Loving

The Canadian ensemble Loving crafts understated, close-knit tunes that hover at a hushed, bedroom-level volume while still embedding memorable pop melodies in the minds of those who hear them. Over successive releases the group has grown increasingly assured, resulting in more expansive arrangements and a deeper sonic palette. Their opening pair of projects—the self-titled 2016 EP and the 2020 full-length If I Am Only My Thoughts—emerged as understated, homemade efforts suffused with gentle melancholy, whereas the 2024 album Any Light was tracked in a professional studio and retains the same inviting warmth amid added strings, trumpets, and other ornate instrumentation.

David Parry joined forces with brothers Jesse and Lucas Henderson in 2015 to begin capturing music as a long-distance endeavor, with some members stationed in Victoria, British Columbia, and others in Toronto; the three shared instrumental, vocal, and compositional responsibilities. The gently psychedelic folk textures they developed echoed classic British folk traditions alongside the intimate style of alternative singer-songwriters such as Elliott Smith and the lo-fi approach of 1990s acts like Smog. Those early sessions yielded the self-titled EP, released in late 2016 via Human Sounds Records, whose relaxed, homemade atmosphere quickly drew substantial streaming attention.

Buoyed by that response, the trio committed to operating as a full-time band and settled in Victoria. They first demoed fresh material at the Henderson family residence on nearby Gabriola Island before relocating to Parry’s basement studio to lay the songs down directly to tape, with Parry and Jesse Henderson handling multiple instruments and Lucas supplying occasional vocals and lyrics. Issued in early 2020 on Last Gang Records, the resulting album If I Am Only My Thoughts introduced elements such as chorus pedals, slide guitar, and string sections while preserving the intimate atmosphere of the earlier EP. To promote the record the band performed several concerts with drummer Keenan Mittag-Degala, who had already contributed piano to the sessions.

Following the cancellation of a planned tour and a period of hiatus, Parry and Jesse Henderson reconvened to shape the group’s next album. Working at the dedicated studio Risque Disque rather than at home, they brought in Mittag-Degala along with guitarist Evan Cheadle and multi-instrumentalist Colin Nealis to pursue a more ambitious sound featuring prominent strings, trumpet, tympani, and vibes. After completing the project they undertook a late-2023 tour of Europe and the U.K.; Any Light appeared in February 2024, prompting a subsequent headlining trek across the United States.