Better is the latest single from the band’s forthcoming album currently in production at Shiftwork Recording in Fredericton.
Matt Carter
At some point last year, Tortue frontman Aidan Bullock hinted towards the band releasing a full album of music sometime in 2023. That was back in September when we were talking about the single HYB, which had just been released. While the album has yet to surface, new singles continue to trickle out and if I’m being totally honest, I kind of prefer it this way. An album is always a treat for fans and a major accomplishment for any artist, but a steady sting of singles brings its own kind of magic. It’s a different level of satisfaction and one that seems to fit perfectly with Tortue’s ongoing evolution.
It all started with the release of Petty back in May of 2022, the band’s first new music in more than three years. Petty was inspired in part by the George Floyd protests and became the first single from that band to carry a specific political message. It also introduced a more refined approach to songwriting and arranging from the band and marked the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between Tortue and Fredericton based producer and studio engineer Dylan Ward. As time would reveal, this combination of inspired songwriting and outside ears has proven to be a major part of the band’s artistic growth and recorded output over the past year.
Across the two singles that followed – HYB and Overburdening – Tortue’s creative evolution has conjured a tangible sense of excitement that has surpassed the anticipation of a forthcoming album, transferring all that energy into the arrival of single after single. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be happy when the album eventually gets released. But for now, these singles are a total treat.
Tortue’s latest single, Better, was released earlier this month. Breaking more new ground for the trio, Better is a push towards optimism in a time when world news and events offer us an endless deluge of issues to be frustrated with. It’s a much needed dose of encouragement.
The band put it best:
Better is a song about growing. Everybody is in different stages of life, either good or bad. Despite this, most people in this day and age feel that nothing is getting better. The housing crisis, homelessness, the economy, climate change, and other tragedies plague the world. With all these stressors happening, it can be hard to see we are evolving and continually growing. We are getting better, one way or another. No matter what is going on in your life, it is important to remind ourselves of how far we’ve come. Against all odds we’re still here, and if you look far enough backwards, you will be able to see that you have come a long way. You should be proud of yourselves.
Check out the links below for all the band’s recent singles and hear for yourself why this ongoing parade of new music has become one of my favourite musical happenings of the past 12 months.
