The Lifers—led by sisters Anita and Liv Cazzola—have been pushing the boundaries of folk music since they embarked on their first cross-Canada tour (sans car…just on buses, trains, and boats!) in 2015. Liv and Anita, alongside their bandmates on electric guitar, upright/electric bass, cello, and drums, have earned their place as a powerful live act, respected within multiple music scenes across Canada, the US, and Europe.
However, after years of consistent touring (Mariposa, Blue Skies, Hillside, Norway’s Egersund Visefestival), recording (CFMA-nominated Honey Suite), and dreaming together, Liv and Anita recognized that their relationship had begun to fray. Putting music on pause and reconnecting throughout the haphazard early months of the pandemic, the sisters hit a hard reset and soon began a soft emergence where the songs started to flow: frank, poetic articulations of sexual trauma and intergenerational pain.
The album’s title became obvious: it would be called Honesty.
Produced by Sam Gleason (Jeremy Dutcher, Charlotte Cornfield) in the rolling, snow-laden hills of Frontenac County, Ontario, Honesty was recorded by the full six-piece band, mainly live off-the-floor. Complementing this cozy approach were hours spent in the control room exploring every creative possibility: screaming into guitar pickups, reversing drum loops…and, frequently, erupting into fits of laughter. “In the studio, we were able to turn the trauma into a safe, goofy, wild, fun, and expressive space,” Anita explains.
The anthemic “Don’t Touch Me” epitomizes Honesty’s ethos—as Anita puts it “less angry, more empowered.” This song calls to end the cycle of sexual trauma that has hurt “our mothers and their mothers,” summoning instead “gentle, patient kindness / simple, ancient kindness.”
Honesty is an album of post-folk caresses and indie-rock bangers, reflecting The Lifers exactly where they are right now: reemerging with vivid dreams, clear intentions, and a lot less baggage. These songs radiate with direct calls to feel deeper, love gentler, and have fun despite all the shit.