Substance and accessibility. They’re often considered opposing forces when it comes to pop music, making it all the more impressive when a band like Scenic Route to Alaska so effortlessly delivers ample doses of both.

The heralded Edmonton-based indie pop trio – Trevor Mann on lead vocals and guitar, drummer Shea Connor, and bassist Murray Wood – have worked tirelessly scaling the summit of the Canadian and international music scenes. They dropped two acclaimed LPs – 2016’s Long Walk Home and 2018’s Tough Luck through Indica Australia – that weave memorable melodies and catchy vocals through compelling, musically-rich arrangements and earned a slew of awards and accolades on their backs. They’ve toured relentlessly across North America and Europe, and thoroughly impressed on their 2017 trip to Sydney for Australian Music Week.

Since taking time to write and workshop new material earlier in 2019, Scenic Route to Alaska released a pair of singles “Give a Little” in October 2019 and “Daydreaming” in Feb 2020 and played a nearly sold out tour throughout Canada. Following this release was “Call Your Friends”, the first single off their upcoming album ‘Time For Yourself’. A song that was originally dedicated to the passing of a loved one, the message of keeping in touch with loved ones remains just as relevant in today’s COVID-19 climate.

The new release “Closer” – produced by the band and Colin Stewart (New Pornographers, Dan Mangan, Yukon Blonde) out at The Hive studios on BC’s Vancouver Island – is part of the band’s new direction, revisiting their roots with a more organic, unfiltered take on their now-signature sound – or, as Mann puts it, “a truer representation of what we do when we get together and make music.” At its core, this fun track is a Beatles-esque love song that takes the listener through a nostalgic, yet newly psychedelic, journey from start to finish.

Scenic Route to Alaska packed their 2019 hometown performance on the main stage of the world- renowned Edmonton Folk Music Festival – a definite career highlight thus far – and have earned a tonne of awards, including a SOCAN #1 distinction for the single “Love Keeps” and a Western Canadian Music Award for Best Rock Act. But perhaps what best defines the band is their dichotomy: young but mature, curious but collected, accessible but substantial. Such balance is all too rare in this scene, but thankfully, Scenic Route to Alaska strikes it with a style all their own.

“Closer” is the perfect balance of ‘lovey dovey’ but staying cool at the same time. An ode to your significant other, this 50s-inspired Beatles-esque ballad is the perfect love song as winter takes over and it’s time to keep each other warm.