The Secret Beach is an ever-shifting group of musicians and co-conspirators orbiting around the songs of Prairie-based songwriter Micah Erenberg. The band moniker – in the same vein as groups Guided By Voices, The Byrds, and Tame Impala – helpfully points out that a songwriter is not an island (or indeed, a beach) unto themselves, and the contributions from the involved parties go a long way in making this project what it is. On their upcoming new album, We were born here, what's your excuse?, The Secret Beach pays a subtle tribute to Manitoba, reaching beyond the usual “cold and landlocked” portrayals with vivid character studies and highly relatable expressions of uncertainty, growth, and the shifting world around them. The songs fly effortlessly by, nodding to an intriguing variety of major players in the pop music canon (Dylan & The Band, Grandaddy, M. Ward, Elliott Smith), casually unfurling spools of intimate texture, hushed melodies, and a warmly inviting atmosphere that can be chalked up to a loose, organic live-band feel, a preference for vintage analog recording equipment, and spiritual guidance from legendary Planet Waves producer Rob Fraboni. Don't sleep – this is a secret that shouldn't be kept for too long.

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