blind commentary: Saskatoon emogaze and the debut album greatsword, out November 1
There's a particular kind of dread that only the prairies can produce — flat land, big sky, and the feeling that the horizon is thinking about you. Saskatoon's blind commentary have spent the last few years turning that feeling into songs, and their debut album greatsword arrives November 1.
The band came together around 2022, built around songwriter Sam Thomson. The origin story is gloriously DIY: Thomson found his first collaborator on BandMix, then recruited the rest of the lineup — Liam Jones on bass, Liam Swenson on drums, Malcolm Stensrud — through social media posts, including a now-legendary "does anyone know how to play bass?" Their first statement was the June 2024 EP Eyes Open and Staring, a '90s-influenced alternative record made while the band talked openly about pushing toward something bigger and more cohesive. Two years later, the full-length is here.
greatsword is eight tracks, recorded, mixed, and mastered at Fairmont Studios, available for pre-order now on the band's Bandcamp ($11 CAD, with two tracks streaming immediately). Exclaim! featured the band in its October 2026 New Faves roundup, tagging them "bold emogaze" and naming Slint, Title Fight, and Joyce Manor as points of reference — a useful map for what happens on lead single "bury your horses."
The track is a two-minute pressure cooker: a tranquil opening that detonates into a thunderous middle before dissolving into disruptive final guitar licks. The lyrics sit inside plainspoken fear — "i'm just scared, of my—" on loop — while the band plays like isolation is something you can make loud enough to share. Follow-up single "trapped in the walls" pulls the same trick from the opposite direction, all claustrophobia and pushed-away friends. It's emo in the truest sense: the hidden crannies of the psyche, examined at volume.
Live: If you're anywhere near Saskatoon, circle Friday, November 6. blind commentary is celebrating the release at the Green Room with Calgary math-rock outfit Still There and Winnipeg post-rock band Fencing. It's all ages, and it reads like a proper coronation for the prairie scene.
Start here: Stream "bury your horses." and "trapped in the walls" on Bandcamp, then pre-order greatsword so the full eight tracks land in your library on November 1.
Where to follow: The band's Bandcamp (blindcommentaryband.bandcamp.com) is the hub — music, pre-orders, and updates all live there. Release-show details and tickets are on the Showpass event page.