Brennan Wedl

This is a full circle moment for Brennan Wedl. The Minnesota-raised, Nashville-basedsongwriter has always felt like she was searching for herself, trying on various versions butnever really feeling the euphoric ease that comes with finding comfort in one’s own skin.Through experimentation in spirituality and empowerment, devoting time and energy into hercraft and learning to lean into a playful, carefree outlook, Wedl is experiencing the delicious lifemoments with a renewed clarity. On her self-titled album––and debut for ANTI––she shakes offthe prying eyes of expectation, leaving behind the anxiety of forming yourself for others andwelcoming in the delight of finally being exactly who you are.Wedl is already a prolific artist, releasing solo music since 2012, and co-founding the queercoreoutfit Dazey & The Scouts in 2015.

The band, she says, taught her about “complete vulnerability and collaboration,” and their surprise viral success on social media fuelled the next steppingstone in Wedl’s career. “It’s shown me the humanity that live music can create,” she says of theunexpected attention on the band. “It’s taught me so much about songwriting as collective care.”After a string of solo singles in 2024, Wedl’s latest LP gathers those foundation-cracking moments that make up a life, and sees her fully immersed in the lessons they create.There’s a coffee-ringed, neon-hue to Wedl’s songs; blurred faces past foggy windows that add to the anonymity of a new city where an array of outcomes await.

After touring and moving around the country for the better part of a decade, Wedl likens home to her favorite snacks, along phone call with a friend or the hum of a beloved song on an Uber driver’s radio. She grew up in a religious household, and fondly remembers visiting her elderly aunts at their convent.Spirituality still plays a huge part in Wedl’s version of home, but it’s a broader scope than a bearded guy in the clouds; after getting sober, she found herself drawn to meditation, morning pages and the compass of intuition. Now, Wedl looks to her “network in the sky” to notice thepatterns in the universe pointing out the next steps. Wedl enlisted Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) and Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Mavis Staples) to co-produce and play on the album, with instrumentalists Colin Croom,Lindsey Jordan and Matt McCaughan also sprinkled throughout.

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