Established nearly twenty years ago, The Weather Station is a unique musical project out of Ontario, Canada, which immediately stands out. Led by Tamara Lindeman and assisted by a band of other players, she is a multi-talented artist, songwriter, musician, and vocalist. Alternatively known as Tamara Hope, she also has a lengthy list of acting credits in her name. Truly fascinating, with The Weather Station, Lindeman has continued to grow with each passing release, starting with the 2009 self-released debut album The Line.
Performing in the realm of Folk Rock, upon a first listen to Lindeman and The Weather Station, you cannot help but think of others like Joni Mitchell, Paula Cole, or Jewel. All unique in their own right, what each has in common with The Weather Station is a natural approach to songwriting that lets the songs tell a story, often stripped down to an acoustic guitar and a voice. Very personal and inviting, as mentioned, The Weather Station has grown with each passing album, and in 2021, the powerful and dynamic Ignorance truly captured a larger audience. A record that found The Weather Station makes lists for the best album of the year across various publications, the 2022 follow-up How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars earned two Adult Alternative Album of the Year nominations at the Juno Awards of 2023.
All well-deserved acclaim, now in 2025, The Weather Station returns with Humanhood. Their seventh overall studio album, the new release, arrived on January 17th through the American independent record label Fat Possum, full of color and wonder. Co-produced by Lindeman with Marcus Paquin, the supporting cast providing instrumentation includes Karen Ng on saxophone, clarinet, and flute, Kieran Adams on drums, Phillippe Melanson on drums, Ben Boye on piano, Ben Whiteley on piano, drums, and synth, among many others. Together, creating a collection of songs that mix Jazz, Rock, Folk, and Pop into one interesting hybrid, you cannot help but find each song on Humanhood intriguing.
Often sounding light and relaxing, but with enough energy to keep you moving, the reward is discovering new sounds around each corner. However, at the core of the interesting and attention-grabbing array of musical notes are lyrics that beg us all to question who we are, our purpose, and our humanity. Done so in a self-reflective fashion, it does not preach to the listener but merely asks them to develop their own thoughts about what truly matters. What exactly is that? Well, it is different for each of us. Still, you have to think that the emotion provoked by The Weather Station’s Humanhood is one that should hopefully ground listeners toward a more humble, empathic state, which is the conscience of their surroundings.
There is a lot to think about there, but you need not be intimidated by the Humanhood because the musicality is so smooth that you will likely feel more relaxed and anxious. With this in mind, some stunning listens amidst the thirteen tracks include “Neon Signs, “Mirror,” and the addictive “Window.” Beyond these, you also cannot overlook the freestyle tune “Irreversible Damage” with distant voices tucked under the music and the enchanting “Ribbon.”
Overall, The Weather Station is an ever-evolving project, and Tamara Lindemann seems to be only getting better with time. Highly recommended for The Weather Station fans and those who appreciate well-crafted, highly artistic Rock, Cryptic Rock gives Humanhood 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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