If you came of age on early-2000s indie, you likely crossed paths with Josh Chicoine as frontman of The M’s, whose sharp hooks and festival-ready anthems carried them from Polyvinyl releases to stages at SXSW, Lollapalooza, ACL, and Pitchfork. In the years since, Chicoine has remained a restless presence in Chicago’s music community through projects like Sabers and Cloudbirds. Now, with Cult Canyon, he leans fully into collaboration — and into something deeper.
Cult Canyon operates less like a traditional band and more like a living, breathing collective. A revolving cast of friends and heavy-hitting collaborators — including Alison Chesney (Helen Money), Susan Voelz, and Max Crawford of Poi Dog Pondering — gives the music a rich, layered immediacy.
There’s a quiet confidence to “Real Sublime.” The track plays with an accute clarity, creating something that feels both expansive and close-up at the same time.
Cult Canyon’s debut LP (following 2024’s Golden Line EP) Smoke Tricks will be released digitally (and on limited edition vinyl via Rattleback Records) on Friday, March 13 but first they will be releasing the album’s single, “Real Sublime,” this Friday, Feb 13 and will be headlining the G-Man Tavern in Chicago that night as noted at https://gmantavern.com/event/cult-canyon/
