The Flower Painters - The Flower Painters
Self-Released
Released on October 13th, 2025
I work in a media studies program at a university, but my students aren’t exactly rushing into my office to give me their music recommendations; I’m the prof, they don’t want the old guy to ruin their new thing. I can’t say I blame them. That’s probably the biggest perk about writing for CnC Network. It means getting to listen to new, independent Canadian artists that I probably would never get to hear otherwise, like The Flower Painters. Our illustrious editor Jeff sent me a note saying, “I think you’re going to like this”, and it turns out he was right. Not only did this album introduce me to a new band but also to the wide-reaching solo catalogues of two of the three members.
The band is the latest collaboration between singer and guitarist Owen Davies and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Isaac Vallentin. Each has done work on the other’s solo records, like Davies’ 2024 release Heavy Songwriting and Vallentin’s excellent 2022 Juma. However, The Flower Painters is their first formalized partnership. Rounding out the trio is Mike Bigelow, bassist in Wintersleep and one of the founding members of Contrived, which makes The Flower Painters something of an east coast supergroup. Their self-titled debut is nearly flawless, a blend of 70s era psychedelic-tinged folk rock and the shaggier, introspective side of mid-00s Canadian indie. Davies’ voice reminds me of a cross between Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) and Warren Spicer from Plants and Animals, another east coast trio whose debut album never wore out its welcome.
The lyrics pick up on familiar themes from both Davies’ and Vallentin’s solo works, emphasizing love, grief and slices of rural life, which given their history from small towns in PEI should come as no surprise. These are not city songs, but it’s definitely not country music.
The opening track “Quasi” sets the mood with a drum beat that makes you want to strut (a phrase I never thought I could write with a straight face - just listen and you’ll understand. There isn’t another word to describe it). Another early standout is “Can”, which may or may not have been an intentional nod to the Krautrock pioneers of the same name based on the motorik beat that drives it. It’s definitely inside my top 10 Canadian songs of 2025, a surging rush of heartbroken, yearning energy that almost threatens to overwhelm the otherwise quiet, introspective songs that follow it. Owen’s voice nearly rips apart as the song races to the finish.
“Itch”, the 4th track was released ahead of the album’s release and it’s easy to see why. It’s layered, beautiful but also deceptively simple, with a chord progression that sounds immediately familiar. But as strong as side 1 is, The Flower Painters peaks on side 2, with a 4-song run starting with “Egg” and finishing with “Help” that shows the promise and potential of this collaboration.
It’s a shame there is so little press or media presence to support them. There is no tour information, minimal social media engagement and only a brief post on Vallentin’s personal substack page. Hopefully this isn’t a one-off and they’ll hit the road together soon. I’d love to hear these songs live, not just on my headphones.