Said the Whale is one of the first artists I discovered when I first moved to Canada. “Loveless’ and “Camilo The Magician” are still some of my top songs ever in terms of how well it resonated with me as I grew up, with “Honey Lungs” coming in as a close third. I think “Honey Lungs” is my most played Said the Whale song in terms of its pure enjoyability, especially with good headphones. 

I didn’t know it was based on the death of George Floyd, and all of the harsh conversations that took place surrounding it. I remember they pulled out of the Surrey Canada Day festival along with bands like Mother Mother and The Beaches because the city hardly did anything to combat ongoing racism.

Honey Lungs

It’s hard to say if we’ve progressed that much since 2020. Every day, I just keep seeing names I know getting exposed for heinous crimes or devolving to greed, and online conversations continue to get more and more aggressive.

When writing the bridge to “Honey Lungs”, one of the lead vocalists, Tyler Bancroft, tried to find a bridge that fits this kind of song, so he turned to his notes app. In it, he found a quote he remembered writing as he watched his son on a hard day: “You can find the joy in every agonizing moment of existence on this planet”.

“Honey Lungs” is meant to be a hopeful song about empathy and kindness, and it’s something to apply in conversations online, where everyone can get really defensive.

Spencer Shoening played the drums in such an impactful and satisfying way as it wrapped around my head. That intro is something that continues to put a smile on my face whenever I replay it. 

I occasionally find them performing live in Vancouver, and I was at their show where they played with their songs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum.

Their “Dandelion” album is one of their proudest works, with influences from all their previous albums, and it’s something they don’t get tired of listening to compared to some of their other records. 

They included a song called February 15, which was written by their keyboardist, Jacelyn Brown. That song was initially meant for her husband’s birthday, but after showing it to the band, they got accompanying strings from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for the final recording.

It’s the deepest and most emotional album they’ve made, and it marks the band’s growth and maturity.