The greatest music goes beyond merely entertaining us; instead, it conjures deep and varied
emotions by evoking the universal hopes, fears, and experiences of humanity. Few modern artists embody that sentiment as wonderfully as Canadian progressive/post-rock troupe Versa. Founded in 2007, the group has spent over 15 years perfecting their superb chemistry of serene vocals; eloquent songwriting; and majestically ornate, diverse, and engrossing instrumentation across their first four collections (2007’s Versa, 2010’s The Decline & Fall of…, 2012’s Common Things EP, and 2022’s A Voyage / A Destination).
Regarding the decision to split A Voyage / A Destination into two parts (and two releases), the first came in April 2022. Although “the bulk of the material was recorded at the same time,” bandleader Matthew Dolmage confesses, “ultimately, we knew that it’d take a while to finish the remaining songs. As difficult as it was, we knew that delaying the second part would prove to be the right choice for us and our listeners.”
Highlighted single, “Flew the Coop,” features Haken vocalist Ross Jennings and is written by Dolmage who aimed to invoke a nostalgic feeling that mixes elements of indie folk, progressive rock, and post-rock.
We’ve always incorporated some progressive rock elements into our music but I wanted to experiment with writing more explicitly “prog” songs, and incorporating more vocal elements as well. – Matthew Dolmage