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Vancouver singer songwriter Todd Kowaluk infuses 90s-influenced indie rock-pop with a higher message in new single “Enough Is Enough”

By Kath Galasso on July 21, 2023

Vancouver singer songwriter Todd Kowaluk has been working on his unique brand of indie folk for a number of years, infusing 90s-influenced indie rock and pop with a higher message since his EP, Love Can Set Us Free. With new single “Enough Is Enough,”, Kowaluk found himself exploring that same topic without realizing it.

Kowaluk had the catchy, Paul Westerberg-esque indie pop guitar riff laid out four years ago, but may have been setting it aside for when he cracked the conceptual code of the old adage “enough is enough.”

“For me, as a songwriter, the question I kept going back to was ‘how does this song end’ ? That questioning made me want to evolve the song, find a brighter ending, hope for new beginning, a higher version of myself. I wanted to be a better human somehow, & hopefully in the process a better songwriter.”

When is enough enough? How does an artist know when something is finished? How does a heart know when it’s healed? Are humans as a race missing the beauty that’s all around them by putting limits on themselves and others.”Enough Is Enough” starts with that fatalistic phrase and turns it into a question and a call for people to be honest with their hearts, with each other and with, well, infinity. If love will set us free why constantly test it with boundaries?”

The pondering of all these questions is set within the backwards (chorus first) structure of the song and Kowaluk’s personal experience with his questioning nature.

“There’s really not much traditional about this song. It starts with a chorus, and generally songs don’t start with a chorus, It questions the rules and at the same time asks what is important about being human in this ever-changing world of ours. It’s a protest song!”
A protest song with a storyteller’s perspective and wit is a clever way with which songwriters are able to hook in their audience and suddenly, said audience is pondering along with them. The catchy guitar riff that one reviewer called “infectious” yet “unassuming” is another way Kowaluk draws listeners into his reality, and it’s highly effective, if the likes of Tom Waits and Chris Rea are to be believed. Kowaluk has that same style and impact.

In the first verse of “Enough Is Enough,”Todd Kowaluk admits he doesn’t know where he’s “going with this song,” and that “it’s a question I’ve been asking all along, and a lifetime long ago and far away; guess I really never had a voice to say.” With this track, it seems Kowaluk has found that voice and will no longer be alone in asking this question anymore; with his great musical hook and relatable lyrics, audiences won’t be able to get enough of “Enough Is Enough.”

Kowaluk enlisted the production support of local Vancouver electronic music legend Dave King of longwalkshortdock.

“I met Dave King in the hallway of the studio I had been renting a couple nights a week over the last year or so. We hit it off pretty well and he like some of my original songs and kept saying he was willing to put a song of mine together as a producer sometime. I was like ya sure that sounds great. He suggested recording Enough is Enough which at the time wasn’t a complete song and he gets credit and major kudos for lighting a fire under my ass to finish the song.”

“Enough is Enough” hit digital platforms on July 18, 2023.

Stream “Enough is Enough” on Spotify.

Musician Names/Instruments: Todd Kowaluk
Producer Name(s):Dave King longwalkshortdock

Websites:
Official Website:www.toddkowaluk.ca
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/toddkowalukSingerSongwriter/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/toddkowaluk
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/toddkowaluk/?hl=en
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/78rPhn6kPo3h1IMKLZNPpI
Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/toddkowaluk
Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkEQGiLIZ4HOeJhk6wBuPQ/featured

Artist Biography:

As a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and percussionist, Canadian born Todd Kowaluk expresses Love, Loss, Faith, Fierceness, and Hope in these troubled times. Whether it be from his fluid vocal style or his honest reflections within these compositions, Kowaluk conjures a unique blend of acoustic pop and easy listening rock light.

With influences including pop rock and folk, Todd Kowaluk has developed a sound and style uniquely his own. His EP
“Love Can Set Us Free” released in 2018 was recorded in Vancouver at Lucky Dog Studios with producer Manny Alviar.
The title track was nominated and won an Award for “Best Pop Demo” in 2017 at the IMC’s Award held in Hollywood California.

Kowaluk emphasizes that working with Manny was instrumental in taking this set of songs to a new level. “Manny really pushed my boundaries in many ways and I leaned on him a lot through the recording process. Particularly with my voice, taking me out of my comfort zone, which was great because that’s how you grow with anything you do. You don’t learn ‘Jack Squat’ if you are not pushing your own edge at least somewhat. The GOLD is in the discomfort! People ask me what motivates me to write and record music and I would say that I would like to have more of a voice in the world… and yet what I am discovering is that it has been more about me finding my own voice and what really matters to me.”

Now with his new single “Enough Is Enough,”, Kowaluk may have found that voice. He had the catchy,
Paul Westerberg-esque indie pop guitar riff laid out back in the day of “Love can set Us Free” but set it aside for when he cracked the conceptual code of the old adage “enough is enough.”

“For me, as a songwriter, the question Enough is Enough kept asking me was ‘how does this song end’ ? That questioning made me want to evolve this song somehow, find a brighter ending, hope for new beginning, a higher version of myself. I wanted to be a better human somehow, & hopefully in the process a better songwriter.”

When is enough enough? How does an artist know when something is finished? How does a heart know when it’s healed? Are humans as a race missing the beauty that’s all around them by putting limits on themselves and others.
“Enough Is Enough” starts with that fatalistic phrase and turns it into a question and a call for people to be honest with their hearts, with each other and with, well, infinity. If love can set us free, why constantly test it with boundaries?

The pondering of all these questions is set within the backwards (chorus first) structure of the song and Kowaluk’s personal experience with his questioning nature.

Kowaluk enlisted the production support of local Vancouver electronic music legend Dave King of longwalkshortdock.

“I met Dave King in the hallway of the studio I had been renting a couple nights a week over the last year or so. We hit it off pretty well and he like some of my original songs and kept saying he was willing to put a song of mine together as a producer sometime. I was like ya sure that sounds great. He suggested recording Enough is Enough which at the time wasn’t a complete song and he gets full credit and major kudos for lighting a fire under my ass to finish the song.

Kowaluk believes working with consciousness and meditation are major factors in his songwriting process.

His artistic endeavors have brought him full-scale to founding his company, Lucky Dog Productions. Lucky Dog oversees the business requirements of being a solo artist.

Of the changing music scene, Kowaluk notes, “There are so many opportunities for exposure if you are willing to do the work. You don’t really know what the possibilities are, kind of like consciousness.

“Anything’s possible”