BRADEN LAM LAUNCHES INTO NEW ERA WITH THE RELEASE OF HIS SINGLE “COQUIHALLA”
Indie-folk singer-songwriter Braden Lam kicks off a new chapter with the release of his single “Coquihalla,” out today via Universal Music Canada. The upbeat, mood-boosting track is about the simultaneous feeling of excitement and fear that comes with leaning into the unknown and marks the first new music from Lam since the release of his critically acclaimed debut album, The Cloudmaker’s Cry (2025).
Written by Lam, Derek Hoffman, and Frankie Figliomeni on Pine Island at Stoney Lake,
ON, produced by Josh Block (Leon Bridges, Caamp, Vincent Neil Emerson), and
recorded in Los Angeles, CA live-off-the-floor to tape earlier this spring at 64sound
recording studios, the song title was inspired by the long-haul truck drivers that brave
the infamous Coquihalla “highway through hell” (Highway 5) in British Columbia.
Elaborating on the deeper meaning of the track, Lam comments:
“Coquihalla is a great ethos track to kick off the world of my upcoming album. It's about
leaning into the discomfort and turns of life, not knowing exactly what lies beyond the
next bend. I imagine a motorcyclist and how they have to lean into the edges of cliffs
and embrace that scary feeling because if you don't, you're going flying.
The second verse touches on that fatal optimism; the fact that I may leave some
destruction in my wake, but regardless of the consequences I'm committed to growing,
even if it's uncomfortable at times. In the bridge I talk about staying on that motorcycle
my whole life and leaning into those turns until I’m flowers in the ditch, until I’ve finally
surrendered to the truest version of myself I can be."
A true visionary who’s accompanying visuals matter as much as the music itself,
“Coquihalla” also arrives alongside a quirky, cinematic music video – watch HERE . Shot
between Springhill and Dartmouth, NS and directed by a familiar collaborator Griffin
O’Toole, the video’s storyline will be extended further through a collection of visuals in
the coming months.
Lam will revisit the stage at AMERICANAFEST in Nashville, Tennessee at The East
Room on September 17 and at CIMA’s Country Connections Live at The 5 Spot on
September 19. Lam is also joining The Sheepdogs as a supporting artist on seven of
their Out All Night Atlantic Canada tour dates this October. For the full list of tour dates
visit BradenLam.com or see below.
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