Joel RL Phelps & the Downer Trio

'Gala' (album stream)

BY Matthew RitchiePublished Sep 30, 2013

It's been nearly a decade since we last received any new material from former Silkworm guitarist/vocalist Joel RL Phelps and his backup band the Downer Trio. But after a nine-year hiatus, the Vancouver-based country-fried rockers have returned with Gala. You can hear the album now ahead of its October 8 release on Triple Crown Audio in Canada and 12XU in the U.S.

Recorded by Troy Glessner (Propagandhi, Pedro the Lion), the album picks up where 2004's Customs left off, weaving an audio tapestry of introspective folk tunes and fractured guitars against Phelps's characteristic yelps and fuzz-laden riffs.

Check out the 12-track album in all its sonic glory in the player below.

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