Gus Englehorn embraces imagination and storytelling with album ‘The Broken Balladeer’

Gus Englehorn, a Montréal-based duo, released their latest album The Broken Balladeer, on February 27, 2026. The pair consists of Gus Englehorn and his wife, Estée Preda.

They visited Edmonton on June 16 at The Aviary to perform tracks from the new album. 

Channeling the underdog

Englehorn described The Broken Balladeer as a project based on the idea of the underdog. Specifically reflecting stories of a “struggling singer-songwriter… in Western culture.”

Inspired by Death of a Salesman, he wanted the album to capture the feeling of a salesman who was down on his luck. Englehorn took negative experiences that happened to him and transformed them into music for the record. He and Prada had just been dropped by their record label when making the album, and their manager had just quit the music industry.

“It seemed like we had lost our team,” said Englehorn.

But the show must go on. Instead of letting those experiences demotivate him, Englehorn translated those feelings into music. This is especially evident in the final track of the album, “The Broken Balladeer,” which includes the lyrics: “And why I even try I don’t know why I bother at all.”

The Broken Balladeer is special as it was the first time Englehorn hired a producer. According to him, Paul Leary excellently brought his vision of the record to life. “I felt like I was in really good hands,” Englehorn said, “Paul was like a match made in heaven.”

He added that imagination and storytelling were important aspects of the album. Each project of his explores deeper into Englehorn’s imagination while building off of previous work.

“I’m always cautious not to repeat myself,” he stated. The artist always aims to improve how he uses his instruments, whether that be his own voice or guitar. 

“I always want to make something that makes people feel complex emotions,” Englehorn says

Storytelling also plays a major role. It’s what makes performing live a great time. His favourite track overall and to sing to an audience is “Suburban Garden Of Eden” because the music complements the lyrics and allows him to act out parts of the story. “Hounds Are Out” is another highlight because it resembled a play and theatrical elements. 

His admiration for fantasy writers such as J.R.R Tolkien inspired him to make The Broken Balladeer focused on personal growth and worldbuilding. The duo aimed to include “a little bit of everything in there” by blending humour with melancholy. 

Like opening a fantasy novel, Englehorn wants audiences to step into a different realm away from the mundane parts of everyday life. 

He wants fans to know that The Broken Balladeer is only one part of the alternative universe the band is creating, and that he is continuing to write songs for the next project.