Slotted between The Party, Regina songwriter Andy Shauf’s Polaris Prize-shortlisted, multiple-Juno-nominated 2016 album, and his 2020 follow-up The Neon Skyline, Foxwarren could have been mistaken for a one-off side project. Featuring Shauf’s intriguingly mumbly vocals and distinctive melodies, Foxwarren shifted his musical palette from meticulous indie-pop to laid-back folk rock. But the 2018 self-titled album’s easy chemistry was no accident as Foxwarren’s origins actually extend nearly 10 years before the band’s “official” debut.

Formed in 2009 by Shauf and high school friend Dallas Bryson, along with brothers Avery and Darryl Kissick, Foxwarren released its debut in 2011, with a follow-up intended for soon after. But with Shauf’s star rising, those plans were put on hold. By the time the project finally re-emerged, their little-heard first record felt so distant that the delayed followup was treated as a fresh start.

Titling their 2025 album 2 removed any questions around the band’s continuity, but with another seven-year span between albums and an equally dramatic leap in sound, it still feels like re-introduction. Recorded across multiple provinces, 2 sees Shauf sampling and remixing his bandmates’ contributions into offbeat pop confections. It’s more muscular and more danceable than its predecessor, but as the title implies it still has the same spirit — four friends making the music that excites them 20 years into their collaboration.

- Peter Hemminger