The Sweet Lowdown – “River Winding Down” (audio) (Premiere)

The Sweet Lowdown hails from the beautiful environs of Victoria, BC, Canada, an island that functions as an intermediary stage between the United States and Canada. With the hipster-friendly Pacific Northwest just south of it and the chilly air of the Canadian North above it, Victoria is an ideal place for musicians to amalgamate American and Canadian musical styles. This is exactly what the Sweet Lowdown does in its music, as it brings together strong Americana influences with the sensibility of its own homeland. The trio’s latest LP, Chasing the Sun, was recently released; below you can stream the album track “River Winding Down”.

The band gives PopMatters the lowdown on the track, saying, “In June 2013, we headed to Calgary to play a festival. We arrived the day after the Calgary flood — heavy rains had swelled the Bow River — and the plane flew right over downtown, which was in standing water. The festival went ahead, and people came out to share in music amidst the chaos of the flood. The flood and the enduring spirit of humans inspired this song.”

The independently released Chasing the Sun is out now.