Wisecrack by Haley Blais

Wisecrack is the sophomore album from Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Haley Blais. Conceived as a conceptual record about the formation of new families amidst the dissolution of her parents’ relationship, Wisecrack is textured and wryly poetic, oscillating somewhere between cherished childhood memories and the creation of a new self. The existential, everyday worries we all contain but rarely share are laid bare across eleven songs exquisitely performed with profundity, grace, and humour. Tongue-in-cheek lines like I want my therapist to think I’m cool give the melancholic mood a biting edge. Can I be responsible for things that I did years ago? / I guess it could be good for just a laugh, Blais sings — that’s Wisecrack in a nutshell. Funny and raw at the same time.

Blais developed a community and fanbase as a teenager almost a decade ago with her diaristic YouTube videos and tender ukulele covers. Since then, Blais, who sang classical opera for ten years, traded in the solo ukulele for a guitar and a five-piece band. In 2020, Blais released a debut full-length album of jangly pop anthems, Below the Salt, produced with indie staples Tennis and Louise Burns. The debut amassed millions of streams and avid support from publications like NPR, NYLON, and i-D and led to a North American tour with Peach Pit. Now signed to iconic indie label Arts & Crafts, Blais is set to release Wisecrack in the fall of 2023.

Tracklist

1.	Soft spot for monarchs	2:40

2.	Survivor’s Guilt	3:31

3.	Coolest fucking bitch in town	4:56

4.	Reset button	3:13

5.	Matchmaker	3:48

6.	Concrete	3:09

7.	The Cabin	3:58

8.	Baby Teeth	3:34

9.	Body	5:18

10.	Winner	4:05

11.	Beginner's guide to birdwatching	4:30

Credits

released September 15, 2023

Produced by David Vertesi & Jonathan Anderson
Recorded at Protection Island Studio in Maple Ridge, BC
Engineered by Jonathan Anderson
Additional engineering by David Vertesi

All songs mixed by Jonathan Anderson
All songs mastered by Philip Shaw Bova

PERFORMERS:

Haley Blais - Vocals, acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer, percussion, bells, bass organ, string programming on Beginner’s Guide To Birdwatching

David Vertesi - acoustic/electric guitar, bass, piano/keyboards, organ, synths, drums (track 1), percussion, hammered dulcimer, vocals, dobro, horn arrangements

Jonathan Anderson - electric/acoustic guitar, bass, slide guitar, pedal steel, banjo, dobro, piano/keyboards

Johnny Andrews - Drums (except track 1)
Malcolm Aiken - Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone (2, 3)
Elisa Thorn - Harp (6)

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