Slow Leaves is the project of Winnipeg’s Grant Davidson. He writes songs about the vulnerability of being a human, returning often to themes of love, loss, death, connection, loneliness, family, memory, and time. His folk and psych-rock inclinations, though rooted in the tradition of former fingerpicking songwriters, are unbound in today’s post-genre landscape. “I don’t write sad songs, I write lonely songs,” he muses regarding his last record, In Solitude, For Company. It’s within this honesty of expression that listeners have found comfort in knowing that none of us are truly alone in our thoughts, that beauty reveals itself in vulnerability, that poetry lives in the most banal of moments. He has been nominated for several Western Canadian Music Awards and won Songwriter of the Year in 2022. On his newest release and sixth Slow Leaves album of new material, The Ruins of Things Unfinished, Davidson explores his thoughts on ambition and the long setting sun of a life dedicated to art and family. “I’ve somehow made a career of self-perceived failure,” he writes. “I’ve often reflected on whether that mindset fulfills its own prophecy: quite possibly. But I think at heart, I’m not seeking greatness, at least not outside my own little world. Or maybe I’ve simply given up on misplaced ambitions. My ambition now is a life of greatness in small spaces, a private fame in close quarters, a life so intimate it need only whisper its declarations of love and victory.” The Ruins of Things Unfinished was released in May 2026 on Birthday Cake Records and Make My Day in G/S/A and Benelux.
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Matthew Holtby is a Canadian songwriter and performer known for melodic, lyrically driven songs rooted in storytelling and emotional honesty, whose blend of Americana, folk, and rock is connecting with audiences across Ontario and beyond. He is based in the vibrant arts community of Warkworth, Ontario. Matthew has released multiple independent releases, sharing music that reflects a thoughtful, authentic approach to modern songwriting. 2026 will see multiple releases, starting with new single “Pretending” on Pacifirecords.
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