Francis Baptiste wishes he could get an Aspirin For The Soul in his rootsy new ballad — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A preview of the Vancouver singer-songwriter’s upcoming album Lived Experience In East Vancouver, Aspirin For The Soul is a searing folk-rock confession about pain, healing, and the bruised beauty of survival. “This song is about not knowing how to deal with trauma, outside of substances,” Baptiste explains. “I can numb my pain with drugs and booze, and deal with the hangover when it comes. But there’s no aspirin for my soul.”
Born and raised on the Osoyoos Indian Band Reservation in Oliver, B.C., Baptiste has spent the last 20 years in East Van, where his experiences — addiction, fatherhood, poverty and healing — have become the raw material for his music. Aspirin For The Soul marks a new chapter in his songwriting: Blunt, bluesy and bruised with hope. “I’d trade suffering any day / trade a heartache for a hangover,” he sings. “There ain’t no aspirin for your soul. Oh no, ain’t no fixing what’s been broke.”
The song was recorded with a powerhouse group of musicians from across the Vancouver scene. Baptiste handles vocals and guitar, joined by Ricardo Pequenino (piano, vocals), Rob Thomson (bass), Max Ley (drums), Emmett Jerome (lead guitar), Tegan Wallgrin (violin), Feven Kidane (trumpet), Darryl Havers (organ), and even a flute cameo by Mike Allen of Five Alarm Funk.
This single arrives with a stunning video filmed at the Dudes Club, the men’s health organization where Francis now works in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. “The video is centered on recovery and talking circles,” he shares. “I’ve spent years sitting in those circles, talking about trauma and healing. It felt right to film it where I live that reality every day.”
Baptiste first turned heads with his 2022 debut Sneqsilx (Family), sung partially in Nsyilxcən, the endangered language of the Syilx people. His followup, Senklip, The Trickster, continued to explore intergenerational trauma, oral traditions, and his role as an Indigenous father.
Aspirin For The Soul is a survival story, wrapped in the sounds of folk, rock, jazz, and Indigenous tradition. It’s the kind of track that hits you in the chest, then offers you a hand. Because music can help take away the pain. And sometimes that’s enough.
Watch the video for Aspirin For The Soul above, hear more from Francis Baptiste below and see his tour dates below, and get the cure for what ails you on his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Francis Baptiste’s Tour Dates
June 21 | Indigenous Day Celebration, Revelstoke, B.C.
June 22 | Rise and Shine, Okanagan Falls, B.C.
July 1 | Canada Day Celebration, Penticton, B.C.
July 5 | Khatsahlano Festival, Vancouver, B.C.
July 24 | Avant-Garde Bar, Ottawa, B.C.
July 27 | The Bell and the Beacon, Toronto, B.C.
Aug. 15 | Vine Arts Festival, Vancouver, B.C.
Aug. 30 | Penticton Farmers Market, Penticton, B.C.
Aug. 31 | Drug Overdose Prevention Day, Penticton, B.C.
