Ten minute tea with Afternoon Tea. Spend ten minutes with Afternoon Tea. In the time it takes to boil one kettle, and let one cup of tea steep, we will have your daily art + music fix covered. Take your afternoon break with our Afternoon Tea curators. Need an extra lump of sugar? One more sip? If you have five minutes more (or ten), we have one more hit.
Today’s tea + soundtrack + visuals curated by Back Seat Driver.
Back Seat Driver‘s new single, “The Mountain,” is a soulful anthem about facing life’s challenges with courage and self-belief. Formed in 2023, Back Seat Driver is the collective effort of Sam (keys), Gil (bass), Harland (drums), and Dara (vocals), blending neo-soul grooves with roots-inspired storytelling. “The Mountain” takes listeners on a journey of resilience, culminating in an empowering musical crescendo.
The track was born from an older version with a gospel vibe, transformed during a jam session into a groove-driven song layered with soulful elements. Stripped-down but dynamic, the recording showcases the band’s tight chemistry and their commitment to organic musical growth.
Stream + share “The Mountain” now:
This song came together for us really quickly. The idea centers around the idea that everyone faces mountains in their life that will come down when we believe in ourselves. It’s our anthem of courage and strength. – Back Seat Driver
The band draws inspiration from personal experiences and the belief that simplicity allows for the greatest growth, a theme evident throughout their debut, self-titled EP, arriving April 4th, 2025.
This week it is all about nostalgia for me! Rural Saskatchewan, farming, and warm tea carried out to the field at harvest time are all included here. The song that I chose is Navajo Rug by Ian Tyson from his album Cowboyography. This song was a staple of two of our bandmate’s childhoods, passed on from a dear maternal grandparent that told cowboy stories around summer campfires. The music is country in style, but with a true folk charm as it shares the story of a memory and relationship gone both in flames and in time. The tea that fits this nostalgic memory is Earl Grey tea. Nothing beats this classic tea on a campfire night with stars in the sky and a touch of sugar in the cup. Earl Grey tea can be fancied up at your favourite coffee shop when used in a London Fog, or dressed down in a chipped mug at a summer cottage. The bergamot hints at possibilities and it is a staple of every prairie kitchen. The piece of art that fits so well with this is anything by the prairie artist Ernest Luthi. Luthi spent his entire career painting the farms and landscapes across the southern parts of Saskatchewan in the mid 1900’s. He did sketches, watercolours and some acrylic but oil paintings were what he is most known for. He was prolific and often had paintings without names but one in particular to highlight is the “Old Farmstead in October North of Bulyea” with its autumn colours and brush strokes that bring the view back to a simpler time.
Tea + Me 