Alvvays and Feist among 2023 Polaris Prize nominees

The shortlist for the 2023 Polaris Prize has been revealed, with Alvvays and Feist among the nominees.

The prestigious Canadian music prize, worth $50,000 (£38,000) will be awarded to the winner at a September 19 ceremony at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Previous winners include Kaytranada, Caribou and Fucked Up.

Others on the 2023 shortlist include Daniel Caesar, The Sadies, Begonia and Debby Friday. The 2022 prize was won by Pierre Kwenders for his album ‘José Louis And The Paradox Of Love’.

See the full shortlist for 2023 below.

Alvvays – ‘Blue Rev’
Aysanabee – ‘Watin’
Begonia – ‘Powder Blue’
Dan Mangan – ‘Being Somewhere’
Daniel Caesar – ‘Never Enough’
Debby Friday – ‘Good Luck’
Feist – ‘Multitudes’
Gayance – ‘Masquerade’
The Sadies – ‘Colder Streams’
Snotty Nose Rez Kids – ‘I’m Good, HBU?’

2022’s Polaris Prize longlist included Arcade Fire and The Weeknd, and was then wittled down to a shortlist including Destroyer, Charlotte Day Wilson and more.

Alvvays released their Polaris-nominated third album ‘Blue Rev’ late last year. In a four-star review, NME said: “‘Blue Rev’ is 14 songs of what Alvvays do so very well: layers of jangly guitars hit all the right notes and are backed up by the band’s metronomic rhythm section, featuring new members – drummer Sheridan Riley and bassist Abbey Blackwell – for this album. ‘After The Earthquake’ is a delectable, melodic indie-pop gem, with another highlight, ‘Pomeranian Spinster’, a scuzzy punk gem.

“The writing and recording of ‘Blue Rev’ was disrupted and delayed when Rankin’s demos were burgled from her house and the band’s gear nearly flooded inside two days, but – as has become the norm with this band – patience proved a virtue and ‘Blue Rev’ stands as an ode to continuing to evolve despite obstacles, slowly honing and tweaking your craft, and keeping on moving. It’s another total delight from the Canadians.”