Perry's Pen

*this post is AI-generated.

Canada’s vast landscapes—from the howling prairies to the Atlantic gales—have made “the wind” a constant muse for our independent and alternative artists. While legends like Ian Tyson and Neil Young popularized the theme with “Four Strong Winds,” the independent scene today offers some haunting and beautiful variations on the concept.

At the same time, Canada’s independent music scene has a long history of using the wind as a central theme, capturing everything from the biting cold of the north to the restless energy of the prairies.

Here are five songs about the wind by independent (or fiercely independent-leaning) Canadian artists:

1. “East Wind” – Caley Watts

Caley Watts is a Cree singer-songwriter from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. This track is a masterclass in atmospheric folk-soul. It starts as a quiet, introspective piece and builds into a powerful storm of electric guitar, using the “East Wind” as a striking metaphor for emotional upheaval and personal change.

2. “That Wind” – Jade Turner

Hailing from Manitoba, Jade Turner is a celebrated Indigenous country-folk artist. In this track, she captures the essence of the Canadian Prairies, where the wind is a constant, almost sentient presence. It’s a song about listening to your roots and finding the strength to move forward when the “wind calls out your name.”

3. “Wind Blows” – Yukon Blonde

Originally from Kelowna, BC, Yukon Blonde represents the more “indie-rock” side of this list. This song captures a restless, West Coast energy. While it features their signature psych-pop harmonies, the lyrics deal with the isolation and the sound of the wind rattling against a window during a storm.

4. “Cold Wind” – Arcade Fire

Before they were headlining arenas, Arcade Fire released this haunting track for the Six Feet Under soundtrack. It perfectly encapsulates the “Montreal Sound” of the early 2000s—it’s sparse, eerie, and echoes the biting, whistling chill of a Canadian winter wind blowing through an empty street.

5. “I Am the Wind” – Stompin’ Tom Connors

Stompin’ Tom was the quintessential independent artist, famously avoiding major labels and corporate influence to tell Canadian stories his own way. This is one of his most poetic songs; rather than his usual upbeat anthems, this is a beautiful personification of the wind as it travels from the Rockies to the Maritimes.