Yung Lean, Amen Dunes, Kate Bush: Bria Salmena and her closest collaborator Duncan Hay Jennings round up the tracks that inspired Salmena’s solo debut album, Big Dog.

Although her industry experience sprawls across years as the frontwoman of acclaimed Canadian post-punkers FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s band, it is only now that Bria Salmena fully introduces herself. The striking singer-songwriter has just shared her much anticipated debut solo album, Big Dog, and will be embarking on a sprawling UK, EU and North America tour to take the record on the road.

The LP is a finely chiselled emotional escapade. A subtly dazzling melting pot of downtempo pop, soft rock and swirling folk, with flashes of raucous punk, the sonic palettes are giving and gregarious, yet atmosphere-laden and encompassing. The narrative is familiar enough to be relatable but unique enough to surprise; an odyssey of enlightenment, personal growth and artistic freedom. To commemorate Salmena’s new work, we asked the artist and her closest collaborator Duncan Hay Jennings to round up the tracks that inspired Big Dog.

Listen to Big Dog…

Watch the video for lead single “Rags”…

Bria picks…

Tonstartssbandht – “What Has Happened” 

I remember this song came out when we were touring Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 in 2021 with Wolf Alice. We had some friends work on this track and I remember feeling so inspired by the subtle dark optimism it possessed. I wanted our original music to hit someone as easily as this song did me.

Aldous Harding- “Living The Classics”

I love Aldous Harding and the vocal layering on this track. Most of the songs on Big Dog began with acoustic instrumentation and demos laced with soooo many vocal tracks, not dissimilar to what you hear on “Living The Classics”. 

Yung Lean – “Agony”

There is such an inherent simple sadness to this song I resonated with when I first heard it. It’s no secret many of the songs on Big Dog lean on the sadder darker side of the emotional spectrum. When I think about this Yung Lean song and let’s say “Water Memory”, they give me the same kind of sinking feeling. 

Rip Swirl, ClayJay – “Smiling Dog”

I listened to a lot of Rip Swirl in 2022, I love his production and song structure, something about it really resonated with me. Big sonic inspo for Big Dog. 

 Kate Bush – “Watching You Without Me”

I listened to a lot of Kate bush every day I drove to the studio during the vocal sessions for Big Dog, but this song in particular.  Everything about Kate’s vocal delivery on this song is so special to me. It’s intimate and creepy and powerful, everything I wanted to sound like on my record.  

Duncan’s Picks

Branko Mataja – “Tesko Mi Je Zaboravit Tebe

I got deep into this collection a few summers ago. There’s something a little uncanny about how it all sounds — his feel, his melodies, the echo — you’re just immediately in his world. Branko’s approach directly influenced guitar lines throughout this whole record. It’s a subtle touch, but if you do a little digging you’ll hear it. 

claire rousay, More Eaze – “Hands”

While touring throughout 2022, I was listening to a lot of Claire Rousay’s work, but it often leaned more on the ambient, textural side of things. When I came across Never Stop Texting Me, I found it endlessly entertaining. It’s a kind of candy. There’s a faint but very direct line that connects “Hands” – and that entire album – to certain sonic elements that are found on “Rags”.

Yukihiro Takahashi – “Glass”

Throughout the writing and demoing process of Big Dog, I was dipping into this record for programming ideas. That arp right out the gate caught my ear in a big way, and I love the way it just keeps sliding its way throughout the whole track. Neuromatic left an indelible mark on me and was a huge inspiration for the synths and drums in “Stretch The Struggle” and “Closer To You”.

Amen Dunes- “Believe”

It’s hard to highlight one specific song or album from Amen Dunes’ catalogue as he’s always in the mix for Bria and I, but Believe is a constant touchstone for the both of us. He really captured something special there – a perfect blend of the right players and great songs. I had this record in mind when we demoed “On The Line”, and you can hear that same sonic play with light and dark textures, all over top of a propulsive rhythm track.

Dijon – “Big Mike’s”

I’m not alone in this, but I found Absolutely so refreshing, with its off the cuff performances and the way in which the overall production plays with chaos . Much like with Branko Mataja, you’re taken out of yourself. You’ve got no real choice but to be immersed in the environment and atmosphere in which it was created. “Peanut”, which we tracked live, has a similar sort of feel to me. The whole song is rooted by a fantastic vocal take, while all these other elements swirl around you. And amongst that there are small sonic snapshots that appear for a moment before dissipating.