Biography

Sister Ray is the project of Edmonton-born songwriter Ella Coyes. Armed with a voice that soars and scrapes in equal measure, Coyes converts first-person recollections of big, complicated love into universally potent allegories., Raised on the expansive prairies of Sturgeon County, their music is steeped in a wide range of cultural influences. With gospel bluegrass and 90’s country playing in the background of their youth, it was the traditional Métis music played at home that not only brought them closer to their heritage, but taught them a form of storytelling rooted in collective value, resilience, and safety. Their debut album, Communion, was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Prize, and Pitchfork deemed it “a complex study of webs of interpersonal hurt, and a celebration of emotional survival.” They have been featured in Clash Magazine, NME, DIY Magazine, The Line of Best Fit, Audiotree, NPR, Paste, and many more tastemaker outlets. Their forthcoming EP, Teeth, came from a need for space and the repercussions conditional to this desire. The songs were written quickly and vigorously, mimicked through the recording process, crafted by Coyes over five days, recruiting Ginla (the Brooklyn-based duo behind Communion and early Adrienne Lenker) as collaborators and producers. Their yearning tone and staggering honesty trickles throughout and the erosion leads to an opening—vacant, unfamiliar, and with room to breathe.