Crowd Reactions on U.S. Tour Helped Bring Sierra Pilot’s New Single “Breathe” to Life
Canadian hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot returns with their most intense and emotionally resonant track yet. “Breathe,” available today across all major streaming platforms, delivers a sonic gut-punch that captures the emotional storm of being told to calm down when every part of you is on fire.
A bold evolution in Sierra Pilot’s sound, “Breathe” is emotional, unfiltered, and deeply relatable. With explosive riffs, pounding drums, and visceral vocals, the song mirrors the turbulent nature of mental health—ebbing and flowing between calm and chaos at a moment’s notice. It taps into a universal feeling: the frustration and fury of being silenced or dismissed in your most vulnerable moments. It’s a track that demands to be felt as much as heard.
“‘Breathe’ hits that nerve — it’s about that nauseating feeling when you’re spiraling and someone tells you to just relax,” says Taylor Leith, the band’s frontman, guitarist, and driving creative force. “The song’s dynamics reflect that internal battle. It’s not just loud or angry — it’s alive, unpredictable, and meant to make you feel something real.”
In the Fall of 2024, Sierra Pilot headed out on tour in the U.S. with Pop Evil and Bad Wolves as direct support on their Animal Instinct Tour. Although they had only recently recorded a rough demo of “Breathe,” the band decided to take it for a test drive. It wasn’t until they decided to play it live on the tour that the track truly came to life. Performing the unreleased track each night across 21 U.S. cities, the band was struck by the crowd’s immediate and powerful response. Energized by that connection, Sierra Pilot returned home to finish the song and complete the rest of the material for their forthcoming EP, set to release later this year.
“That tour sparked something in us,” says Taylor. “Every night we played ‘Breathe,’ the reaction from the crowd was immediate — it hit hard. It was nuts to see the audience singing along to a song they had never heard before! That energy followed us off the stage and straight back into the studio. We knew we had to finish the song and make sure it hit just as hard on record.”
The release of “Breathe” marks the beginning of a new chapter for the band as they move toward the release of their forthcoming EP later this year — a collection that promises to push boundaries, challenge expectations, and continue their evolution as one of Canada’s most exciting rock acts.
Catch Sierra Pilot at Maxwell’s in Waterloo, Ontario, for a rare hometown show on June 6. Tickets are $20 In Advance/$25 at the door.