Featuring a blend of acoustic instruments, rural soundscapes, and wistful vocals, the breezy, atmospheric sound of indie-folk trio Great Lake Swimmers mirrors the endless shimmer of Canada’s vast open lakes​. This coming spring, the band will finally play their premiere show in Prague, bringing along the new dreamy record Caught Light.

Based in Southern Ontario, Great Lake Swimmers emerged in the early 2000s. The group's minimalist, mostly acoustic music draws on 70s folk-rock and introspective guitar songwriting, while being deeply inspired by Canadian nature and history. It’s indeed in nature’s embrace that much of GLS music is born: the band has recorded their albums in old silos, rural country churches and other forgotten architectural gems with unique acoustics and resonance, places slowly reclaimed by time. Their breakthrough record Lost Channels for instance was created in the mysterious Singer Castle on the Thousand Islands archipelago.

The band’s new, ninth studio album Caught Light is filled with shimmering melodies and melancholic vocals, accompanied by vibrant and layered instrumentation of guitars, strings, banjo, and harmonium, while its compact indie-folk sound recalls the likes of Dream Academy, Iron & Wine, or Balloon. Great Lake Swimmers will bring the new record to MeetFactory on Wednesday, April 22, as part of their upcoming European tour.

“As fans of the Great Lake Swimmers have come to expect from their work, the production and arrangements are crystal clear (impeccable, if you will). This solidifies the band’s latest LP, Caught Light, as another brilliant Great Lake Swimmers album.“ — Spill Magazine

The night will open with Paper Beat Scissors. Under this moniker, Tim Crabtree stitches delicate tapestries of songs threaded through by an unmistakable haunting voice. Alongside three albums and four EPs the Montréal/Berlin-based Brit has featured on the cover CD of Rolling Stone and been labelled "startling and beautiful" by "Whispering" Bob Harris. Crabtree has shared the stage with Martha Wainwright and Sun Kil Moon amongst many others.

The complexity of Paper Beat Scissors' music both belies and serves its simple aim: to create a point of emotional connection and communication with the listener.