Ian North Malahat Delivers Movement and Memory Through Instrumental Storytelling

Ian North returns with Malahat, a vibrant new instrumental single that captures both a physical landscape and a deeply personal connection to it. Known for his thoughtful songwriting and folk-rock sensibilities, North takes a different path here—one without words, yet overflowing with story. Named after the winding highway that stretches down Vancouver Island’s east coast, Malahat is as much about emotional memory as it is about motion.

The piece unfolds like a road trip in sound. It begins with intricate finger-style guitar—delicate and inviting—before gradually opening into sweeping crescendos and ambient textures that suggest movement, elevation, and quiet reflection. Just like the highway that inspired it, the song doesn’t stay in one gear. It climbs, curves, and descends, echoing the shifting terrain between Nanaimo and Victoria.

For North, the Malahat is more than just a scenic route. It’s a place filled with personal history. “The Malahat is the highway that runs down the east coast of Vancouver Island from Nanaimo to Victoria,” he explains. “I’ve driven it many times, and the cover image of the song is a photo I took of my daughter walking along a wall at a lookout on that very highway.” That single moment—simple and quiet—sparked the direction of the piece. And although the track is purely instrumental, that inspiration radiates through every note.

Produced by Chris Gartner, Malahat is layered with subtle details that reward close listening. Gartner, known for his work in blending acoustic roots with modern textures, brings a rich dynamic range to the production. The collaboration allowed North to move beyond the acoustic guitar as a solo vehicle. Instead, guitar leads the way but is supported by ambient swells, percussive flourishes, and nuanced shifts in tone. It’s not just a song—it’s a topographical soundscape, complete with peaks and valleys.

North and Gartner’s partnership proved essential in expanding the vision of the track. “I wanted to develop the song beyond a simple acoustic guitar piece,” North says. “Working with Chris helped me achieve that. We worked together to create a sound that matches the scenic beauty of the Malahat with energy and motion.” And that motion is palpable. You don’t just hear the song—you travel with it. You feel the winding road under your feet, the distant mountains, the ocean view from the lookout.

The official music video, produced by North’s wife Jennifer Claveau, reinforces that sense of place. Drawing from archival footage from Library and Archives Canada, the video includes some of the earliest known moving images of the Malahat highway, filmed in 1912 when the road was still unpaved. These black-and-white clips show Model T cars making their way through untouched landscape, long before the area was developed. Intercut with modern imagery, the visuals evoke both the permanence of the landscape and the passage of time. The Saanich Inlet, Gulf Islands, and coastal mountains all appear, grounding the music in geography and history.

Malahat is North’s fourth release since recovering from a double pulmonary embolism in 2022. The health scare changed his perspective on time, creativity, and expression. Following a long and difficult recovery, North reemerged with the 2024 album Everything Is Incomplete, which marked a return to writing, recording, and sharing music on his own terms. That release was followed by a reimagined version of “The Beautiful City” in December. With Malahat, North enters a new chapter—one that values presence, movement, and sound as a form of memory.

There’s something quietly powerful about an instrumental song capturing so much emotion and meaning without a single lyric. It allows listeners to project their own stories, memories, and paths onto the music. Malahat is not just about a highway or a moment in North’s life—it’s about the feeling of moving through a place that holds something sacred, however undefined. It invites you to look out the window, to listen deeply, and to keep driving.