Superior Viaduct and our new artist label, W.25TH, are proud to continue to be the home for Cindy Lee with the physical release of the celebrated album Diamond Jubilee. Universally praised, shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, and already hailed by Pitchfork as the 3rd best album of the 2020s, anticipation and conversation around the record has been high.
Cindy Lee is the performance and songwriting vehicle of Patrick Flegel (who previously fronted influential indie group Women). Over several albums, Flegel has combined delicate melodies and sheer beauty with moments of experimentation. With Diamond Jubilee, Flegel’s undeniable songcraft comes to the foreground, embracing a more instant connection and accessibility. Timeless tales of love and longing, surrounded by sticky hooks, take the listener on an unforgettable journey.
Diamond Jubilee was written and recorded over several years by Patrick Flegel in Toronto, Durham, Calgary and Montreal at Realis- tik Studios. The album was mixed by Steven Lind, who also contributes to several tracks and co-wrote “Baby Blue,” and was mastered by Joshua Stevenson.
STAFF COMMENTS
Laura says: Diamond Jubilee was digitally self released last year and garnered rave reviews from fans and media alike. It now finally gets a physical release through Superior Viaduct's new artist label, W.25TH. It's an absolutely sublime collection of vintage sounding pop songs, drawing on sounds and styles from the 1950's onwards: there's hint's of do-wop and soul, 60's girl groups, Velvetsy art-rock, folk and country. The pop waters are muddied with psychedelic waves at times, but for the most part it's laid back dream-pop, delivered in a sort of shimmering, otherworldy haze. You can imagine it perfectly soundtracking a David Lynch film.
It's pricey, but at 32 track and over two hours long, it's worth it. An absolute gem of a record!
Andy says: I first heard this Cindy Lee album with zero context playing on the office computer whilst I opened boxes of records. After about half an hour I began to wonder; what is this classic music and why haven’t I heard it before? Is it a compilation of great bands that for some reason didn’t make it?
It sounds like a beautifully curated hazy mixtape moving through doo-wop, sixties pop, girl groups, psych rock, indie pop, synth pop and even dislocated disco! I started to imagine it was the haunted soundtrack to some long lost David Lynch film, playing on a lonely old medium wave radio in a deserted house on a quiet and still street. This wistful sound felt warped, fractured, brokenly lo-fi yet sophisticatedly arranged, sweet yet macabre and with a deep sense of longing laced throughout. It was the best thing I’d heard in a long time!
Welcome to the mysterious world of Cindy Lee; the alter ego of Canadian maestro Patrick Flegel. Six years in the making and featuring 32 tracks spanning two hours of music, this could be your most exciting (and exotic!) musical discovery of 2025. It certainly was mine!
TRACK LISTING
1. Diamond Jubilee
2. Glitz
3. Baby Blue
4. Dreams Of You
5. All I Want Is You
6. Dallas
7. Olive Drab
8. Always Dreaming
9. Wild One
10. Flesh And Blood
11. Le Machiniste Fantome
12. Kingdom Come
13. Demon Bitch 3
14. I Have My Doubts
15. Til Polarity’s End
16. Realistik Heaven
17. Stone Faces
18. GAYBLEVISION
19. Dracula
20. Lockstepp
21. Government Cheque
22. Deepest Blue
23. To Heal The Wounded Heart
24. Golden Microphone
25. If You Hear Me Crying
26. Darling Of The Diskoteque
27. Don’t Tell Me I’m Wrong
28. What’s It Going To Take
29. Wild Rose
30. Durham City Limit
31. Crime Of Passion
32. 24/7 Heaven
