How many sunsets have you seen in your lifetime, how many haven’t you seen? Before you finish your mental checklist, I’d like to introduce you to this sunset-coloured band, Yukon Blonde.

Yukon Blonde / Discogs

This band originates from Kelowna, where the landscape is permenantly tinted orange, yellow, and red. Yukon Blonde’s debut self-titled record was recorded live-to-tape, which I really admire about them. Indie rock can be a hard genre to get right, I have noticed that many indie artists utilize digital instruments and workspaces to build their compositions, but to release an album live-to-tape is impressive, and one of my favourite ways to produce a record.

This 2010 release contained 10 songs, and each one can easily stand out on its own. Yukon Blonde represents the Canadian Indie scene perfectly, their music isn’t overproduced, it is written and played true to the genre without needing to be forced. Can you tell the difference between a digitally composed song versus what Yukon Blonde did, recording live-to-tape? Give their first album a listen and understand the difference. Indie music can be an acquired taste, if you find yourself liking some of it, but not all of it, maybe you’re not looking in the right places.

Perhaps Yukon Blonde has just defined the style of music you are looking for – live arrangements composed onto tape.

I think Yukon Blonde’s debut album is fantastic. I could listen to the entire thing front to back, and then back to front. My favourite song on the record is Ghosts on Film, it has that western Canadian tune to it, alongside an addictive rhythm guitar. I can’t place where I know it, but it sounds so familiar to me. And in music, familiarity is often a safe space to be.

In their first year as a band, Yukon Blonde was named one of the “Top 10 bands destined to break in 2010,” and that they did. They delivered an outstanding debut album that would become the first of seven studio albums released. Give that first Yukon Blonde record a listen for yourself and find some new music to love, you won’t be disappointed.