Great Lake Swimmers

Doubt, followed by discovery. Demos that ended up as finished tracks. New beginnings, rear-view reflections, and ruminations on the fluidity of time: Uncertain Country captures these feelings and much more. 

This 11-song celebration follows a prolonged period of collective anxiety. Though recorded in different acoustically distinctive locations close to Dekker’s home in the Niagara Region —and with a variety of musicians—a theme of questioning runs throughout. Even before the world turned upside down, singer-songwriter Tony Dekker felt mired in uncertainty: from the climate crisis and the ever-changing political landscape to deep shifts within the music industry. The “uncertain country” Dekker chose as the album’s theme is a territory humans inhabit in the 21st century.

The long journey started over three years ago, when Dekker took an immersive trip to the north shore of Lake Superior with Adam CK Vollick (who filmed the experience) and Joe Lapinski (who co-produced Uncertain Country) to soak in the beauty of the landscapes and learn the stories of the people who have inhabited them since time immemorial. 

The music morphed from hushed and folky to a more comforting, curated listening experience, acting as a kind of salve, capturing the album’s themes of the elasticity of time and processing change. It includes echoes of some of Dekker’s early 1990s propeller-pop and indie lo-fi band influences.

Long-time Great Lake Swimmers member, multi-instrumentalist Bret Higgins is featured on many of the songs, as is keyboardist Kelsey McNulty. Guests include newcomers and old friends: the group Minuscule, an all-woman identifying choir and JUNO Award-winner Serena Ryder.