Album Review: ‘Lattice Climbing’ by Morning Coyote

Although just released late this September, Lattice Climbing by Edmonton-based band Morning Coyote already feels like a favourite album you’re re-listening to. Laced with blunt lyrics describing the agonizing process of leaving a relationship, lead songwriter and vocalist Sawyer Begg’s breakup becomes a problem that the audience takes on.

Recording of the EP began in January 2026, and the bleakness of a Northern Alberta winter day definitely bleeds through into the tone of this album. The album cover, a concrete structure laden with snow, only reinforces this idea of solitude and desolation. Taken together, the album art, lyrics, and vocal delivery all form a cohesive (if bleak) presentation of Begg’s internal state. 

“Tacet” is a very strong opener. It’s a good introduction to the feelings of rage associated with having to leave a relationship. Starting out soft, Begg describes a girl who “think[s] she likes me … I think she thinks that I want to marry her.” However, the narrative progresses with the change in vocals, and as Begg’s voice grows hoarser and hoarser over the course of the song, the nature of his lyrics gets meaner and, perhaps, more honest. He begs the girl to “call me in the morning,” simultaneously threatening that “I’m gonna hurt you real bad,” a refrain he returns to over and over. The song ends with a guitar solo which crescendoes into nothing, the anger of an impassioned moment fading.

“Election Day” is comparatively much gentler. Replacing the near-scream of the previous track, this song is gentle, lulling you into a false sense of comfort about its content. The line “sorry [I] thought I loved you, I don’t love anyone” is an especially gut-wrenching confession. 

The title track, however, is the standout. “Lattice Climbing” follows a progression which begins with soothing, warm vocals and lyrics which allude to the desperation of wanting to know someone completely. It ends with Begg screaming,“I don’t need you at all,” the collapse of the relationship appearing to be something we’re witnessing in real time. 

In contrast, “Sycophant” is a bit more discordant, split into sections which at various times feature whispering, pared-down acoustic guitar, and the more familiar grit of a distorted electric guitar. The addition of xylophones and violin in the final track, “Pornography,” is a welcome change to an otherwise guitar-heavy EP. Lyrically, this song is on par with the others, hazy and evocative in lines like “you move like fire in my dreams/ ‘Til I choke/ On your fumes and smoke.” 

Overwhelmingly, Lattice Climbing sticks the landing. Wrapped tightly around its central theme, the torment of the relationship manifests as a vicious cycle. The lyrics and vocal delivery, which often shock in their honesty and bluntness, make for a record which is gutting and personal in its devastation. Morning Coyote is unafraid to be truthful in their witness of a crumbling relationship. For those interested in involving themselves in someone else’s heartbreak, this is the EP to listen to.