Cold Specks

...ngwriting, Cold Specks' Al Spx writes songs that live up to her self-described style of "doom soul." Her mix of folk, soul, blues, and gospel was at its most rustic on 2012's I Predict a Graceful Expulsion -- her first, but not last, album to be nominated for the Polaris Music Prize -- but Spx brought different shades to her signature sound on her later releases. Post-rock and no wave added edge to 2014's Neuroplasticity, while 2017's Fool's Paradise incorporated her Somali roots. On 2025's Light for the Midnight, she transformed her most difficult struggles into universal songs about change and resilience. Born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada to Somali immigrants, Spx dropped out of the University of Toronto and moved to London to focus on her music. Her unique blend of soul, blues, and R&B first caught the public's attention after an a capella on the popular British music program Later... with Jools Holland. She released her debut single, "Holland," in 2011, and in 2012 she inked a deal with Mute Records. Cold Specks' debut album I Predict a Graceful Expulsion appeared that May, and its acclaim included a place on the Polaris Music Prize longlist and a Juno Award nomination. In 2013, Spx performed at a birthday tribute to Joni Mitchell that was part of Toronto's Luminato festival and collaborated with Moby on "A Case for Shame" and "Tell Me," both of which appeared on his album Innocents. Her sophomore long-player, Neuroplasticity, arrived in August 2014 and featured contributions by Swans' Michael Gira and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Like her debut album, it received Juno Award and Polaris Music Prize nominations. While touring in support of the album, Spx learned more about her Somali heritage, particularly her family's hometown of Mogadishu before the war that scattered her relatives, and channeled it into her third album. Co-produced by Spx and Jim Anderson, 2017's Fool's Paradise featured Cold Specks' first songs in the Somali language as well as performances by Arcade Fire bassist Tim Kingsbury. Once again, Spx earned a place on the Polaris Music Prize longlist for the album. Following the release of Fool's Paradise, Spx tended to her mental health. Her challenges informed her fourth full-length, April 2025's lushly confessional Light for the Midnight. Recorded in Toronto and Bristol, Spx worked on the album with co-producers Adrian Utley and Ali Chant as well as Owen Pallett, Holy Fuck's Graham Walsh, Arab Strap's Malcom Middleton, Chantal Kreviazuk, Ed Harcourt, and Ben Christophers. ~ James Christopher Monger & Heather Phares