In less than a year, Aysanabee has gone from releasing his debut album, the powerful interweaving of generations, memory, and storytelling of Watin, to arriving centre stage in his career. From making history as the first Indigenous artist to reach #1 on Canadian Alternative Rock Radio, to being shortlisted and performing at the Polaris Music Prize Gala, Aysanabee has travelled an impressive distance from unsigned artist to internationally touring, award-winning breakout. Among his many accomplishments, Aysanabee was nominated for a 2023 JUNO Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year, won 3 Indigenous Music Awards, a Jim Beam Indie Award, and a Folk Music Ontario Award for Recording Artist of the Year.
Here and Now, Aysanabee’s new EP, shows the artist embarking on a different path. From the generational work of preserving and transforming his grandfather’s stories, Aysanabee moves in a new direction, towards his own experiences of love’s end and his process of unflinching self-examination. With high voltage production, Aysanabee shifts Watin’s finger-picked acoustic foundation into soundscape waves that carry his voice forward. With its sharper edges and towering sound, Here and Now is shot through with a feeling of decisiveness, of acceptance. It’s the sound of letting go.