VIDEO PREMIERE: Belle Plaine – “Squared Up”

We’re proud to exclusively premiere the video for “Squared Up,” a preview of Belle Plaine’s third full-length album Malice, Mercy, Grief and Wrath, officially out October 19. The song’s vintage Americana sound exemplifies the album’s overall vibe, heightened by contributions from Belle’s fellow Saskatchewan artists Colter Wall, Kacy Anderson (of Kacy & Clayton) and Megan Nash.

Produced by Jason Plumb at Studio One in Regina, Saskatchewan, Belle knew from the start that she wanted Malice, Mercy, Grief and Wrath to reflect her classic country influences, since they provided a necessary touchstone for her over the past couple of years as she endured a lot of emotional upheaval. “A lot of the songs concern family and also my own expectations,” she says.  “Before my parents both died in the early ’10s, they went through the painful experience of letting go of their future together, and putting an end to the years they invested in their marriage. After they were both gone, I was the recipient of their wedding rings. I wear them on a chain around my neck to honor their love, their optimism of making a living on a family farm, and to remember that I was cherished by them.”

She’s quick to add, however, that her writing was also greatly impacted by her relationship with her partner Blake Berglund, an accomplished singer/songwriter as well. “Performing together as much as we do, there’s been an amazing level of trust that’s developed not only between us, but also the members of Blake’s band. I’m not the type of artist who can pre-determine a final product and then create it. I’m more like, ‘What are we making today?’ So, there was actually a lot of spontaneity occurring as we made this record.”

While Malice, Mercy, Grief and Wrath contemplates the ephemeral nature of life, it also manages to address themes that are persistently unfolding in our lives: forgiveness, redemption and hope. What more could someone ask for in a record?

belleplainemusic.com