional character in the video.
‘In the Woods’ features on the album ‘Velvet Paintings’, which is out now and includes nine original songs, co-produced by John Paul Peters and Keri Latimer. Writing these outward-looking songs may have been a cathartic experience, as Latimer explains: “I’m trying to explore more hopeful areas of this world. And I think I just let go of a lot of things.” The band is named after the isolated town in Northern Manitoba where the night skies are the stage for the magical dance of the Aurora Borealis. This beautiful image is matched by the group’s fine song-craft. Enjoy.
