∆ TINY KINGDOM MUSIC | Skye Wallace

Acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Skye Wallace returns with their captivating new single and video, "Ice Tea," out now via Tiny Kingdom Music. "Ice Tea" finds Skye embracing the quirky rock grittiness that defined their previous album, while hinting toward a future inspired by her dark folk roots. Co-produced by Hawksley Workman, the track also features performances by Ryan Dahle on guitar and Rachael Cardiello on viola.

Listen to Ice Tea here.

Deeply influenced by the song "Old Peel" by New Zealand artist Aldous Harding (who is credited with songwriting on the track), "Ice Tea" served as a creative lifeline for Wallace. "I was desperately trying to reconnect with myself and the music I make," Skye explains. "Listening to 'Old Peel,' I felt a spark of inspiration, a flood of lyrics and a storyline that felt important to pursue. It was like old folk singers repurposing melodies with their own newly-written words. 'Ice Tea' is my homage to the song that reawakened my creative self."

The accompanying video, directed, edited, and coloured by Skye with cinematography by Teagan Johnson, is dedicated to the memory of artist, poet, and activist jes sachse, a collaborator who passed away shortly before the release. Their powerful tap-based movement piece is prominently featured in the video. jes is poignantly celebrated by CBC Arts’ Gabrielle Moser here.

Wallace recently shared her thoughts on navigating music industry expectations while integrating their desire for parenthood. “Ice Tea” addresses the impossible expectations and rigid definitions of ‘worth’ pervasive in the music industry and beyond. Wallace elaborates:

“The song is about being unafraid to defy these pressures…pressures about body, category, and presentation. When I wrote it, I was navigating these as an artist in my mid-30s, but now it pertains to so much more. I’ve always wanted to have kids, and that dream often felt at odds with the life path I’d carved out. Music life is hard to sustain, especially at the emerging level. For every encouraging word or inspiring musical parent, I’ve also heard beliefs that having a baby means saying goodbye to music, career, and years of your life.

These ideas aren’t the majority in my community, but they’re insidious. When you're already in the vulnerable business of sharing art, it’s hard not to let those comments feed your fears. I started to feel resentful…like music was taking away another life I longed for. It felt like one or the other, as sustainability in music keeps getting harder. Eventually, I realized the only way forward was to integrate both loves. If I was becoming resentful of music, what was the point?”

Skye’s previous album, The Act of Living, also featured co-production from Hawksley Workman, and found Skye fully embracing the grungy, unbridled enthusiasm of their live performances, inviting listeners on a journey of near-death experiences, dream worlds, loss, and rebirth. Stream The Act of Living HERE.

“Wallace is at her most compelling when she fuels her own fire.” - EARMILK

“A strong buzz has grown around this Toronto rock singer/songwriter…” - Billboard Canada

“Wallace manages to marry ambitious production choices with down-to-earth lyrics and instrumentation…” - NEXT Cover Story

“The Act of Living boasts plenty of grit, harkening the impassioned anthems that galloped buckwild all through 2016's, Something Wicked, their 2019 self-titled, and Terribly Good…’You Don't Still Have a Hold on Me’ is an unfettered, uncomplicated should-be-hit that wouldn't have sounded out of place on an episode of MuchMusic Countdown. ‘Momentum’ is pummeling, runaway garage rock with a buzzing guitar riff and dug-in bass line. The snarling "Tough Kid" swaggers with the attitude of PJ Harvey. - Exclaim! Magazine