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The Strumbellas break through with hit song 'Spirits'

The Juno-winning group perform from their new album, and talk about their latest hit and their rise through the music ranks.

Ontario "folk pop-grass" band The Strumbellas have been extra busy lately.

Their new album, Hope, hasn't come out yet, but the strength of their infectious tune Spirits has them performing on late-night talk shows and in high-profile events around the Grammy Awards.

There's something about Spirits that resonates with people, even on the first listen. While putting the song together, vocalist and acoustic guitarist Simon Ward was in a "downer" place himself and wanted to convey that — the words "gun" and "spirit" spoke to him on that level.

"I think there's a simplicity to the song, especially in the chorus, that makes it easy to grasp at first," Dave Ritter, who does piano, percussions and vocals for the band, tells Gill, "... we're getting a lot of Youtube comments and Facebook messages from people saying how the song's helping them through a rough time ... I think Simon kind of has this way of connecting with people with his words."

WEB EXTRA | Watch The Strumbellas perform their hit Spirits on Jimmy Kimmel Live then check out the dates for their North American tour.