Multiple award-nominated country artist and director, actor & writer, Wes Mack is back with his third studio EP, Hummingbird. The 6-track project (in addition to a demo version of “Ain’t Got You” and an alternate version of “Lookin For You”) navigates relatable themes such as small-town living, grief & loss, regret, heartbreak and change. “The EP has already garnered early success for the artist, with the previously released single, “Ain’t Got You” earning him a #1 hit on SiriusXM and landing multiple sync placements in film & TV properties” (PR Team).
Recently, I spoke with Wes Mack about his start in the music industry, his latest EP and more.
Kyla Pearson: For those who are unfamiliar with you and your music, can you tell us a bit more about how you got your start in music? Why did you decide to pursue pop/alt-country music specifically?
Wes Mack: Well I got into music when I was quite young. I started a band when I was 13 with two guys I was playing on a hockey team with. That band stayed together for 8 years. It was a blast, and also taught me a lot about the whole world of music. You learn a lot doing everything yourself and I’ve been fortunate to carry those lessons forward into my solo career. I released my first solo single in 2013 with no label, no management and no agent and after a lot of work and a lot of luck the song broke the top 10 on the billboard charts for country. That started my career in a commercial way and has allowed me to tour back and forth across the country playing with a ton of artists that I have a lot of respect for. I’m grateful for that. You appreciate playing a sold out arena with Shania Twain when you’ve spent 10 plus years playing empty bars. It’s a journey.
Kyla Pearson: What are the primary messages you wish to share through your music? Why is this message important to you?
Wes Mack: I dunno that I have a singular message across my music. Each song likely has its own agenda and I kind of love that people will all take whatever they take from each one of them. I think that’s the magic of music. Everyone hears their own version of the song and it allows you to reach so many different people. I’ve been lucky to hear from fans over the years just how much some of my songs have meant to them and that always feels really good. Be it being the anthem soundtrack to a happy road trip or the lifeline deep cut that gets someone through a bad time. That’s what I aim to make. As for bigger messaging, I guess as an artist as a whole I’m always hoping to advance ideas of equality, respect and kindness and I try to bring that to my social media and generally how I conduct myself.
Kyla Pearson: On Oct. 20th, you released your third studio album, Hummingbird. Consisting of 6 tracks, the EP covers themes such as love, loss, change and isolation. Did the recent COVID-19 pandemic/lockdowns play a role in the subjects you covered? Additionally, can you tell us a bit more about each of the songs?
Wes Mack: Yes, indeed entirely. I think, like many people, I experienced a huge change in life and that entirely affected the themes and tone of the album. As for a bit of a track by track, I leave it up to anyone listening to find what they mean to them. But here are a couple little anecdotes on the creation of Hummingbird…
TRACK BY TRACK
1. Don’t Change
The album’s first track, “Don’t Change”, was the first to be recorded, back in March 2020, with the early pandemic lockdown in full swing. With flights home cancelled, a weekend trip to my cabin became a four month stay. Pulling a number of mothballed pieces of recording gear out from an old wood shed, I built an impromptu recording studio in the woods, and recorded “Don’t Change” – an atmospheric anthem about holding onto the essential loves in life when everything else is shifting beneath you.
2. That’s My Country
The final track recorded on Hummingbird, and the final single to be released, “That’s My Country” comes full circle to my cabin where the journey of the record began. So much of the pandemic was about finding anchors through strange times and this song zooms in on that, detailing the authentic people, places and memories that define the basics of life and the place where we created this EP.
3. Ain’t Got You
It’s a funny and petty story. One evening I co-wrote the song “Bleed Country” with my good friend and talented artist David Boyd Janes. The next morning, I woke up and thought, “Sh*t, I gave away one of my good ones.” I laughed. But wanting to reconcile this, I wrote “Ain’t Got You” alone over the next 20 minutes and a bowl of Froot Loops, telling a profoundly heart-wrenching story of regret and loss, living life without the person you love most. Both songs ended up topping the SiriusXM charts, so in the end, it was a productive bowl of cereal. Dan Swinimer also went on to produce both tracks and it brought us together in that capacity, which has been wonderful.
4. Lookin For You
An upbeat anthem of searching for love in a wild world, Lookin For You, came together on a fall songwriter trip to the mountains with the who’s who of Canadian country music (and me!). Co-writers on the song include Dunner from The Washboard Union, Tyler Joe Miller, and Dan Davidson.
5. House of Love
A sweet and heartfelt song celebrating the key chapters in a relationship, through the lens of a single house turned home. House of Love, was produced and recorded entirely by myself, playing all instruments. This song is actually perhaps one of the most personal ones lyrically but I’ll leave it to anyone listening to puzzle it all out.
6. Be Without You
Perhaps the biggest departure in sound for me, and my favourite track on the album, Be Without You is an ethereal Lofi hip-hop/alt-pop infused ballad of life after loss and all the ways we try to cope. I’m also the sole producer and player of instruments on the track, closing out the album in a sonic wall of ghostly strings, pianos, synths and voices that pulse and shimmer off into the distance.
Kyla Pearson: The EP was a collaborative effort, with you penning songs with Karen Kosowski, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood & Victoria Banks. Can you tell us a bit more about the songwriting process behind the tracks? What was it like writing with some of the leading songwriters in country music today?
Wes Mack: I love co-writing. It can be a ton of fun and it allows you to get outside your own trappings and the corners I find I paint myself into when I write alone. I’ve learned a lot from co-writing over the years and the people you just listed are all such talented creators and I think I’ve picked up something from each of them. It was a wonderful experience and keeps you feeling fresh and inspired. I think I touched on a few of the writing anecdotes in the section above on the track by track.
Kyla Pearson: Hummingbird was produced by Dan Swimmer & Jordan Oorebeek. What was it like working with them? Can you also tell us a bit more about the EP’s recording and production process?
Wes Mack: Jordan and Dan have been good friends of mine for many years so it was an easy and fun working relationship. Jordan has actually worked on virtually every piece of music I’ve ever released which makes our communication feel really tight, and we always have a lot of fun and just push each other creatively.
I also produced a couple of the tracks myself and had Jordan mix them, so that was a lot of fun and a first for me. And Dan is someone I’ve written with for years and have so much love and respect for. He is such a champion of artists and he does a great job building you up and making you feel confident and supported. Was a blast to work with him as a producer for the first time.
This album was unconventional due to the era, and was a ton of sending things back and forth over the internet since Covid shut many traditional studio moments down. But in the end I grew to love the modular build of the album and working on it in pieces wherever I was, be it in a cabin in the middle of nowhere or in my bedroom or studio in busy Vancouver. There’s inspiration to be found all over.
Kyla Pearson: The project took approx. 3 years to come to fruition. Now that it’s finally out in the world, how does it feel to see it all come together? How does it demonstrate your growth both as an artist and songwriter since your last two albums?
Wes Mack: It feels good to have it come together. There were some really tense times in this EP’s construction, owing mainly to things going on in my life, and in the world in general. Some days I loved leaning into music as solace from everything going on. And other days I wanted to forget about it entirely. And then still on other days, I found myself having a total blast and feeling really bright and happy about music and being creative. It was quite the ride.
In terms of growth, I think I just continue to try new things both as a writer/artist and as a producer.
Each of my albums feels like a little cross-section of my life for the years they were created. This one was frenetic, chaotic, sometimes beautiful and always on the move. Hence the title (which also refers to a hummingbird that visited my studio window nearly every day while I was working on this).
Kyla Pearson: According to you, what is the ideal setting for fans to listen to the EP in order to fully experience it?
Wes Mack: That one I leave up to them. Much like the meaning of the songs, the location is where it finds you and where you need it to. I love that music can hit you anywhere and often the first place you hear it kind of imprints into your brain when you listen later.
Two of my favourite albums jump to mind when I think of locations that certain music takes me to. Grade 10 driving around in the rain in my truck cranking Nirvana’s Nevermind. I was depressed but the raw sadness and anger in that album made me feel part of something collective in my feelings. Anytime I hear it now I’m right back there.
The other is being on a boat in South America off the coast of the Galapagos Islands listening to the Lit album A Place in the Sun on my Discman. Can’t re-listen to it now without being back there in my mind. I love that. I hope my EP finds a home in people’s lives, wherever they are.
Kyla Pearson: Do you have any upcoming shows where fans can hear you play the tracks off of Hummingbird live?
Wes Mack: Nothing to announce right now…There will be some coming. But for now, I’ll be singing some songs in the new Christmas film this December, titled, Cape Holly Christmas!
Listen to the Hummingbird Album Now:
Stay up to Date with Wes Mack:
Instagram: @wesmackmusic
Facebook: @WesMackMusic
Twitter: @wesmackmusic
Website: http://wesmackmusic.com/
Mack, Wes. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Oct 30 2023.
PR team. “Multi-talented Country Artist Wes Mack To Release New EP Hummingbird on October 20th” Oct 4 2023. Press Release.
Unknown. “Featured: Multiple award-nominated country artist, Wes Mack.” Photo courtesy of PR team. Accessed Nov 21 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Multiple award-nominated country artist, Wes Mack.” Photo courtesy of PR team. Accessed Nov 21 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Multiple award-nominated country artist, Wes Mack.” Photo courtesy of PR team. Accessed Nov 21 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Multiple award-nominated country artist, Wes Mack.” Photo courtesy of PR team. Accessed Nov 21 2023.
Unknown. “Featured: Official cover art for Wes Mack’s third studio EP, Hummingbird”. Photo courtesy of PR Team. Accessed Nov 21 2023.
