Bria Salmena shares new single & video "Hammer" taken from her debut album 'Big Dog' out March 28th via Sub Pop Records. UK & EU tour dates announced.
Long celebrated as the frontwoman of Canadian post-punk outfit FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s band, Bria Salmena culminates her artistic evolution on her debut solo album Big Dog, set for release on March 28th via Royal Mountain in Canada and Sub Pop for the remainder of the world.
Anchored by her commanding voice, the album chronicles a story of transformation, a deeply personal exploration of resilience and a declaration of artistic independence.
Following the release of Stretch the Struggle, today Salmena shares her latest single, Hammer, a fractured pop anthem that feels especially timely. The official video for Hammer, was directed by Matthew Tammaro and Rebecca Cianfrini (who also shot the album’s artwork and press photos).
Originally written as a love song, Hammer has since taken on new weight - as an empowering affirmation of resilience that is central to Big Dog, and arriving at a time when that feels more essential than ever.
“I’ve been struggling lately to find some light, to find strength in this current global dumpster fire,”
says Salmena.
“My personal troubles aside I feel as though this song resonates in a different way to me now. Whether I realized it or not, ‘you are a hammer’ and ‘you are a big dog’ became words of encouragement for myself, and in a way, the mantra for the record.”
Big Dog is a record of big emotions and big ambitions. A few years ago, Salmena was at a low point in life when a friend affectionately called her “big dog” during a pep talk.
Though just a throwaway term meant to lift her spirits, the phrase struck a chord. When searching for a way to sum up the collection of songs that saw Salmena digging herself out of such a dark period, the answer was obvious; the term perfectly embodied her journey from the murky depths of despondency and self-sabotage towards a complete artistic and personal transformation.
Musically, it hovers between two worlds, gritty punk honesty always simmering below gleaming atmospherics, impossible to ignore.
There are alternative rock touchstones, you’ll hear Live Through This, Kate Bush, Mazzy Star, and one genuine alternative rock icon in Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar to "See'er.”
But there’s also a sleekness that’s just as much a callback to ‘80s coldwave as it is to ecstatic forms of dance music. The split effect can be eerie, as on the clanging “Rags,” a song that seems to groan and shimmer. It can be soothing as on the fractured pop song “Hammer,” Big Dog’s one true love song.
Or it can be both at the same time as on the Mazzy Star-esque “Twilight,” the oldest song on the record and one that features a stripped back sound foregrounding its sense of naivety and surrender.
For Salmena, it is impossible to unlink the personal journey represented by Big Dog from the collaborative relationships that went into its creation. Salmena worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Hay Jennings in both FRIGS and Orville Peck’s band.
Jennings, who is not only Salmena’s closest creative collaborator but also her closest friend, wrote Big Dog with Salmena over several years, during which Salmena was based in LA and Jennings in Toronto.
Before Big Dog, the two gave classic and modern Americana songs a goth-y dream pop treatment on Salmena’s Cuntry Covers EPs.
Graham Walsh (Holy F**k, METZ, Debby Friday, Alvvays) helped the pair further refine their budding mix of rock and electronic music, while Meg Remy (of critically acclaimed experimental pop project U.S. Girls) focused primarily on Salmena’s vocals. Remy helped coax out the unforgettable performances that lie at the center of Big Dog through a series of cathartic meetings, pushing Salmena to dig even more deeply into the meaning of her lyrics and really think about different ways of using her voice.
As Big Dog came together, it became apparent that Salmena’s songwriting had taken a raw and intimate turn, going well beyond her and Jennings’ work on their prior EPs.
Big Dog features additional contributions from alternative rock icon Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar on the song "See'er.” Salmena’s rich voice is ever-present, a constant warm glow within a mesh of mechanical sounds.
It’s ever-present and impossible to ignore, whether Salmena is angelically harmonizing with herself, murmuring in her lowest registers, or pushing herself into an uncomfortable falsetto and staying there. “I just need it, need it, need it,” she repeats on “Stretch the Struggle,” a song about being suspended in that anguished moment between realizing something needs to go and actually letting it go, her voice slowly becoming subsumed in pulsing electronic beats and bubbling synths.
At its core, Big Dog is more than just a record about discovering who you are by processing painful experiences. It’s a record about discovering that you are never really alone.
Salmena has expanded the previously announced shows in North America, with UK/EU dates to follow in May. See below for a full list of upcoming tour dates. Tickets are now available via Bria Salmena’s official website.
Photo by Matthew Tammaro
Tour dates
Wed. Apr. 02 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Fri. Apr. 04 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy + Harriet’
Sat. Apr. 05 - San Francisco, CA - Make Out Room
Tue. Apr. 08 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's
Wed. Apr. 09 - Portland, OR - Swan Dive
Fri. Apr. 11 - Visilia, CA - Cellar Door
Sat. Apr. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
Fri. Apr. 25 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Lounge
Sat. Apr. 26 - Kingston, NY - Tubby's
Sun. Apr. 27 - New York, NY - Baby's All Right
Tue. Apr. 29 - Baltimore, ML - Metro Baltimore
Wed. Apr. 30 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
Thu. May 01 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
Fri. May 02 - Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House Revival
Sat. May 03 - Chicago, IL - Hideout
Wed. May 07 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB
Fri. May 09 - Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
Mon. May 12 – Manchester, UK - YES
Tue. May 13 - London, UK - The Lexington
Wed. May 14 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival
Fri. May 16 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival
Sat. May 17 - Rotterdam, NL - Roodkapje
Mon. May 19 - Paris, FR - La Boule Noire
Tue. May 20 - Köln, DE - Jaki
Thur. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub
Fri. May 23 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen
Sat. May 24 - Stockholm, SE - Echo Three Festival
Sun. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Revolver
Tue. May 27 - Hamburg, DE - Häkken
Sat. July 5 - Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival
Big Dog is now available to pre-order on vinyl/CD/digital formats from Sub Pop.
A Loser Edition LP on Orchid Vinyl is available through
the Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU),
and independent retailers worldwide (excl CA).