Bent Roads Tavern is back at it with two more single releases, rounding off a total of three singles released in August of this year (following on Long Way From Toronto released earlier this month), as they move toward the milestone of finishing and releasing their first full studio album, Clear Nights. Brite Lites. later this year.
Sweet Mirona is the fifth single off the album, and represents a complete overhaul of the first recording of this track that drew Bent Roads Tavern out of a 15 year hiatus following the untimely passing of BRT founding member, Christian Stokkmo, who co-wrote this track. “Sweet Mirona is an uplifting song about yearning for solitude, peace of mind and community in a world overflowing with selfishness,” says BRT frontman, Collen Middleton. “It is easily my favourite song that our dear friend, Christian Stokkmo, wrote for Bent Roads Tavern. It has been cathartic to add a personal touch as a posthumous songwriting collaboration with him on this new version.”
Speak Up (Not Afraid to Yell) is the sixth single off the album, and is a darker turn in the BRT’s material. “This track is a protest song embroiled in a love song,” says Middleton. “This is about the indignance required to stand up for change – it’s about screaming into a hurricane of injustice.This track’s sound is more Radiohead and Soundgarden than BRT’s standard alt folk rock bread and butter – but – we think it still works, and hope our listeners agree.”
Jem Girl at the Piano 