MacEwan alumnus Sawyer Begg, the leading songwriter and vocalist of Morning Coyote, began recording the band’s second EP in January 2026.
Lattice Climbing, named after Begg’s personal favourite track on the EP, releases Sept. 25. The mid-length release showcases the band’s range of talent, with prominent Jazz and Rock influences reminiscent of early King Krule and Pavement.
The album was recorded in various locations, including MacEwan’s music studio, and has contributions from Begg on lead vocals, guitar, and keyboard; Ryden Jensen on Bass; Braeden Detert on Drums; Ryan Simmons on guitar; and production by Andrew Choy.
Begg has found Lattice Climbing to be a louder impulse from the band. In previous releases, Morning Coyote leaned into a folkier sound with acoustic jazz elements, but the progression of the band’s talent and experimentation with heavy instrumental layering and distortion is prevalent throughout the new EP. “It’s not one cohesive thing,” said Begg. The collection of songs is derived from Begg’s best personal work over the last couple of years.
The opening track, “Tacet”, carries an emotionally melancholic narrative that’s pursued throughout the entire EP. With a catchy guitar riff and resentful vocal climbs, “Tacet” solidifies the hopeful, yet disastrous essence of Lattice Climbing.
For Begg, the overarching theme of the EP is his experience of leaving a long-term relationship and losing his prior attachment to it. “Tacet” perfectly encapsulates it.
“I’m gonna break up with my girlfriend / quit my job / And move so far away,”
was a line that Begg was planning on replacing in “Tacet”, but ended up sticking with it.
If there’s one thing Begg is exceptional at, it’s creating imagery by using lyrics that slice through listeners. “Election Day,” the second track on Lattice Climbing, sounds like a hazy interpretation of the cold Edmonton winters. “Naked branches / cold grey arteries / over rooftops but lately it seems,” is a perfect encapsulation of Edmonton in the dead of winter. “Election Day” feels like walking under the streetlight glow of Jasper Ave. with numb toes after the dull January sun has set. Originally, the track began as an acoustic song. Begg recalls that “Election Day” began as a collection of random bits pieced together.
”The more I played it with the band, the more it kind of pieced itself together,” said Begg.
In early 2026, during Morning Coyote’s self-organized U.K tour, Begg’s band, which he performed alongside in London, helped him bring “Election Day” together.
Track three, and the EP’s namesake, “Lattice Climbing,” has a subdued acoustic guitar rhythm that gives way to a sorrowfully angry set of lyrics and layered instrumentation. ”Can I come over? / Can I see you tonight? / It’s a real good reason / I’m in your neighbourhood, anyway.”
The live recording of “Lattice Climbing” was released this year on May 15.
“We happened to record [Lattice Climbing], and it was the best version that we’ve ever done,” said Begg.
According to Begg, Morning Coyote’s live performances aren’t fully improvised, but Begg gives minimal direction to the band, allowing them to pull in a jazz influence. On Sept. 11, Morning Coyote performed at All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral for the Purple City music festival, debuting a portion of the EP. The show took place under purple lights and angelic stained glass, with high-arched ceilings that amplified the acoustics. Morning Coyote doesn’t just play their songs as recorded; they perform each song differently, so each live performance feels like a new experience.
Track four, “Sycophant,” opens with a heavy distortion, followed by a soft acoustic portion, then returns to an overdriven riff with screaming vocals.
“You suck my blood and call me a sycophant / Cut my tongue and cut me free.”
The lyrics of “Sycophant” are by far the bleakest on the EP.
Lattice Climbing’s final track, “Pornography,” has an obscene title despite being very emotionally deep. Begg says the title was derived from one of the lyrics in the song, but also the song’s vulgarity.
“We’ll attract attention,” said Begg with a laugh.
The song was written as an anthem of appreciation for a local unnamed musician. Begg was inspired by one of their performances, citing them as influential for the Edmonton music scene. The song’s harmonious vocals and soft acoustic guitar make it the most lyrically intimate and beautifully mixed song on the EP.
Begg self-funded the recording, mixing, and mastering of the EP.
“I get neurotic and spend an unreasonable amount of time mixing.” Begg says he could have spent forever rewriting and mixing the EP, but had to let it go at some point.
Every second of Lattice Climbing offers a different experience, yet the EP is still beautifully cohesive — it’s a presentation of originality only one of Edmonton’s best up-and-coming bands could manage.
