ROLLING STONE GERMANY #369 JULY 2025 REVIEW

“MINOR-KEY ADVICE FOR TEEN MOTHERS”

“Considering that Jason Sniderman burst out of the glam rock box in 2018 with no less than five albums in a row under the name Ensign Broderick after years as a sideman, these two new releases are merely a warm-up exercise for the Canadian artist.

Centered around a fondness for minor-key piano and, above all, that high, fragile voice—tinged with longing and melancholy—he sings things like “all dreams are bad” and offers mothers the advice: “Tell your daughters youth just wastes the young.” But daughters, of course, have never listened.

The John Cale cover “I Keep A Close Watch” fits in seamlessly with this mood, as does the closing track “(A) Face in the Crowd”—written by Ray Davies, not Tom Petty.”

 

 

Interview in 15 Questions magazine: “Ensign Broderick about Minimalism”

“When in doubt, leave it out.”

[Read the full article]

 

 

COME DOWN  AND MIRROR RING

OUT NOW

 

Photo by Ivan Otis

 

“Dark, lush songs from a Canadian glam cult artist…Sniderman makes old-school glam sound urgent, gritty, and absolutely vital”- 8/10 UNCUT Magazine 

“Jason Sniderman returns as Ensign Broderick, his 80s glam-rock persona”- The Globe & Mail

“a dash of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust mixed with Nick Cave’s bold audacity, and a splash of Mick Jagger’s’ flamboyant swagger” – The National Post

“The arrival of Ensign Broderick on the scene is one of the most fascinating musical stories…”- Billboard CA

Toronto, ON – May 16th 2025 – Ensign Broderick, the long hidden glam rock alter ego of Jason Sniderman, today unveils two new albums Come Down and Mirror Ring. Built around just piano and voice, the companion records see Ensign Broderick stripping everything back and starting anew. 

 

Ensign Broderick emerged six years ago on to the music scene and was at once declared “one of the most fascinating musical stories of 2018” (Billboard CA), earning praise from likes of UNCUT, Exclaim, and The Globe & Mail.   Ensign Broderick has been an integral part of Sniderman ever since he was a teen, before Sniderman began his storied career in the studio and on the stage. Back then, he would write and record original songs on a reel-to-reel tape machine as Ensign Broderick. But no one else heard them until six years ago with his first ever releases. 

 

Speaking on the new albums Broderick explains, “I made this stuff in isolation and for the most part alone. It gave me a chance to reveal true expression, with acceptance and without subjugation or avoidance. And to have the presence of mind to contemplate loss with some clarity. A small measure of courage in the face of uncertainty.”

 

Come Down and Mirror Ring feature three unexpected covers: one is a deep cut by Rush (“Bravado”). “I Keep a Close Watch,” is from a mid-’70s John Cale album. The Kinks’ “(A)Face in the Crowd,” is about reckoning with anonymity after a lifetime in the spotlight. . It hits home for Ensign Broderick.  

 

Ensign Broderick is an enigmatic man, suggestive of another time, another place and space. His new music is timeless—not just in the sense of being both familiar and future-forward, but as from a place where clocks don’t exist. So don’t worry too much about who Ensign Broderick is. Revel in the mystery and sink deep into the songs.

 

Come Down and Mirror Ring are available now on all music services. 

Stream / Buy Mirror Ring

Bravado

Cathedra Cities

Swept Away

And I You

Sentient Lens

SnowDay

Wanderlust (Piano)

(A) Face In The Crowd

Stream / Buy Come Down

Inviolette

When We Were Pretty

I Keep A Close Watch

Lit From Within

My Gracious Silence

Love Dies

All Dreams Are Bad

Archer

 

SOUNDS & BOOKS REVIEWS COME DOWN + MIRROR RING

“’Come Down’ and ‘Mirror Ring’ are […] music for the quiet moments – for late nights, for questions without answers, for tears that have not been cried for a long time.

And yet there is something comforting, almost liberating. […]

Two albums, one voice, one piano – and an artist who shows that reduction is sometimes the loudest cry […]

if you dare to listen very carefully, you’ll get a double album that quietly gives you goosebumps.”

[Link to article in German / full article behind paywall]