The release of NNNYN and School Tour comes packaged with news of a forthcoming album set to arrive early next year.
Matt Carter
The combination of baseball references and the need for meaning and purpose in one’s life may not be a typical formula for catharsis. However, as a pairing, these two seemingly unrelated themes find community on NNNYN, first of two new songs from the Fredericton based trio Brookside Mall. Brendan MaGee, the trio’s principal songwriter, has always had a knack for expressing life’s emotional rollercoaster ride through (sometimes) vague, yet (always) highly relatable references that reflect our shared existence, raw and unglamorous. When paired with School Tour, a song that carries all the humility of a personal journal entry, the band’s first new songs in five years clearly demonstrate how time has only served to strengthen the collective potential of MaGee (vocals/keys), bassist Dylan Ward and drummer Josh Steeves.
With this latest two-song pairing comes news of a forthcoming album featuring collaborations with members of The Olympic Symphonium, The Hypochondriacs, and Pallmer. The full album, No More Fragrant Thoughts, is due out in January 2024, just in time for Shivering Songs.