With her skill in carving melodies and shreddable moments from rock foundations, songwriter Skye Wallace is an expert at proving herself in every room, at every turn. Wallace knows the way is paved with second-guessers, and encounters with unsolicited advisors are plentiful in this world. In truth, the harshest critic is usually within.
Shaped by an upbringing of constant motion, with collapse and rebuilding at the core, Wallace is at home with the idea that change, especially in oneself, is a constant. This truism has shaped her new songs, finished during lockdown but dealing with a time when staying in one place was wishful thinking. For Wallace, there’s both comfort and conflict in remembering and reconciling the versions of herself formed at the many stops along the way.
Wallace’s breakout single, about the frustrations of fighting against the glass ceiling, made a statement by cracking the Canadian alternative radio chart. Early credentials, including a Globe and Mail “Best 4 Canadian Albums in the World” nod in 2019, a steady stream of shows with powerhouse rockers like Crown Lands and Matt Mays and a deal with Six Shooter Records, have Wallace ready for what’s next.
In new song “Truth Be Told,” a searching, slashing acid-tongued rocker, Wallace decodes the signals sent from previous selves to make sense of the whole. A hard look gut-check with squalling guitars, Wallace’s brand of introspection is more disruptive than meditative. From tumult, comes acceptance, and with that, the confidence to answer the question: “Am I enough?”