Press release –
Last month, Canadian indie-folk artist Ellen Braun announced her debut solo album, The Doldrums, set for release on August 22nd, and shared the title track. Recently, the Canmore-based (Ottawa-born) singer-songwriter shares not one, but two new singles, “You Had My Love” and “The Book.”
“While these songs were written about two different relationships at different times in my life,” Braun explains, “they’re each endings to love stories, one worth forgetting, and the other worth always remembering with a smile.”
Braun will perform at the Banff Centre’s 2025 AMP Sessions this July, a meaningful return to the place where she penned many of the songs that appear on The Doldrums. A respected creative force in her community, Braun was recently featured in artsPlace Canmore’s annual report (May 2025) for her successful Youth Arts Collective songwriting program, which has grown steadily in popularity. Now fully funded by the Canmore Rotary Club, the program is offered free of charge to local youth.
In 2023, Braun expanded her artistic reach with her debut one-woman show, Each and Every Song, which sold out performances in Calgary and marked her transition from songwriter to playwright. Her new album, The Doldrums, was brought to life through a successful Kickstarter campaign and completed with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. Braun will celebrate the release of The Doldrums with a Canadian tour. More info can be found at www.ellenbraunmusic.com.
“You Had My Love” and “The Book” sit on opposite ends of the love story spectrum – one unravelling slowly after years of doubt, the other flickering briefly like a dream too delicate to hold.
On “You Had My Love,” raw emotion meets quiet resolve as the protagonist moves from denial to self-realization, reclaiming her worth after losing herself in the shadow of someone else’s needs. It’s a fierce act of self-preservation – a heartbreak that doubles as liberation. In contrast, “The Book” is a gentle, wistful goodbye to a love that was never meant to last. Brief and bittersweet, it honours the connection for what it was: beautiful, ephemeral, and deeply meaningful.
Together, the songs explore the many shades of goodbye—painful, powerful, and sometimes even peaceful.
Recorded mostly live off the floor at Montreal’s legendary Hotel2Tango with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Bilerman, the tracks feature a powerful full-band performance with Stef Schneider (drums), Sage Reynolds (upright bass), Mike O’Brien (guitars), and Sarah Hiltz (harmonies and keys).
What’s The Story About The Doldrums LP?
Ellen Braun shares: “Someone once told me, “it’s not too late to change the name of your album”. Well, it is now, and I’m still happy with The Doldrums. All of these songs were written about, or during, a time of active inertia. No matter what I tried, it felt like I was just bobbing along, waiting for the wind.
But being stuck never meant I couldn’t dream. When the calm waters started to feel more like peace than prison, songs like “Nashville”, “Map Reader”, and “The Book” came along.
All of these songs were recorded in Montreal with people that I love.”
Ellen Braun is a Canadian indie-folk artist based in Canmore, Alberta, celebrated for her poignant storytelling, soulful melodies, and emotive performances. Whether solo or with her band, Trundled, Ellen connects deeply with audiences, weaving humour and intimacy into her music. Ellen has performed on iconic stages like Nashville’s Bluebird Café and opened for acclaimed artists such as Madison Violet, Craig Cardiff, John Wort Hannam, and Joey Landreth. Trundled’s 2020 album High Water, produced by Daniel Ledwell, received widespread airplay on CBC and CKUA. Her single “Inchoate” reached the top 100 in CBC’s 2018 Searchlight. A versatile artist, Ellen debuted her first play to sold-out audiences in Calgary in 2023. With a recent Canada Council grant, she’s releasing The Doldrums, her first full-length solo album, created at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Bilerman in 2025. Through resilience and storytelling, Ellen’s music leaves a lasting impact, solidifying her as a standout in Canadian folk.
