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May 09, 2024 By Mark Redfern Photography by Dylan Taylor

Toronto-based duo Ducks Ltd. released a new album, Harm’s Way, in February via Carpark. Now they have shared a new song, “When You’re Outside,” that was recorded during the Harm’s Way sessions but didn’t end up on the album. It features backing harmonies from Julia Steiner (of Ratboys) and Margaret McCarthy (of Moontype). Listen below, followed by the band’s tour dates.

Ducks Ltd. is Tom McGreevy and Evan Lewis.

McGreevy had this to say about the single in a press release: “This was one we wrote pretty early in the process for Harm’s Way, which was a period when a lot of country-leaning ideas were working their way into our arrangements. I’d demoed the harmonies in the chorus (badly), and when we were working on backing vocals with Julia and Margaret they immediately understood what we were trying to do and really elevated it. The song didn’t end up quite fitting in the sequence for the album, but it does a couple things we’ve never done before in a Ducks song so I’m glad we’re finding a way to put it out. It’s about trying to support someone who is making that difficult to do. Unconditional love in a sense. Or at least love with limited conditions.”

Harm’s Way is the follow-up to Modern Fiction, which came out in 2021 via Carpark and was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2021.

McGreevy had this to say about the rest of the tracks on the album in a previous press release: “They’re songs about struggling. About watching people I care for suffer, and trying to figure out how to be there for them. And about the strain of living in the world when it feels like it’s ready to collapse.”

Ducks Ltd. previously shared the album’s first single “The Main Thing,” via a music video. “The Main Thing” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared its second single, “Hollowed Out,” via a music video (it was also one of our Songs of the Week). The album’s third single, “Train Full of Gasoline,” was also one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared the album’s fourth single, “Heavy Bag,” via a lyric video. It was also one of our Songs of the Week.

Dave Vettraino (Deeper, Lala Lala, Dehd) produced the album, which was recorded in Chicago.

Read our The End interview with Tom McGreevy.

Ducks Ltd. Tour Dates:

5/11 - Esch/Alzette, LU @ Out Of The Crowd Festival
5/14 - Porto, PT @ CCOP
5/15 - Lisbon, PT @ Musicbox
5/17 - Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
5/18 - London, UK @ Shacklewell Arms (DJ set)
5/19 - Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds
5/20 - Liverpool, UK @ Stockroom
5/21- Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
5/22 - Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
5/23 - Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
5/24 - Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall All Dayer
5/25 - Bristol, UK @ Dot to Dot
5/26 - Nottingham, UK @ Dot to Dot
5/27 - London,UK @ Moth Club
5/29 - Tours, FR @ Oxford Pub
5/30 - Rennes, FR @ L’UBU
5/31 - Paris, FR @ Block Party
6/1 - Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Coopérative de Mai
6/4 - Amiens, FR @ La Peniche
6/5 - Antwerpen, BE @ Trix
6/6 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
6/21 - Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s ^
6/22 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory Baker Falls ^
7/10 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah*
7/11 - Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room*
7/12 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon*
7/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop~
7/17 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
7/18 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
8/22 - Toronto, ON @ Longboat Concert Hall

^with Kiwi Jr.
*with Mo Dotti
~with Mo Dotti & Chime School

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