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Apr 19, 2022 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Vanessa Heins

Sister Ray is the project of Canadian singer/songwriter Ella Coyes. Steeped in influences from folk, country, and indie rock, Coyes makes music that revels in the unseen and unvarnished parts of their inner world, meditating on identity, generational trauma, guilt, and recovery. These intimate folk portraits have come together on their upcoming debut album, Communion, due out May 13th via Royal Mountain Records.

With the full album out next month, Coyes has shared one last single from the record with their new song, “Good News,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Good News” evokes both light and ambling pastoral elements and dark raw turmoil, contrasting the track’s airy acoustic feel with an eerie undercurrent. Coyes’ lyrics trace the path of intergenerational trauma, offering a series of stark and plaintive lyrical vignettes. Death incarnate follows Coyes through each scene, an ever-present looming figure stalking their family. She confesses, My cousins call out in the winter / What I wish I could give them / But there’s no pedigree when we’re half breeds / Have you at least heard the good news / They said we will save you / Death meanders around the room.”

As Coyes explains: “This song is about my frustration watching me, members of my family, and the people around me experiencing issues that have affected us intergenerationally – and continue to do so – and see many suffer in silence. It’s written like a series of vignettes about a few moments that have really stood out in my memory. At first, it didn’t click with me that this song sounded so light because it felt heavy to me, but I feel now that a big part of this song is the freedom that I feel in the actual act of airing out those things that I would have willfully ignored or hidden from.”

Check out the song and video below. Communion is out May 13th via Royal Mountain Records.