‘Rags’ is a song about transgressive rage and the catharsis that is possible when it’s given permission to move freely through the body. Inspired by the X-ray photography series of co-director Justin Aranha, the ‘Rags’ video is a visual exploration of what it feels like to strip away things that no longer serve you, a theme that we see throughout the album. The video centers the “body” of the community as the vehicle through which rage can be shared, held, and transformed. Surrounded by Bria’s friends and community, a heightened collective vulnerability and connection to rage is redefined by togetherness.

From Salmena, “In writing ‘Rags’ and developing the video concept in collaboration with director Julia Hendrickson, “accommodation” revealed itself as the foundation of the rage we were both drawing inspiration from. Altering your values to accommodate external expectations was a feeling I knew all too well from my adolescence. When I realized I was losing myself, as an adult, to the same vices of external validation, I felt like an angry teenage girl all over again. As a way of reconciling this self-awareness, I sat in my bedroom and tried to write a song my fifteen-year-old self would want to hear.”

Director Julia Hendrickson shares, “When I first heard ‘Rags,’ I was moved by its raw anger, intensity, and sexuality—a fierce, youthful, and self-assured energy. I knew I wanted the video to capture those same qualities. There’s so much to be angry about right now, and Bria’s rage carves out a space where you can scream alongside her.”

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Long celebrated as the frontwoman of Canadian post-punk outfit FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s band, Salmena culminates her artistic evolution on Big Dog. Anchored by her commanding voice—alternately tender, raw, and defiant—the album traverses the terrain of vulnerability and connection, marking the arrival of an artist boldly coming into her own.

Big Dog’s sound hovers between worlds, it takes elements of hypnotic krautrock and shimmery shoegaze, opulent goth and pulsing darkwave, with a smearing of electronic textures for a sophisticated and often uncanny sound. Amidst this vast sonic landscape, Salmena’s potent lyrical imagery and vocals stand dead center, perfectly in focus.

Now, you can watch the captivating new video for the debut single ‘Stretch the Struggle’, directed by Gennelle Cruz & David May. Throughout the video, we are struck by its rebellious nature and the immediacy and power of Salmena’s performance. The surveillance motif that runs throughout the video mirrors Salmena’s own personal reckoning as she confronts the truths necessary to break free from what no longer serves her.

For Salmena, it is impossible to unlink the personal journey represented by Big Dog from the collaborative relationships that went into its creation. Salmena worked with producer and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Hay Jennings in both FRIGS and Orville Peck’s band. Jennings, who is not only Salmena’s closest creative collaborator but also her closest friend, wroteBig Dog with Salmena over several years, during which Salmena was based in LA and Jennings in Toronto. Before Big Dog, the two gave classic and modern Americana songs a goth-y dream pop treatment on Salmena’s Cuntry Covers EPs.

Graham Walsh (Holy F**k, METZ, Debby Friday, Alvvays) helped the pair further refine their budding mix of rock and electronic music, while Meg Remy (of critically acclaimed experimental pop project U.S. Girls) focused primarily on Salmena’s vocals. Remy helped coax out the unforgettable performances that lie at the center of Big Dog through a series of cathartic meetings, pushing Salmena to dig even more deeply into the meaning of her lyrics and really think about different ways of using her voice. As Big Dog came together, it became apparent that Salmena’s songwriting had taken a raw and intimate turn, going well beyond her and Jennings’ work on their prior EPs. Big Dog features additional contributions from alternative rock icon Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar on the song “See’er.”

Big Dog:

1. Drastic
2. Backs of Birds
3. Closer to You
4. Hammer
5. Radisson
6. Twilight
7. On the Line
8. Stretch the Struggle
9. Rags
10. See’er
11. Peanut
12. Water Memory

The post Bria Salmena announces debut album Big Dog alongside new single/video ‘Stretch The Struggle’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

‘Bending Over Backwards’ is a hazy, euphoric song with a pulsing trance-like beat and anthemic chorus, showcasing Salmena’s range as a vocalist. “It’s about some crazy life experiences that I’ve had in the past four years and the work that it takes to go into chaos and come out of it,” she says. Describing the song as “a manic conversation with myself,” Salmena developed different vocal styles for the different parts, pushing herself to sing in an uncomfortable falsetto for the verses, demonstrating her heartfelt desire to embrace change and discomfort in pursuit of artistic authenticity.

Directed by Talvi Faustmann, you can watch the official video for ‘Bending Over Backwards’ below.

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