MALINOWSKI of Bedouin Soundclash Releases New Solo Single ‘Shipwrecks’ ft. Aimee Interrupter
JUNO Award-winning and Platinum-selling artist Jay Malinowski, best known as one half of Bedouin Soundclash, returns under his solo moniker MALINOWSKI with new single and video, “Shipwrecks”. Featuring MALINOWSKI’s signature genre-blending sound and guest vocals from the inimitable Aimee Interrupter (The Interrupters), the track arrives on the heels of last month’s “Deeper Than Blue”, a tender ode to his young son Finn. Both songs hint at a larger body of work expected in 2026.
“In my 20’s, someone once said to me that I was Peter Pan,” laughs Jay. “I thought at the time, man what a compliment! To live forever in Never Never Land and never grow up? But looking back I don’t think that’s what she meant. I think she meant I wasn’t progressing. That’s what ‘Shipwrecks’ is about. It’s a song about being stuck, holding on so tight to addictions to keep you happy, unaware that life is changing all around you, and doing the same thing over and over and not evolving. There could be a war outside your front door but you are cocooned in your house, living life like a Shipwreck. Days become months, months become years. Luckily, one day the ship bottoms out and you get a choice: to leave Never Never Land and live differently or to die spiritually. I took that chance awhile ago and my life became unimaginably better.”
When it came time to record the track, he immediately thought of Aimee. The two had connected deeply while touring, sharing similar experiences and a parallel spiritual path. Kevin and Aimee from The Interrupters, he says, “are like family to me that way.”
Jay travelled to Los Angeles to record with producer Davey Badiuk (Liam Gallagher, Dragonette), joined by Florian Gouello on drums. Kevin and Aimee later added guitars and vocals from their home studio, bringing the track’s rock-and-roll-meets-punk energy to life with a nod to The Clash.
As for the video, he adds, “The visuals mirror the song’s message. When you rely too much on the material world for comfort, your world gets smaller and smaller until you’re completely alone, like riding a BMX bike through the night with no one around. But even with its darker themes, the song has a light-hearted bounce on purpose. Humour’s important; as a friend once told me, never take life too seriously. None of us are getting out alive.”
A testament to the power of his songwriting, Jay’s music has been covered by artists ranging from Sturgill Simpson, Diplo, to Dove Cameron. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Preservation Hall Jazz Band, to The Interrupters, to Philly House legend King Britt, to Darryl Jennifer of D.C. hardcore pioneers Bad Brains to Frank Turner.
Malinowski released his first solo endeavour Bright Lights & Bruises in 2010, followed by the ambitious double album Martel (2014), a concept project inspired by his French Huguenot ancestry that also included his debut novel Skulls & Bones and a series of pen-and-ink drawings published by HarperCollins.
Beyond music and writing, he is also a graduate in Fine Arts from Queen’s University. His visual work has been exhibited nationally, with a large-scale portrait installed in Tofino and recent paintings featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, documenting the life of Chicago Bulls champion Craig Hodges.
As founding member of Canadian duo Bedouin Soundclash, Malinowski quickly rose to international acclaim when the sophomore Platinum-selling album Sounding a Mosaic (2004), featuring the global hit “When The Night Feels My Song”, earned Bedouin a JUNO Award for Best New Group. Over the years, the band has continued to evolve their sound weaving influences of reggae, soul, jazz, gospel, and electronic across acclaimed albums like Street Gospels (2007), Light the Horizon (2010), and MASS (2019).
Bedouin Soundclash’s latest album, We Will Meet In A Hurricane, arrived to critical acclaim in 2022 via Dine Alone Records. Co-produced by Malinowski and Colin Stewart (The New Pornographers, Destroyer, Dan Mangan, Black Mountain), the buoyant and soulful tracks on We Will Meet In A Hurricane find Bedouin digging back into their musical roots, steeped in the border-bending sounds the band is known for.
Renowned for their incredible live shows, the duo have shared the stage with a laundry list of iconic artists including No Doubt, Ben Harper, Damian Marley, The Roots, and Bad Brains to name just a few. Last year, the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of Sounding a Mosaic with an extensive Canadian tour, and supported the inimitable Frank Turner on his NA run including a performance at his award-winning festival, Lost Evenings VII in Toronto.
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