Introducing: Haley Blais and her sophomore album 'Wisecrack'.

The Canadian singer-songwriter Haley Blais released her debut album 'Below The Salt' back in August of 2020. Her follow-up sophomore album 'Wisecrack' is out this week featuring singles, 'The Cabin' and 'Baby Teeth (one of our favourite songs of the year so far)'. On how she feels about releasing a second album out into the world, Blais confesses: "It’s so drastically different for me. Frankly, this is my first album. If I could erase everything I’ve done before and have this represent me wholly, I’d be okay with that."

Alongside creating music, Blais has been consistently uploading to her YouTube channel where she shares content from thrift hauls, tour prep, to bleaching her eyebrows and everything inbetween. She also has a manifestation/pipe dream (or a call to action) for the rest of the year, and it's one we think you should abide by - she politely requests: "Everyone listen to my new album, okay????"

COUP DE MAIN: How did you get your start in making and releasing music? 
HALEY BLAIS: I’ve been singing since I was really young, so it was truly just the natural progression of things. I started releasing songs onto the internet when I was a teenager, and have been ever since, and hopefully the songs have gotten better.

CDM: What do you hope for people to take away from listening to your music?
HALEY: I always like to say that I hope to learn something by the end of writing a song - either about myself or whatever I’m writing about. So I think I would want other people to feel like they’ve learned something, too. 

CDM: I love the lyric in 'Matchmaker' when you sing, "What's in a person if we're nothing but dust? / I'm holding my hand to my mouth, but I can't keep you out of my lungs." What was running through your mind when you were writing this track?
HALEY: When you feel so cosmically connected to someone they’re apart of you - how we’re all made of stardust.

CDM: The video for 'Survivor's Guilt' is so raw I could watch it endlessly - how did you come up with the video? And what was the process like filming it?
HALEY: It’s actually inspired by a scene in the film ‘U.S Go Home’ by Claire Denis. And by inspired, I mean we totally ripped it off. Throughout the process of making and preparing this album I’ve been toying with the idea of what it looks like in real-time to experience an album as a consumer. With the first single we put out ('Coolest fucking bitch in town'), you watch me listen to the entire song while walking around my neighbourhood. When we watched that scene in 'U.S Go Home', I thought it was perfect. Just a dude putting on a record in his room and letting go. My boyfriend dances around the house like that every day, anyway. It just made sense. It was just me, him, two of our friends and a camera, and it was great.

CDM: What do you think the difference is between a good song and a great song?
HALEY: I honestly don’t know and don’t think you should, take my word for it. Currently my favourite song is 'Calabria 2008' by Enur.

CDM: If you could assign a smell, colour, and a texture to 'Wisecrack' - what would they be?
HALEY: Hot, dewy grass, or a musty, wet boathouse. Dark blue. Smooth but stony - like pavement.

CDM: How does the second album feel different from the first one? Did you find yourself feeling more freedom or less?
HALEY: It’s so drastically different for me. Frankly, this is my first album. If I could erase everything I’ve done before and have this represent me wholly, I’d be okay with that.

CDM: Do you have any manifestations or pipe dreams you want to put into the universe for the year ahead?
HALEY: Everyone listen to my new album, okay???? Oh! And I would love to do the festival circuit with this album. Festival gigs are my favourite. Put it out into the universe.

Haley Blais' new album 'Wisecrack' is out now - watch the video for 'The Cabin' below: