Following the release of Stretch the Struggle, Bria Salmena shares her latest single, Hammer, a fractured pop anthem that feels especially timely. Originally written as a love song, Hammer has since taken on new weight—as an empowering affirmation of resilience that is central to Big Dog, and arriving at a time when that feels more essential than ever.
 
“I’ve been struggling lately to find some light, to find strength in this current global dumpster fire,” says Salmena. “My personal troubles aside I feel as though this song resonates in a different way to me now. Whether I realized it or not, ‘you are a hammer’ and ‘you are a big dog’ became words of encouragement for myself, and in a way, the mantra for the record.”
 
The official video for Hammer, directed by Matthew Tammaro and Rebecca Cianfrini (who also shot the album’s artwork and press photos), is out now. Watch it here.
 
Long celebrated as the frontwoman of Canadian post-punk outfit FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s band, Salmena culminates her artistic evolution on her debut solo album Big Dog, set for release on March 28th via Royal Mountain in Canada and Sub Pop for the remainder of the world. Anchored by her commanding voice, the album chronicles a story of transformation–a deeply personal exploration of resilience and a declaration of artistic independence.
 
Click here for more on Big Dog (full bio)
 
Salmena has expanded the previously announced shows in North America, with UK/EU dates to follow in May. See below for a full list of upcoming tour dates. Tickets are now available via Bria Salmena’s official website.
 

Upcoming Tour Dates
Wed. Apr. 02 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Fri. Apr. 04 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy + Harriet’s
Sat. Apr. 05 - San Francisco, CA - Make Out Room
Tue. Apr. 08 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s
Wed. Apr. 09 - Portland, OR - Swan Dive
Fri. Apr. 11 - Visilia, CA - Cellar Door
Sat. Apr. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
Fri. Apr. 25 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Lounge
Sat. Apr. 26 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s
Sun. Apr. 27 - New York, NY - Baby’s All Right
Tue. Apr. 29 - Baltimore, ML - Metro Baltimore
Wed. Apr. 30 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
Thu. May 01 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
Fri. May 02 - Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House Revival
Sat. May 03 - Chicago, IL - Hideout
Wed. May 07 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB
Fri. May 09 - Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
Mon. May 12 - UK, Manchester - YES
Tue.  May 13 -  London, UK - The Lexington
Wed. May 14 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape
Fri. May 16 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival
Sat. May 17 - Rotterdam, NL - Roodkapje
Mon. May 19 - Paris, FR - La Boule Noire
Tue. May 20 -  Köln, DE - Jaki
Thur. May 22 -  Berlin, DE - Privatclub
Fri. May 23 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen
Sat.  May 24 - Stockholm, SE - Echo Three Festival
Sun.  May 25 -  Oslo, NO - Revolver
Tue. May 27 - Hamburg, DE - Häkken
Sat. July 5 - Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival

 
Big Dog is now available to pre-order on vinyl/CD/digital formats from Sub Pop. A Loser Edition LP on Orchid Vinyl is available through the Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and independent retailers worldwide (excl CA).
 
“Canadian jack-of-all-genres Bria Salmena uses massive sounds and gripping vocals to create a rock track teeming with self reflection”
- The Line of Best Fit
 
“There’s a visceral energy to the song, a directness that fans perhaps haven’t seen from her”
 - CLASH
 
“Salmena’s exciting and boundless [vocal] range is just one of many reasons why we can’t wait to hear the full album when it drops”
- CBC
 
“Toronto’s Bria Salmena is poised to be one of the most exciting voices in 2025’s indie rock canon with the release of her debut album Big Dog”
- Atwood Magazine
 

Big Dog is a record of big emotions and big ambitions.
Musically, it hovers between two worlds, gritty punk honesty always simmering below gleaming atmospherics, impossible to ignore. There are alternative rock touchstones—you’ll hear Live Through This, Kate Bush, Mazzy Star —and one genuine alternative rock icon in Lee Ranaldo, who contributes guitar to “See’er.” But there’s also a sleekness that’s just as much a callback to ‘80s coldwave as it is to ecstatic forms of dance music. The split effect can be eerie, as on the clanging “Rags,” a song that seems to groan and shimmer. It can be soothing as on the fractured pop song “Hammer,” Big Dog’s one true love song. Or it can be both at the same time as on the Mazzy Star-esque “Twilight,” the oldest song on the record and one that features a stripped back sound foregrounding its sense of naivety and surrender.
 
Salmena’s rich voice is ever-present, a constant warm glow within a mesh of mechanical sounds. It’s ever-present and impossible to ignore, whether Salmena is angelically harmonizing with herself, murmuring in her lowest registers, or pushing herself into an uncomfortable falsetto and staying there. “I just need it, need it, need it,” she repeats on “Stretch the Struggle,” a song about being suspended in that anguished moment between realizing something needs to go and actually letting it go, her voice slowly becoming subsumed in pulsing electronic beats and bubbling synths.
 
At its core, Big Dog is more than just a record about discovering who you are by processing painful experiences. It’s a record about discovering that you are never really alone.

Bria Salmena
Big Dog
 
Track Listing:
1. Drastic
2. Backs of Birds
3. Closer to You
4. Hammer
5. Radisson
6. Twilight
7. On the Line
8. Stretch the Struggle
9. Rags
10. See’er
11. Peanut
12. Water Memory