Tryg Strand Finds the Balance Between “Love & War” in His Powerful New Single

Long before the upcoming single “Love & War,” Strand’s life was already split between two worlds: the stage and the ice. Growing up in British Columbia’s Columbia Valley, he caught the performance bug early, touring around BC and even Hawaii with a middle school ukulele band called Silver Strings. While most kids were still figuring out their hobbies, Strand was already learning what it felt like to play in front of a crowd.

But music wasn’t the only thing pulling at him. Hockey became a serious pursuit, eventually landing him a university scholarship with the University of Guelph Gryphons where he played for five seasons before taking his game overseas for a year of professional hockey in Sweden. Through all of it - long bus rides, late nights, new cities the songwriting quietly followed him around like a shadow. Then the pandemic hit, and everything shifted.

When hockey doors closed, music doors swung wide open. Strand dove headfirst into songwriting, hitting open mic nights, playing wherever he could, and shaping a sound that feels both classic and lived-in. His music pulls from rock, blues, country, and folk, but never feels boxed into any one lane. It’s raw, soulful, and built around expressive guitar work that carries just as much emotion as the lyrics themselves.

That spirit shows up front and center in “Love & War.” The track leans into the push and pull of life, the moments when passion and struggle live in the same breath. Strand’s voice carries a natural grit, the kind that doesn’t feel polished for the sake of radio but instead earned through experience.

And audiences have been catching on. Performing across Western Canada with his band, Strand has already made waves at festivals like Flats Fest, Radius Rhythms & Riffs, Invermere’s Snowflake Festival, Northstar Days, and Steamboat Mountain Music Festival. The live setting is clearly where the songs stretch their legs, turning into something even bigger.

At the heart of it all, Tryg Strand writes the kind of songs that feel honest to the bone. His lyrics don’t hide behind clever tricks - they say what they mean, plain and simple, and that’s exactly why they land. There’s something refreshing about hearing someone sing from a place that feels real.

With “Love & War,” Strand steps into a new chapter—one where the hockey sticks are put away, but the drive, grit, and heart that fueled that career are now pouring straight into the music.