For Toronto-based Nelson Sobral, when you inject Americana with a hard-edged, urban blast of gritty midwest blues, rock’n’roll, and northern soul, the genre adopts an entirely new identity, one of overpasses, subway trains, and the grit of city streets. 

On his full-length album Second Arrow (out Feb 25), Nelson’s lifelong love of country, soul and rock is woven into a sound aptly described as a torrential downpour of jubilation. The album title is “a reference to a Buddhist parable,” Sobral explains. “If someone does you harm, that’s the first arrow; but dwelling on it, that’s you causing yourself the next wave of suffering. The second arrow is the arrow that you fire upon yourself. It’s all about how you deal with things.” Listen to the full album here.

High-energy opener “Dancing Fool,” about letting go of what no longer serves you, leads the charge with its bombastic chorus, raw swagger, and virtuosic guitar playing.