A burst of nostalgia for their Cape Breton home while jamming on Rankin Family songs led Halifax pop-rock act Mardeen to form a musical alter ego, Villages. Brimming with traditional reels and Irish-influenced Celtic folk, they sing about life in the Maritimes as they pine for their rural home from cold urban landscape of the big city.
Villages released a self-titled, eight-song debut album in the spring 2019 and, while it is full of the traditional sounds of Cape Breton, they’ve added enough of their own pop sensibilities and non-traditional instruments such as synthesizers to put a singular mark on their heritage. The band's most recent release Upon the Horizon is an EP featuring Villages in fine and familiar form: their love for playing and singing is palpable. This collection of songs was their antidote to pandemic isolation and the title track is uplifting, much-needed medicine: a sun-soaked, joyful ode to nature. Their live shows are cozy, heart-filling and welcoming - like warm scotch and tea in the quaintest of villages.
Biography by Sean Myers
