Toronto’s Katie Cruel is set to release her new single, “First Frost,” on September 29. It’s a killer b-side from her critically acclaimed LP, Lost Vagus, which she released last year.

“When recording Lost Vagus at a rented barn, we captured 13 songs in 3 days with legendary producer Mark Howard,” says Cruel. ” With ‘First Frost’ it was a completely spontaneous track reflecting a transformative summer and personal change.”

Katie has gained a reputation as a solo performer, playing repeatedly as the invited opener for established songwriting talents like Blue Rodeo, Wilco, Joe Pernice (The Pernice Brothers), and Kathleen Edwards.

After taking five years to settle back into the Northumberland Hills from where she came, Katie emerges with Ms.Cruel—and this new music sees her embrace sweeping strings, heavy bass, twangy guitars, organ swells, and sometimes thunderous drums that make the trippy washed-out folk scape of the tunes reminiscent of something Lee Hazelwood would have dreamed up with the help of Mazzy Star.