Tearing through Toronto on a groundswell of breezy, gripping slacker rock, non-binary singer-songwriter CJ Wiley doesn’t waste any time. Twirling guitars, a steady drum beat, crunchy bass; ballads twanged slightly country, anthems skewed slightly grunge; telling stories of loss, gender, starting fresh, and how expensive it is to be alive; Wiley’s musical project is urgent and undeniable.
Today, they’re sharing their new single, “No One Like U”, their first with Tiny Kingdom. “This song is about the nostalgia of teenage years,” notes Wiley. “Playful friendships, the expansiveness of queer love and how romance can show up in platonic relationships, going through ups and downs with friends just as you would with lovers.” Co-written with Toronto songwriter Charlotte Cornfield and produced by Boy Golden in Winnipeg, “No One Like U” is a trans-Canada song already primed to hit the road.
Performing alongside artists like Tokyo Police Club, Shannon and the Clams, or Haley Blais, and already a mainstay in the city’s queer music scene as the host of the Big Gay Night concert series, Wiley introduces themselves in songs as categorical and entrancing as the sold-out shows they organize. Aflame in a stirring spectrum of soulful Sheryl Crow Americana and the electric grumblings of Garbage or Hole, sometimes in the space of a single song, Wiley’s distinct voice carries their project with the wit, candour, and excitement of an artist with a striking perspective and a heart that demands to be heard.
With an EP in the books, Wiley has established a wide-reaching sound of nighttime cruising melancholy, full-hearted campfire warmth, and anthemic rock just a few speakers shy of a stadium. Whether staged intimately solo or with the full sound of their backing band, Wiley brings a thrilling energy to the performance of every song.