Bria Salmena has released “Hammer,” a track that is rich and emotional, and just poppy enough to get stuck in your head. Salmena is formerly known as the frontwoman of Canadian post-punk band FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck‘s band. Her solo project started a few years ago, and “Hammer” comes from her upcoming debut album titled Big Dog.
From the top of the song, Salmena introduces herself with sultry and raspy vocals. She also introduces the dog metaphor echoed in the album’s title: “A dying dog in the road couldn’t see; he won’t know the kind of trouble to be told between me and you,” symbolizing the disassociation of being in pain and coming out of it on the other side. The name for the album comes from a friend affectionately calling Salmena “big dog” in a pep talk, and the phrase stuck.
It’s a slower, more emotional track for Salmena, and it serves as an anthem of resilience through hard times. This theme reverberates throughout the new record, processing painful experiences.
“My personal troubles aside I feel as though this song resonates in a different way to me now. Whether I realized it or not, ‘you are a hammer’ and ‘you are a big dog’ became words of encouragement for myself, and in a way, the mantra for the record.”
“Hammer” is released ahead of Bria Salmena’s debut solo album Big Dog, out March 28th on Sub Pop Records. Pre-order via Bandcamp is available here.
Listen to “Hammer” below:
Bria Salmena 2025 Tour Dates
Wed. Apr. 02 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
Fri. Apr. 04 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy + Harriet’s
Sat. Apr. 05 – San Francisco, CA – Make Out Room
Tue. Apr. 08 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
Wed. Apr. 09 – Portland, OR – Swan Dive
Fri. Apr. 11 – Visilia, CA – Cellar Door
Sat. Apr. 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
Fri. Apr. 25 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Lounge
Sat. Apr. 26 – Kingston, NY – Tubby’s
Sun. Apr. 27 – New York, NY – Baby’s All Right
Tue. Apr. 29 – Baltimore, ML – Metro Baltimore
Wed. Apr. 30 – Richmond, VA – The Camel
Thu. May 01 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room
Fri. May 02 – Cincinnati, OH – Southgate House Revival
Sat. May 03 – Chicago, IL – Hideout
Wed. May 07 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
Fri. May 09 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
Mon. May 12 – Manchester, UK – YES
Tue. May 13 – London, UK – The Lexington
Wed. May 14 – Brighton, UK – The Great Escape Festival
Fri. May 16 – Amsterdam, NL – London Calling Festival
Sat. May 17 – Rotterdam, NL – Roodkapje
Mon. May 19 – Paris, FR – La Boule Noire
Tue. May 20 – Köln, DE – Jaki
Thur. May 22 – Berlin, DE – Privatclub
Fri. May 23 – Copenhagen, DK – Loppen
Sat. May 24 – Stockholm, SE – Echo Three Festival
Sun. May 25 – Oslo, NO – Revolver
Tue. May 27 – Hamburg, DE – Häkken
Sat. July 5 – Orillia, ON – Mariposa Folk Festival
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