Originally from Kingston, Ontario, a city halfway between Toronto and Montreal, Chris Hemer and Sam Mishos formed the musical project Funeral Lakes in 2018. In 2019, after a period of active and intense experimentation and musical composition in a domestic context, they released his seductive and socially provocative, dreamy and dark but above all highly acclaimed debut album, all conceived in a consistent lyrical and sound combination between indie rock and indie folk.
In the following two years, Funeral Lakes surprised again and reconfirmed all their talent and the innovative nature of their creative musical proposal with the release of the EPs “Golden Season” (2020) and “Redeemer” (2021). We wouldn't be far from the truth if we define Funeral Lakes' first three albums as a selection of electrifying, politically committed songs, illustrative of the frustration felt by the Canadian duo regarding the state of current politics and the planetary destruction that seems undeniably to be part of the agenda. politics of world elites, including the Canadian government itself.
Three years later, more precisely on April 5, 2024, Funeral Lakes returns with a new assortment of eight new excellent songs in what is, without any hesitation, their brilliant second album entitled “North American Martyrs” which gives us courageously offers a critical reflection on the formation of Canadian national myths not only in terms of their nature but also in terms of the way in which the mythological organization of the past was processed.
A construction built on the intentional and deliberate forgetting of the bloody legacy of Canada's colonial history, the natural result of a cultural production based on a dominant narrative, which instilled in the collective memory of Canadians the glorification of this bloodthirsty legacy as something worthy.
“North American Martyrs” is an album that listens very well, even after successive and repeated listenings, it moves away from the sound of “Redeemer” returning to the sonic environments of both their debut album and the “Golden Season” EP: “ North American Martyrs” thus marks an invigorating and engaging return to their indie rock roots and apocalyptic folk-rock that allows them to highlight in a superior eloquent way all the lyrical richness of the carefully crafted songs that make up this album and decidedly elevate Funeral Lakes to the category of most stimulating and renowned independent bands on the North American music scene.
8.5/10