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Canadian singer-songwriter Seth Anderson has built a reputation for turning life’s hardest turns into songs that hit straight at the heart. Blending alt-country grit, folk warmth, and the restless spirit of punk, Anderson writes with the kind of honesty that only comes from years spent chasing songs across highways and continents.

Ahead of the release of his fifth full-length record, These Exact Days, These Peaceful Nights, on Oct 14 via the almighty Snappy Little Numbers (pre-order), we’re streaming the entire album right here and sitting down with Seth for an in-depth conversation about its creation, the chaos that inspired it, and finding peace in uncertain times.

Tracked in the summer of 2023 with Lydia Loveless in Columbus, Ohio, the album captures Anderson at his most focused and vulnerable yet. Born in the heart of the pandemic and shaped by sweeping life changes, these songs navigate love, loss, resilience, and hope with raw precision. Think Steve Earle, AA Bondy, Frank Turner, and The Weakerthans, but unmistakably Seth Anderson.

(photo credit: Georgi Silckerodt)

PRT: We are doing this interview at what must be an incredibly exciting time for people in Canada… how giddy with anticipation are you at the prospect of becoming the United States’ 51st state?

Seth: It kinda reminds of the time in elementary school when I learned that it was cool to pee your pants. I was like, hell yeah, sign me up! Haha  It is flattering that Ronald Trump would think of inviting us to his party, but I think we’re all good up here. Yeah, I love my US friends so much and touring there, but fuck that guy.

PRT: Looking at everything that is going on in the US, how happy are you that you made the decision to move to Canada?

Seth: I grew up in Canada, and have always lived here, so I haven’t had to make that decision luckily. It breaks my heart to see how people are being treated there. It is hard to believe it is real. I am looking forward to coming to the US to play shows in 2026 and see my friends, and support people however I can. Offering music is my currency, so that seems like the best thing to do.

PRT: ‘These Exact Days, These Peaceful Nights’ is already your fifth solo album. How do you feel this new one fits in alongside your previous albums?

Seth: It is a bit if a detour I think, which was intentional. I wrote the record around a time where I felt like I was getting a fresh start. I’d just quit drinking and was going to therapy, living alone, during the pandemic. Previously I had usually written from an emotionally charged place, but in these songs I felt like more of a spectator to my experience and was writing from the perspective of a narrator. I also wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone in the production. When I first met Lydia Loveless who produced the album, we bonded over music we loved, and I knew she would be the right person to help me bring the songs to life. I’m really happy with where we landed, and can’t thank Lydia and the players on the album enough.

PRT: You wrote most of the new songs during the pandemic. How come it took until now for the album to come out?

Seth:  I was unsure about where and with whom I wanted to record with for quite some time. These songs felt really special to me, and I didn’t want to force the process. When the pandemic ended I was on tour a ton, then met Lydia  through my pal Sammy Kay in 2023, and managed to land myself in Columbus, Ohio that July to record in the middle of a couple tours where I was out for around three months. We got the bulk of the record done but had lots of work left. Between Lydia’s touring schedule and mine, and working remotely on the finishing touches, it just took time.

I also burnt myself the out being on the road so much. I landed home July, 2024  to final mixing , and didn’t really have the capacity at that point. So kinda bit off chunks as I went and tried my best to keep moving things towards completion. Lydia was patient with me, but I was in pretty rough shape mentally. So, everything just took time and I had to be ok with that.

PRT: You recorded ‘These Exact Days, These Peaceful Nights’ with Lydia Loveless. What was it that made you want to work with her?

Seth: Sammy Kay recommended them to me initially. I had sent him the songs, told him what I was thinking for production, and he thought she would be a good fit. When I first talked with Lydia on the phone, we really hit it off and felt like quick friends. We had similar tastes in music, and in a lot of the artists that inspired the songs. I also greatly respect them as an artist, and really like that she has always done things on their own terms in a non conforming way. I like to push things away from the obvious sometimes, and thought we would work well together in that way.

PRT: You don’t write punk rock songs per se, but you’ve worked with Joey Cape and like Frank Turner you are often found on bills with punk rock bands. How did you end up in that scene?

Seth: I guess I came up performing in the boom of singers from punk bands touring solo and was lucky enough to play bills with them. Chuck Ragan, Tony Sly, Joey, and so many others were big influences. My first true connection to music was through punk rock, and where a lot of my formative song-writing influences came from. To this day, I still feel like that 15 year old kid at the local DIY all ages show. Despite my performing often with an acoustic guitar solo, I feel the songs with that intensity. My ethos still lie there, and the punk community is where I’ve always felt most at home and accepted.  

PRT: There are plenty of punk rock artists who go for a folk or Americana solo album. Do you feel that is because even though the music might sound different, those genres share the sentiment that is behind the music?

Seth: Absolutely. Also, I don’t necessarily think you can draw a line between any song or genre that is genuine, sincere, and created with intention. 

Punk doesn’t have a particular sound in my mind. It may be cliche, but I think it’s a feeling, and a way of living. For me, most artists solo albums still make me feel the same things as their band records have. 

PRT: Has the way music fulfills you - emotionally or personally - changed over time?

Seth: I still feel music very deeply, and the creative process is really important to my mental health and emotional well being. It’s the thing I’ve known since I was a kid that would always provide meaning, purpose and understanding to my life. I hope that feeling never goes away, and feel really lucky that I still get to create and release music, and tour, and have it be such a big part of my life. It was one of my only coping mechanisms for a long time, but I’ve learned other ways to take a little pressure off which has allowed me to enjoy it in new ways on a broader spectrum. 

PRT: What’s up next for you once the album is out?

Seth: I have some Western Canadian dates with my backing band in October and November and actually got my US visa months ahead of the expected delayed date a couple days ago. So, I think I will book a bunch of shows with my friends there and hit the road in the new year. I would also like to start my next record. With the time it usually takes, it should be out by 2029!