Fearless

Crown Lands have always been a study in contrasts—and that goes beyond the unique cultural composition of Jewish multi-instrumentalist Kevin Comeau (he/him) and Two- Spirited Mi'kmaq singer/drummer Cody Bowles (they/them). On their 2020 self-titled debut album, Crown Lands resembled a raw blues-rock power duo harbouring latent prog- ock affinities, vacillating between dirty boogie grinds and pastoral reveries. But on Fearless, the Oshawa, Ontario, group doesn't sound so conflicted—because they've fully and unapologetically surrendered to their rock-opera ambitions. "We live in a world of 15- second bite-sized clips," Comeau tells. "But there's a storytelling format within the multi-part suite that just really captures our imagination. And that's why we're trying to preserve that art form and carry that torch."