Rumour Mill is an independent Canadian band headed by Aline Daigle (violin/vocals) and Anna Katarina (piano/vocals). Lifelong friends, the pair blended their classical jazz training with modern spirits to create an effervescent cocktail of indie-pop with strong twists of folk and country – influenced by the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Haim, The Bros Landreth and Maggie Rogers.
Whether performing as a duo, trio, or 5-piece, hallmarks of their distinct sound include plush vocal harmonies, violin, keyboard, and driving grooves, with lyrics that weave the listener through an exploration of timeless themes, such as heartache, joy, love, and adventure.
Their debut EP Daylight’s Free, released in April 2019, quickly earned respect and attention on the international stage – leading to a nomination for Artist of the Year in the 2019 Kootenay Music Awards, Top 100 in CBC Searchlight, and a full scholarship to the 2020 Folk Alliance Conference in New Orleans. While consistently charting on US radio stations, their catalogue has also recently been licensed by 13 television networks, including Discovery, Oprah, TLC, MTV, A&E, and E!TV.
Their follow-up EP Gone With The Wine – which was entirely self-engineered, mixed, and produced – was recently released in September 2020.
On the band’s new release, “Whiskey,” the duo harmonize together with precision, evoking an old-time jazz duet. With mandolin flourishes and wry lyrics, Rumour Mill bring a modern-day problem into the past.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Finish the song – whether or not you think it’s good. It’s so easy to judge ourselves at the beginning or middle of the process, which is too bad because if you shelf an idea too soon, who knows what it could have become!
What are some of the best venues you’ve played? Why?
The Capitol Theatre (Nelson BC), UTOPiA Festival (Austin, TX) were two of the best shows we’ve done. The sound, audience, weather… everything felt aligned. We can’t wait to play at both venues again!
What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
Aline’s was Avril Lavigne, Anna’s was Nelly Furtado…. the common denominator is that the opener for both concerts was Swollen Members. Our moms had to tell us what the band name meant.
Have you ever been given something remarkable by a fan?
We have a fan (now a friend) who has hand crafted us acoustic instruments (guitar, mandolin). These are incredible gifts, not only because the instruments themselves are wonderful, but it means someone believes in us and our music enough to put that much time and effort into building us something beautiful.
Recent release you cannot stop listening to?
Allison Russell’s Outside Child!