Ahead of releasing full-length The Ballad of the Runaway Girl this September, Inuk-Montrealer Elisapie has shared the album's first single.
Titled "Wolves Don't Live by the Rules," the song is described as "a tribute to survival, to nomadism and to the free spirit of the Inuit people," as well as an ode to animal life and spirituality.
The song was written by Inuk folk singer Willie Thrasher, who was a major influence on Elisapie's work; his version comes from his 1981 album Spirit Child, reissued in 2015 by Light in the Attic.
"Willie Thrasher gave me strength," she wrote in a statement. "I was finding myself in him. Somehow, his life was torn from him. He was sent to a residential school in the south. He lost his language and his traditional Inuit way of life. Willie Thrasher did not have an easy path, but he is a fighter."
The song also arrives alongside a video, featuring a collage of archival footage filmed up north in the 1960s that represents the change felt in the Inuit community during that time. You can find it in the player below.
"Wolves Don't Live by the Rules" was mixed by Howie Beck and features vocals from Joe Grass, guitarist Nicolas Basque (Plants & Animals), drummer Robbie Kuster (Patrick Watson) and saxophonist Jason Sharp.
Tour dates:
09/08 Lavaltrie, QC - Café Culturel de la Chasse-Galerie
09/20 Toronto, ON Burdock
09/27 Montréal, QC - Monument National
10/04 Sorel-Tracy, QC - Salle Georges-Codling
10/11 Longueuil, QC - Théâtre de la ville
10/12 Trois-Rivières, QC - Salle Anaïs-Allard-Rousseau
10/13 Sainte-Thérèse, QC - Cabaret BMO
11/01 Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, QC - Théâtre le Patriote
11/02 Victoriaville, QC - Carré 150
11/03 Cowansville, QC - Église Emmanuel
11/14 Rimouski, QC - Salle Desjardins-Telus
11/15 Dégelis, QC - Bistro du Centre culturel du Témiscouata
11/16 Carleton-sur-Mer, QC - Studio Hydro-Québec du Quai des Arts
11/24 Saint-Jérôme, QC - Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault
11/29 Ottawa, QC - CNA - Quatrième Salle
11/30 Laval, QC - Maison des Arts de Laval
12/01 St-Hyacinthe, QC - Espace Rona du Centre Juliette-Lassonde
12/15 Québec, QC - Grand Théâtre de Québec
01/31/19 Terrebonne, QC - Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
02/01/19 Sherbrooke, QC - Théâtre Granada
02/07/19 Gatineau, QC - Salle Jean-Desprèz
02/08/19 Ste-Geneviève, QC - Salle Pauline-Julien
02/09/19 Val-Morin, QC - Théâtre du Marais
02/26/19 Sept-Îles, QC - Salle Jean-Marc-Dion
03/01/19 Roberval, QC - Auditorium Fernand Bilodeau
03/02/19 Alma, QC - Boîte à Bleuets
03/03/19 Chicoutimi, QC - Bistro Café Summum
03/22/19 Beloeil, QC - Centre culturel de Beloeil
03/23/19 Shawinigan, QC - Salle Francis-Brisson
05/0919 Ville-Marie, QC - Théâtre du Rift
05/10/19 Val-d'Or, QC - Salle Félix-Leclerc
Titled "Wolves Don't Live by the Rules," the song is described as "a tribute to survival, to nomadism and to the free spirit of the Inuit people," as well as an ode to animal life and spirituality.
The song was written by Inuk folk singer Willie Thrasher, who was a major influence on Elisapie's work; his version comes from his 1981 album Spirit Child, reissued in 2015 by Light in the Attic.
"Willie Thrasher gave me strength," she wrote in a statement. "I was finding myself in him. Somehow, his life was torn from him. He was sent to a residential school in the south. He lost his language and his traditional Inuit way of life. Willie Thrasher did not have an easy path, but he is a fighter."
The song also arrives alongside a video, featuring a collage of archival footage filmed up north in the 1960s that represents the change felt in the Inuit community during that time. You can find it in the player below.
"Wolves Don't Live by the Rules" was mixed by Howie Beck and features vocals from Joe Grass, guitarist Nicolas Basque (Plants & Animals), drummer Robbie Kuster (Patrick Watson) and saxophonist Jason Sharp.
Tour dates:
09/08 Lavaltrie, QC - Café Culturel de la Chasse-Galerie
09/20 Toronto, ON Burdock
09/27 Montréal, QC - Monument National
10/04 Sorel-Tracy, QC - Salle Georges-Codling
10/11 Longueuil, QC - Théâtre de la ville
10/12 Trois-Rivières, QC - Salle Anaïs-Allard-Rousseau
10/13 Sainte-Thérèse, QC - Cabaret BMO
11/01 Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, QC - Théâtre le Patriote
11/02 Victoriaville, QC - Carré 150
11/03 Cowansville, QC - Église Emmanuel
11/14 Rimouski, QC - Salle Desjardins-Telus
11/15 Dégelis, QC - Bistro du Centre culturel du Témiscouata
11/16 Carleton-sur-Mer, QC - Studio Hydro-Québec du Quai des Arts
11/24 Saint-Jérôme, QC - Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault
11/29 Ottawa, QC - CNA - Quatrième Salle
11/30 Laval, QC - Maison des Arts de Laval
12/01 St-Hyacinthe, QC - Espace Rona du Centre Juliette-Lassonde
12/15 Québec, QC - Grand Théâtre de Québec
01/31/19 Terrebonne, QC - Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne
02/01/19 Sherbrooke, QC - Théâtre Granada
02/07/19 Gatineau, QC - Salle Jean-Desprèz
02/08/19 Ste-Geneviève, QC - Salle Pauline-Julien
02/09/19 Val-Morin, QC - Théâtre du Marais
02/26/19 Sept-Îles, QC - Salle Jean-Marc-Dion
03/01/19 Roberval, QC - Auditorium Fernand Bilodeau
03/02/19 Alma, QC - Boîte à Bleuets
03/03/19 Chicoutimi, QC - Bistro Café Summum
03/22/19 Beloeil, QC - Centre culturel de Beloeil
03/23/19 Shawinigan, QC - Salle Francis-Brisson
05/0919 Ville-Marie, QC - Théâtre du Rift
05/10/19 Val-d'Or, QC - Salle Félix-Leclerc