The Bobby Tenderloin Universe Releases New Album ‘Satan is a Woman’

Edmonton’s The Bobby Tenderloin Universe is a band, a community and a movement, but most of all, it’s an excuse to don your western wear and give yourself over to the song and dance at the heart of every BTU show. Bobby enraptures his audiences with his deep, rich voice and thoughtful, tender lyrics, rustling up a fresh new take on the old country we all love. Some say he exhibits the sincerity of Johnny Cash, the wit of Roger Millar, and the vocal stylings and production sensibilities of Lee Hazlewood. He and his band are lifelong friends, which shows in how they bring the songs to life.

Their 2019 self-titled debut album led to tours with Orville Peck and Charley Crockett. The Bobby Tenderloin Universe is now releasing their sophomore full-length, Satan is a Woman; a self-described “woman”-themed album that includes songs about Bobby’s grandmother, romantic lovers, death, loss and guilt.

Discussing his songwriting, Bobby states:

“I can’t say I’ve always been like this but writing these songs caring only about the lyrics and how the music can effectively create the correct mood to support them has made me less neurotic about mixing or playing a part perfectly. Sometimes I push that ‘devil may care’ attitude a little too far if I think something still sounds cool to me. I then have to reel myself in and remember that people seem to appreciate when you make the music sound ‘good”, and I’m not doing it for myself. Usually, however, I value staying in the creative spirit over obsessing about making it perfect. It’s a strange balance.”

The record’s focus track, “Marigold,” features a divergent non-4/4 timing and is a voyeuristic song about yearning love set in a garden. Bobby uses floral imagery to create a metaphor relating the natural beauty of marigolds with the euphoria two lovers feel when close to each other.

The Bobby Tenderloin Universe ‘Satan is a Woman’ album artwork