Said the Whale

Said the Whale

Said the Whale is a Vancouver indie rock band active since 2006. The group is associated with indie folk and indie rock, and its membership includes Tyler Bancroft, Jaycelyn Brown, Lincoln Hotchen, Ekali, Spencer Schoening and Ben Worcester.

History

The band is started by Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft in 2007. Its early releases include the debut EP Taking Abalonia in 2007, which is reissued in Canada in 2008 as the full-length Howe Sounds / Taking Abalonia with seven additional songs. In 2009, the band releases the EP The Magician ahead of its second full-length album, Islands Disappear.

In 2011, Said the Whale tours the United States for the first time and is the subject of the CBC documentary Winning America, directed by Brent Hodge and Thomas Buchan. The film follows the band’s journey and performances on the West Coast of North America en route to and from Austin, Texas, for SXSW Music Festival. That period also coincides with the band winning the Juno Award for New Group of the Year at the 2011 Juno Awards.

The group releases the EP New Brighton in 2011 and its third full-length album, Little Mountain, in 2012. It performs at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in 2012 and 2013. The fourth studio album, hawaiii, follows in 2013.

In 2017, the band announces its fifth album, As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide, and says that Spencer Schoening departs, leaving the group to continue as a trio. The first single is “Step Into The Darkness.” In 2018, Said the Whale signs to Arts & Crafts and releases the single “UnAmerican.” The sixth studio album, Cascadia, follows in 2019.

During 2021, the band releases several singles and videos from its next album, including “Honey Lungs,” “Everything She Touches is Gold to Me,” “Show Me Everything” and “99 to the Moon.” Tyler Bancroft also launches the record label EVERYTHING FOREVER that year, and the seventh studio album, Dandelion, is released through that label.