Hedley - Cageless (2017) Lossless

Vancouver punk-pop quartet Hedley are led by frontman Jacob Hoggard, who first rose to national prominence as a finalist during the 2004 season of the television talent contest Canadian Idol. Though voted off the series in its penultimate episode, Hoggard proved a major fan favorite, guaranteeing significant media exposure for his subsequent pursuits. In 2005, he formed Hedley with guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac, and drummer Chris Crippin, all of whom previously teamed in the Vancouver band Everything After. The band generated a healthy buzz at the Canadian Music Week 2005 media showcase and, soon after, signed with Universal Music Canada. Working with producer Brian Howes, Hedley's self-titled debut was released that fall, generating the radio hits "Trip" and "On My Own." The album quickly went platinum, and Hedley spent the summer of 2006 supporting Yellowcard and Matchbook Romance on a North American tour before their album hit U.S. stores in September.

Largely recorded in the beachfront community of White Rock, British Columbia, Famous Last Words arrived in October 2007 and went platinum after just ten days. The dance-punk-infused The Show Must Go followed in 2009, yielding the Top Ten hit "Cha-Ching," and after being dropped by Capitol in the U.S. they signed with Island Records the following year. A singles compilation called Never Too Late was released in the U.S. in 2010, followed later that year with the Canadian live CD/DVD set Go with the Show. Hedley's fourth album, 2011's Storms, proved to be their most successful to date, reaching number two on the Canadian pop charts, eventually going gold, and snagging them a Juno Award for Best Pop Album in 2012. Their 2013 follow-up, Wild Life, fared almost as well, also reaching the Top Ten in Canada. Hedley's sixth studio album, Hello, arrived in November 2015 debut at number one on the Canadian charts, a first for the group. It also yielded two Top 40 singles, "Hello" and "Lose Control." Following a lengthy 2016 world tour, Hedley returned to the studio to record their follow-up LP. In advance of their seventh record, they released the single "Love Again" in the summer of 2017. ~ Jason Ankeny.