Since the return of live music, we’ve gotten to know La Force – the solo project of Montreal-based singer/songwriter Ariel Engle, best known as a vocalist for Broken Social Scene (Her husband, Andrew Whiteman, has been with the Canadian indie rock collective since 2001.) – quite well. La Force’s self-titled solo debut dropped in 2018, and we first met Engle in March of 2022, when she was preparing to hit the road with Leif Vollebekk, including a date at The Music Hall at World Café Live. She told us about the earliest days of La Force, some of her favorite albums, and her upcoming sophomore record, whose music was being premiered on that tour.
In the months since, XO SKELETON has received a plethora of critical praise, with The Washington Post describing it as, “lush pop and R&B tunes where warm tones swaddle heavy thoughts,” and WNYC New Sounds characterizing it as, “the junction of pop, noise, and experimental electronic music.” Single “how do you love a man” even made a fan of Maggie Rogers and apparently made Broken Social Scene alum Feist cry.
Later this week La Force kicks off a run of North American dates supporting our longtime friend Caroline Rose (who we’ve known since they were writing protest songs and performing Upstairs at World Café Live). The jaunt will have La Force playing her biggest show in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection yet, when she opens Union Transfer for Caroline Rose on Friday, April 12th, and we’re projecting it to be the most solid lineup the city has seen all year (Well… tied with Ride and The Charlatans…) We would highly recommend getting your tickets ASAP, as the last time Caroline Rose brought their own multimedia spectacle to the Eraserhood ballroom, it sold out in advance. While you’re at it, click the links above to read my two chats with Ariel Engle and check out the music video for La Force’s “outrun the sun.”
*Get your tickets here.
