Meet Calgary, AB post-punk and psych rock outfit Sunglaciers, whose music submerges you into another time and space, even if just for a moment.
Formed in 2017 as a collaboration between multi-instrumentalists, songwriters, and producers Evan Resnik and Mathieu Blanchard, the band expanded with bassist Kyle Crough in 2018 and guitarist/keyboardist Nyssa Brown in 2020.
Together, the four create music that feels instinctive, like they were always meant to play alongside one another.
When it comes to their evolving creative process, collaboration has remained at the core. Resnik states, "I’d say it’s been a true collaboration between Mathieu (Blanchard) and me since the first LP, Foreign Bodies, which we wrote together in Mexico City in 2017. We’ve been kind of honing our process and working better and better together ever since. He and I would flesh out a song’s structure, show it to Nyssa (Brown) and Kyle (Crough), and collaborate on their parts with them as we built the song out."
Resnik adds that the process is never fixed, explaining that "the starting point or idea changes from song to song or record to record. Over most of our earlier work, we’d usually start with a vocal melody or guitar idea and build around it. For Subterranea (2022), we decided to write songs on synths as we were going for more of a synth-punk sound. With this new record, Matt and I built the songs around bass and drum grooves, and I think that gives the album a more cohesive feel throughout."
On their evolution, Blanchard adds, "Lyrically, we have typically taken an introspective approach to songwriting on our earlier records. With Spiritual Content we tried to tell more stories in our songs. We drew inspiration from other people’s experiences, authors, historical figures, or other artists, and filtered them through our lens."
Their new release, Spiritual Content, is their fourth full-length, featuring nine immersive tracks that explore modern life through allegorical songwriting that reflects the current frenzy of the world while celebrating the inherent connections between us.
When asked about the album’s overarching themes, Resnik and Blanchard explain that it centers on "Human connection. We’re connecting with people who have given us inspiring stories or done extraordinary things, and celebrating those people and their experiences. We’re drawing inspiration from people who have been relentless in the face of hardship, and trying to highlight some of the more uplifting aspects of being human. There’s so much anger and division all around us, but that’s nothing new; we want to lean into the idea that we have more in common than what separates us."
Across its brisk 35 minutes, the album moves through immersive soundscapes that unfold like a timeless psychedelic sequence. Swirling grooves drift in and out, stirring a sense of wonder while brushing up against paranoia, deep introspection, and quiet alienation.
As music often reflects both personal and societal realities, the pair also spoke on how they navigate and balance those influences in their work. Resnik and Blanchard explain, "Knowing how one affects the other is something that we’re always learning. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve gotten better at recognizing how the outside world is shaping our thinking and behaviour."
They continue, "Looking more closely at the experiences of others has helped us sort of frame our current world into a more informed historical and human context, and lend us some perspective." They add, "That might make you think that this record is somehow less “personal” but we don’t see it like that. It’s just helped us stay a bit more grounded when trying to process or understand what’s going on around us."
When asked if Spiritual Content could take the listener on a journey, both agree that "It takes you for a long walk, hovering about ten feet above ground. It’s kind of an out-of-body thing, where you’re looking down at the top of your own head." That sense of detachment carries through the record itself, which draws listeners deeper with each listen while keeping them suspended in its atmosphere.
Given its atmospheric, otherworldly quality; place plays a defining role in shaping its sound.
Blanchard explains, "Place is such an important part of the creative process. I grew up on the East Coast, worked and played music in Europe for a few years, and moved to Calgary in 2012. Moncton has a dark and moody vibe, which you can hear from bands like Eric’s Trip and Elevator to Hell. They made me want to keep music evil. Europe led to an interest in history and authors like Tolstoy, Joyce, Camus. For Calgary, the landscape and mountains really drew me in when I first got here. The awe-inspiring size of the mountains made me excited to think big, but they’re also very calming and grounding. A strong connection to nature is so important to me."
Resnik adds, "I think we’re always shaped by our environment, creatively or otherwise, and being in Calgary through the 2010s exposed me to a lot of that prairie psych and post-punk and the whole scene around that time. Chad vanGaalen and Women were big influences for me early on, and I’m constantly thrilled to have been able to work with Chad over these records. I was listening to him back in 2009 when I worked as a farmhand in France, before I even knew we were from the same place."
When asked what Spiritual Content would feel like as a scent, color, and time of day, Blanchard describes it as “mid-morning, crunchy snow on the ground, sun is out, smell is fresh,” while Resnik adds a more liminal image, saying it “smells like dew,” with a “greenish-grey” tone set “right before first light, on the bank of a small river.”
Reflecting on their early days, both agree that the advice they wish they had received sooner is simple: “Slow down. Let’s take this one tiny step at a time.”
Looking ahead to what follows the album’s March 27 release, the pair share that they’re still very much in an exploratory phase, noting, “Yes! Always so hard to pick what to do next!”
They point to an interest in making a future record that feels more raw and is recorded “live off the floor,” with Blanchard adding that he’s been “learning lots of Latin rhythms,” which is already shaping their creative direction in new ways.
They also reflect on how touring continues to open unexpected doors, explaining they’re “constantly blown away by bands we meet on tour,” and expressing a desire to collaborate more with friends in both Los Angeles and Montréal, while continuing to stay grounded in their local scene.
With Spiritual Content, Sunglaciers further sharpen their vision, offering a record that rewards full immersion and signals even greater things ahead.
Photo Credit: Sebastian Buzzalino
