Ryan Wayne tries to keep it together as his world unravels on his gorgeous and intimate new album Functioning Dysfunctionals — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
True to its title, the stunning and superb sophomore album from the Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist is a beautiful balancing act on multiple fronts. On the sonic and stylistic side, these songs blend lush melodies and impeccably crafted arrangements with dusty textures and gauzy production, seeking out a bittersweet spot between Americana, folk-rock, psychedelia and dream-pop. Meanwhile, Wayne’s poetic and personal lyrics dig, dive and delve deep into the darker corners of life, love and loss, addiction, affliction and attraction — while always keeping one eye fixed on the light at the end of the tunnel. In a world of posers, pretenders, phonies and wannabes, Wayne is the real deal — and Functioning Dysfunctionals is all the proof you need.
The title track, co-written by Wayne and his wife Sarah Craig McEathron, is a raw and unflinching portrait of love unraveling, where old habits and hard truths collide in a haze of regret. With evocative imagery and a driving, melancholic energy, the song navigates the blurred lines between charm and deception, guilt and blame — ultimately capturing the restless push and pull of a relationship that endures despite everything life throws its way.
A spiritual heir to the album Tonight’s the Night — where Neil Young played a series of sendoffs to both a band member and a roadie who succumbed to heroin overdoses — Lion In The Wall is a multi-generational tale of addiction, failure, and the fragile redemption found in the compassion and understanding of a dying father.
Ready My Love is a unique song in Wayne’s discography: It only has two chords, it rides on thick waves of multiple electric guitars, and it balances regret and escapism with a simple commitment to change. If Daniel Lanois wrote and sang a song, Rheostatics did the harmonies, and Sonic Youth played the guitars, this is what it might sound like.
Riding on the arch and sway of chiming electric guitars, with an immediate singalong chorus, and excellent trumpet and violin solos (from Teppei Kamei and Jean-Paul Desaulniers, respectively), No Easy Way Out offers a meditative look at the ravages of war — from the sad parting of loved ones joining the fray, to the bedlam of the battlefield, to the risk of mortality.
Inspired by a typewritten letter found tucked away in a collection of Rilke poems, Grand Illusions is a sad, sweet plea of caring and concern for a romantic partner departing out of a compelling need to pursue their fate. These heart-rending lines are set against a swirling, impressionistic soundscape with echoes of Pink Floyd.
Between These Walls drifts through a haze of transience and introspection, where restless minds search for meaning in a world of impermanence. With haunting melodies and a dreamlike atmosphere, the song lingers on the fragile line between presence and disappearance, asking whether we are ever truly at home — or merely passing through.
Against a backdrop of his typically swirling, atmospheric production, Wayne offers a portrait of fading romance, as he shallowly delivers a doomed lover’s prayer. Buoyed up by gorgeous Beach Boys harmonies, shimmering walls of synthesizer sounds, and an aching vocal from somewhere in Tom Petty‘s neighbourhood, Love’s Lost Languages remains loosely tethered to the earth by Wayne’s mandolin.
The followup to Wayne’s critically acclaimed 2023 release, Crow Amongst The Sparrows, Functional Dysfunctionals is a richly woven collection that balances raw, metaphorical storytelling with immersive production, shifting between quiet intimacy and full-band intensity. Longtime collaborator Annelise Norohna lends her signature touch with mixing, co-production, backing vocals, and instrumentation, while select vocal sessions were captured by Tim Vesely at Woodshed Studio.
Wayne first made his mark with The Warped 45s, the band he co-founded with his cousin Dave McEathron, before sharing stages with Drive-By Truckers, Skydiggers, Elliott Brood and Deer Tick. After a decade away from the music business, Wayne suffered two strokes, inspiring a return to recording music. In addition to his solo work, he remains an in-demand session musician and producer, collaborating with artists like Dan Mangan.
Listen to Functioning Dysfunctionals below and hang out with Ryan Wayne on his website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
