One of Kingston’s newest musical acts, Bad Fortune, are establishing themselves quickly and in a big way.

This indie-folk duo of Max Tinline and Piper Noelle (Pip, Mobius Trip) can be self described as “warm, dreamy and granola” offering listeners an emotional range of acoustic stylings that will definitely catch your ear. The pair have been playing regularly in Kingston for several months, and have been recently added to the lineup for Spring Reverb in late May.

A multi-instrumentalist, Tinline—formerly of Kingston-based indie rock acts Hinterwood and Willy Nilly—currently plays lead guitar with The Wilderness. “Max had invited me to the studio that The Wilderness had been building to show each other some folk songs we had both been writing," recalls Noelle. "We quickly realized that we basically share a brain creatively – we literally finish each other’s sentences.” And voila! Bad Fortune was both conceived and born that fateful night.

Not only did the pair strike a creative partnership, but the session also produced Bad Fortune's first song, and now, their debut single: Muscle Memory (independent).

“Muscle Memory is about trying to shake that feeling of familiarity that comes after a breakup," says Tinline of the new single. "The songwriting process started at the chorus, with the theme of wanting to give your all to that one person, but not being able to anymore.”

Muscle Memory certainly lives up to the duo's warm and dreamy label. It's highly listenable with a catchiness that's nearly impossible to shake after a first listen. It's refreshingly authentic and intimate. “We’re striving for relatability, while also trying to be honest and vulnerable in our lyrics," Tinline explains. "We want our listeners to feel close to us through our music.”

With a potential full album in the works, their collaboration, at the very least, won't stop at one single. “My favourite thing about this release is that it’s not only the first song we wrote together, but it also feels like a good summary of the sound we’re going for on the record," predicts Tinline. "If you like Muscle Memory, you’re going to love what we have in store for the foreseeable future.”

In a stroke of good fortune, Bad Fortune has been slotted in to open for Canadian alt-folk legend Fred Eaglesmith on May 31 as part of Kingston's Spring Reverb festival. Details can be found here: web link Posted: Apr 7, 2024