Interview: Montreal’s DahL Navigate Isolation and Escape on New Single “High Tide”

Montreal-based art rock trio DahL unveil their arresting new single, “High Tide” – a nautical fugitive romance that sails straight into the imagination. Equal parts prison break and polar expedition, the track anchors the listener, drags them under, and refuses to let go.

Inspired by Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky, “High Tide” conjures a bleak escape story set on a fragment of land surrounded by wreckage, penguins, and saltwater static. The song follows a silent passenger – Hightide – as the narrator delivers a fragmented, feverish monologue of exile and flight. The identities of these castaways remain uncertain: prisoners, explorers, or simply stranded souls. What remains is their grim camaraderie, soaked in isolation and nautical tension.

The song’s title refers to this ambiguous companion – part name, part mood, part cipher. “Maybe the two characters were prisoners. Maybe they were explorers who became stranded. Maybe the island itself was the prison. They may have once been friends, or even lovers, but none of that is spelled out,” explains frontperson guitarist/vocalist Nassir Liselle. “Hightide is a presence more felt than heard – a rising pressure, a pull toward movement, a sense that something is about to break.”

Recorded at Studio Saint Zo in Montreal with Monty Munro (Preoccupations), the track was built piece by piece, culminating in a session that left even the producer stumped. “Someone asked Monty, ‘So what does this song sound like?’” recalls Liselle. “He paused, nodded thoughtfully, and said, ‘I have no idea… but I like it.’ That was the moment I put my head in my hands. Deep down, we were trying to make something accessible, and somehow ended up in this strange, emotionally-charged grey zone that doesn’t quite behave. Classic us.”

Stylistically, “High Tide” strips back DahL’s usual sequenced layers in favour of a more physical sound. The focus shifts to percussion and bass – grounding the song in a tension and momentum that mirrors their live shows. Atmospheric textures remain, but the result feels more immediate, like being in the room with the band.

1. What did you enjoy most about the creation of this new release?
Looking back, what I’ve come to appreciate about the process leading up to this release is that it felt like a closing chapter in the current phase of our sound. There’s something idiosyncratic about it—it is definitely DahL , but it also really feels like a departure into whatever our unknown is shaping into. With the next album already on the go alongside this track, it’s almost like this song placed me into a kind of superposition: High tide is where we’ve been at for a while and only now, can we (DahL) take stock of that because we’re finally in a different place creatively. It’s a sentimental marker, a little time capsule of transition. Honestly, it feels like we’re growing up… sniffle and that’s enjoyable haha.

2. Share a nugget of advice that has resonated with you most over the years.
1)Never underestimate the importance of the vibe in a song vs the feel. Both equally personal and ambiguous so its the perfect petri dish to find your own sound in (Given from a band I deeply respect)

2)Trust your talent. Thats what youve been given (from a 9 year old guitar student of mine)

3)Listen to Fourtet (The universe)

3. Who would be your dream artist/band to co-headline a tour with?
I’m a little late to this discovery but I am completely taken with this Baxter Dury. I just saw them play a brilliant live show and it’s got it all for me. Poetry, groove and enough space for anyone. If youre that fan that goes out to go off and dance or if you’re that lot that likes to kick it at the back of the room, Baxter seems to make room in his home for everyone. Brilliant.

4. What sets your music apart from others in your genre?
I think one of the key things about us that seperates from other folks in our genre loosely is likely our blessing and curse but I feel like we tend to err on the side of brooding and dark even if we make an effort to do otherwise. I think as we grow and become even more collaborataive, new tags and descriptors will come foward and we will reveal more of what makes us sound like whatever people think DahL sounds like to them. Maybe thats a more accurate answer to the question; what seperates our music from others is everyone that listens seems to put thier own intake of influences to name us. We have been called a mix between Veldt and Shabazz Palaces to Basehead. I think the best description came from a Band we played with in New York called Black Bordello who described us as what you would ‘ Try to imagine is Gil Scott Heron and Suicide were on thier way to the studio and they ran into Massive Attack on the way and said “hey lets start a group”. Shout out to Black Bordello, check thier stuff out. Great folks!

5. Tell us what your favourite song is at the moment and why.
I just discovered this artists last night and Im quite taken. Their name is feeo. They are UK based and are on the AD 93 label. They have a sound thats an afterlife of a lot of the music thats inspired me. I don’t want to do a disservice and tell you all the artists this reminds me of so just know I think it’s great and you should check them out. I recommend the song titled “Win!” Listen to “Win!” by Feeo.