Article Contributed by Nicholas Norton
Published on February 9, 2026
Liam Duncan, better known by his stage name Boy Golden, returns with his first full-length album in two years, and Best of Our Possible Lives arrives with both conviction and heart. The Winnipeg-based songwriter has been quietly making waves across Canada, earning nominations for the Canadian Folk Music Award and Contemporary Singer of the Year at the 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2023 for his previous release, Church of Better Daze.
On Best of Our Possible Lives, Duncan continues to blur the lines between folk and alternative country, pairing warm melodies with sharp-eyed observations about the world we’re living in. The album opens without hesitation, confronting economic anxiety and political frustration head-on. “Prices go up and they don’t come down / cost forty bucks just to hang around / I know people sleeping on the ground,” he sings, before cutting even deeper: “I want a new fucking president, I wanna know where my money went.” It’s a striking way to set the tone — direct, unvarnished, and deeply relatable.
The album’s fourth track, “Like a Child,” shifts gears into something softer and more intimate. An atypical love song, it leans into the wide-eyed wonder of new connection, capturing the fragile excitement that comes with opening yourself up again.
“Cowboy Dreams,” the sixth track, feels timeless in the best sense. Drawing subtle inspiration from the psychedelic warmth of Jefferson Airplane and the melodic ease of Fleetwood Mac, the song builds patiently before giving way to a guitar solo that gently carries it home. It’s easy to imagine this one stretching out onstage, giving Boy Golden and his band room to explore.
The album closes with its title track, “Best of Our Possible Lives,” a quietly hopeful finale that ties the record together. Duncan pleads earnestly, “I’d never waste your time / I will never tell a lie,” grounding the song — and the album — in sincerity. Despite the uncertainty and tension woven throughout earlier tracks, there’s an undeniable optimism here.
Best of Our Possible Lives feels well suited to the moment. The world can be a heavy place right now, but there’s comfort in Duncan’s songwriting — a sense that honesty, empathy, and connection still matter. It’s an album that doesn’t shy away from reality, but refuses to give up on the possibility of something better.
Best of Our Possible Lives is out later this month. Boy Golden will hit the road in March to support the release, beginning with dates across Canada before heading stateside on April 1 and wrapping up the tour in Vermont at the end of May.
TOUR DATES
With Cat Clyde
April 1 Wed – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
April 2 Thu – Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall
April 3 Fri – St Louis, MO – THE OLD ROCK HOUSE
April 4 Sat – Nashville, TN – Cannery Hall
April 6 Mon – Louisville, KY – The Monarch Music and Arts Community
April 8 Wed – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI
April 9 Thu – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
April 10 Fri – Davenport, IA – Raccoon Motel
April 11 Sat – St Paul, MN – Turf Club
May 14 Thu – Washington, DC – Union Stage
May 15 Fri – Wayne, PA – 118 NORTH
May 16 Sat – Amagansett, NY – The Stephen Talkhouse
May 17 Sun – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
May 19 Tue – Cambridge, MA – Club Passim
May 20 Wed – Bennington County, VT – Billsville House Concerts
No other posts from Nicholas Norton.
