"she knows that's the crowned jewel of the thrift"
Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen’s first single “Samurai Sword” off of his upcoming album “World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener” is a lo fi folk rock dreamscape. The video for “Samurai Sword” was masterfully illustrated from scratch by VanGaalen, with hidden easter eggs throughout, and those who find these hidden objects will win prize packs from his studio; one prize each week for three weeks with a grand prize at the end. The xylophones you’ll hear were made by VanGaalen from the copper plumbing of his basement, adding to the artistry and diy ethos that he has held onto. Listen to “Samurai Sword” and watch the immersive video as an escape from whatever monotony you’re facing during the pandemic. The new album “World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener” is to be released March 19th.
-Alyssa Holland
2020 was a terrible year for gardening. It was terrible for peppers, it was terrible for tomatoes, it was terrible for the condition of the soul. But Calgary songwriter Chad VanGaalen somehow raised a garden all the same: carrots and sprouts and broccoli and a revivifying new album, all of them grown at home. He likes to eat directly off the plant, and the 13 songs on World's Most Stressed Out Gardener, his new album set for release on March 19, were harvested with just such a spirit: in their raw state, young and vegetal, at the very moment, they were made.
“Samurai Sword,” the first single to be shared from the LP, reflects the fertile decay of VanGaalen’s mental landscape – rotting and redemptive, beautiful in spite of itself. Acting on an infatuation, he remade his basement’s copper plumbing into the xylophones you’ll hear on the song.
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