Pranatricks

‘Prana’ Sanskrit for life force. It is binding and built upon breath. We are immersed in the power of our being continuously. ‘Tricks are for kids’, but life’s playfulness is not always apparent. Perhaps there is a formula for living with ease, discovering truth, and reflecting upon it; in an attempt, ultimately, to find freedom and justice within the exterior world.

In 2020 Pranatricks’ duty to explore the creative in order to operate in the outer world emerged. There, in that space, presented a retreat from the complexities, division and despair of the present global circumstances. With the inner work established, Pranatricks was ready to open the door and reveal his expression to the world. His first album ‘Cherished’ is a collection of songs that is meant to reflect the barest version of expression he could find. In composition it is simple and knocks loudly at the core of what is truth for him, much like a personal invitation to that creative refuge. The songs reflect the difficulties of wrestling with the unknown, they explore social justice issues and continually remind us to find lightness, both in frequency and weight, in as many moments as possible. Ultimately, we all long to be free; cherish those moments and keep discovering as many of them as possible. It’s there, when the veil of the outer world lifts, even if only for a moment, that we glimpse the implausibility of nature and a truer connection to our innate divinity.

Pranatricks spent 2022 releasing singles from his debut album, playing festivals and gigs including the Filberg and Woodstove Festivals and opening for the Indie Folk sensations Jon and Roy.  His album ‘Cherished’ received early praise from the music blog Indie Boulevard as ‘Best Album of 2022.’ The album charted on Earshot for 11 weeks including a number one position on CJSF 90.1fm in Burnaby, BC and placed in the top 50 of the Earshot National Charts for the week ending May 2nd, 2023. Noteable press includes an interview from Read Range and coverage from numerous music blogs including Last Day Deaf, York Calling, Indie for Bunnies, The Wild is Calling etc.

Beginning in the summer of 2023, only a few months after his debut album ‘Cherished’ was released in full, Pranatricks began following a release schedule that featured six singles off of his second album ‘Elements of’. The album is a significant departure stylistically from his debut album which garnered the artist attention throughout the Canadian Indie Folk scene and beyond. Stylistically, ‘Elements of’ deliberately departs from the acoustic genre and moves more toward the psychedelic ambiance that was hinted at in his first album. The production is fuller and ventures into the alternative, indie and psychedelic landscapes, referencing influences such as Khurangbin, Kurt Vile, Feist and Chad VanGaalen as highlighted through textural layered synths, crunched up electric guitars, and numerous haunting echoed vocal lines.  The effort is meant to reflect a deeper and darker dive into more nuanced elements of a continuous theme of Self-reflection. In an unwavering effort towards the artist's intention of Self-understanding, in which his first album was noted for, Pranatricks returns to guide the listener through a personal creative refuge of past experiences, future ambitions and reflections from the present.

Similar to his first album, many of the songs themselves are snapshots of the artists’ experience from another time. Digging into several hard drives and revamping ideas conceived and collected over the past 15 years, Pranatricks applies a current formula for extracting and reworking the ideas, ultimately creating a meandering sonic landscape into the unknown. Contrived of instruments that he no longer owns, captured in jam spaces that he once inhabited, there are elements of the past and present that provide a glimpse into the artists’ insatiable quest for truth. Much like gazing through a window into the night sky, the light from stars reflected upon us is representative of a cosmic timeline that weaves past and present realities, while creating a sense of vast possibilities. In that space the album provides a venue for expanding the belonging of the indie singer songwriter genre while incorporating alternative folk familiarities from his first album. ‘Elements of’ will be released on April 4th, 2024.