As a long-time fan of Toronto’s Tamara Lindeman and her band The Weather Station, the announcement of her new self-titled record coming out this October was a welcome one. Back in October of 2015 I had the pleasure of premiering the lead single off her breakout album Loyalty, “Way It Is, Way It Could Be,” over at Stereogum where I then worked, and that album ended up helping put Lindeman and her North Carolina savant folkie label Paradise Of Bachelors on the map.
Lindeman kicked off this new record a couple weeks ago with the lead single “Thirty,” a track pretty obviously centered around what happened the year she turned thirty, an age that remains contentious for women, particularly those who are single. As someone who is on the brink of that dreaded age, this song is a balm and a boisterous reminder that growing older certainly doesn’t signify death.
Perhaps in a subtle nod to the pressure our society places on women in their thirties to settle down with a man, the crowd watching Lindeman in the video is completely men, and the track itself traces the story of what could’ve been a romance, but remains unsettled in the end. Watch the stark black and white clip above to get a good sense of Tamara’s skill as a live performer, and look out for more releases off her forthcoming self-titled album.
The Weather Station is out 10/6 via Paradise Of Bachelors. Pre-order it here.
