Said the Whale revel in the power of direct songwriting

Sometimes, the most effective way to tackle a song is to write from an honest and direct place. This is most evident in Vancouver band Said the Whale's latest album, As Long as Your Eyes Are Wide (out now). 

The songs on the band's new album take on difficult topics, like a miscarriage member Tyler Bancroft went through with his partner, or the death of a friend, but Bancroft and bandmate Ben Worcester say it's a cathartic process.

"I feel a great responsibility," Bancroft says, of the track "Emily Rose," dedicated to the band's friend who died in a car accident. Careful to treat a song like this with respect, the band reached out to friends of Emily's, asking for permission to record and release this tribute. "I feel like I don't own the song; it's a song for Emily and it's a song for her closest friends and family — thankfully, they were very moved by the song." 

Web extra: below are more photos from Said the Whale's live session in the q studios. 

— Produced by Mitch Pollock