By Will Yannacoulias
Photos by Aaron Brown Photography
Moose Jaw’s Highwind dazzled last February with their sophomore effort, the independently produced Final Words ep. Chase Rysavy, Ehren Pfeifer, Eric Taylor and Troy Waggoner unleashed six tracks of impressive emo alt rock with a modest release disproportionate to the scale of their work. Passionate punk that embraces maturity and sophistication, accessible and memorable without ever sliding into predictability, Final Words is a collection of honest, vulnerable and smart songs that do the Saskatchewan music scene proud. We at NSMZ unapologetically love Final Words and are honoured to declare Highwind as our Saskatchewan Alternative Artist of the Year.
"We try not to get repetitive" the band shared. "We feel out what seems like it should come next and then push it if it doesn’t feel different enough or feel right. We’ve scrapped so many ideas, it’s so important that everything in a song feels right, and that comes from jamming. We take time to figure out how to bring the dynamic down, then back up, or make a song seem it’s going to change in a direction and then do something completely different."
Final Words is available on all streaming services.