Rock, Pop

Acadian powerpop quartet Sluice presents a history lesson, a love letter to home, and a fist-pumping banger with Archiviste, the most fun you could possibly have learning about niche Nova Scotian Acadian history while soaking in your 1990s nostalgia—Gin Blossoms on speed (but make it nerdy).

Written on the heels of a series of research residencies at the Argyle Township Court House and Archives in Tusket digging through hundreds of years of newspapers, manuscripts, property records, and photos, the album presents a collection of stories that document a largely unknown past anchored in the oldest Acadian region in the whole world. Nudging facts next to feelings, the award-winning band mixes a wide-range of influences - from Weezer to Motörhead, the Ramones to the Lemonheads, Thin Lizzy to Jimmy Eat World - to document a resilient, proud, and exceptional part of the world whose history is well-known (to some), but only at the surface.

The follow-up to Sluice’s 2021 debut Le succ​ès par le travail, Archiviste was tracked with a high sheen in Toronto with Thomas D’Arcy at Taurus Recording (Neko Case, The Darcys, Yukon Blonde), mixed for the rafters by Jay Dufour (Ria Mae, Tokyo Police Club, Avril Lavigne), and produced by AA Wallace (Sleepless Nights, Cheval).