Toronto, Ontario-based indie folk collective Octoberman celebrate their twentieth anniversary with Chutes, their seventh full-length album. The band around singer-songwriter Marc Morrissette sounds more grounded than ever—understated but richly textured, intimate yet expansive.
The twelve tracks, recorded live to tape, feel unhurried and deeply human. Half the material comes from rediscovered demos, the other half from new sketches on aging, endings, and new beginnings—they flow between perspectives but are unified by a thread of curiosity and compassion.
It is all expressed in a meaningful way—”We used to spend our lives // Just trying to survive // But now we’re lost in these afterthoughts” (from We Used to Talk of Death)—and atmospherically delivered. While the opening track claims that Harry Nilsson said it best, Octoberman doesn’t have to be modest—it’s not hard to lose yourself in the 41 minutes that Chutes lasts.
Chutes, produced by Jarrett Bartlett and Marc Morrissette, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Ishmalia Records. Featuring songwriter Marc Morrissette (guitar, microKorg, vocals), J.J. Ipsen (rhodes piano, guitar), Annelise Noronha (accordion, banjo, guitar, vocals), Tavo Diez de Bonilla (bass, vocals), and Marshall Bureau (drums, vibraphone).