Northern Haze - ᓯᕿᓐᓈᕈᑦ Siqinnaarut

Tracks

		Track Name	Length
	1	Inuk	01:52
	2	Qainna	03:00
	3	Angajusakuluk	03:28
	4	Iraq	04:18
	5	Silatugami	05:08
	6	Tukisi	04:02
	7	Tupiq	02:59
	8	Pamiuq	02:37
	9	Umiaq	03:27
	10	Inuusivut II	04:08

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Videos

Information/Write-up

More than three decades after making history with their groundbreaking debut, Northern Haze returned in 2018 with Siqinnaarut — a record as improbable as it is powerful. The band’s story is one of resilience: born and raised in Igloolik, Nunavut, they were the first Inuit group to record a rock album, releasing their self-titled LP in 1985 through CBC’s Northern Service. In the years that followed, they endured unimaginable loss, with the deaths of founding members Elijah Kunnuk and Kolitalik Inukshuk, and long stretches where it seemed they might never record again. Yet, against all odds, they regrouped, carrying their music into a new era.

Siqinnaarut, meaning “Return of the Sun,” was recorded in Iqaluit with Nunavut’s first and only label, Aakuluk Music. The symbolism of the title is apt: just as the Arctic sun reappears after months of darkness, Northern Haze reemerged after 33 years with ten new songs that reaffirm their place as the Rock Shamans of the North. Original members James Ungalaq, John Inooya, and Naisana Qamaniq are joined by “the young ones,” Ungalaq’s son Derek Aqqiaruq on bass and Allan Kangok on guitar and keys, bridging generations within the band itself.

Musically, the album retains the raw, unvarnished quality that made Northern Haze so unique in the 1980s, while expanding into new territory. The opening track, “Inuk,” bursts forward with a primal scream before settling into a riff-heavy anthem about colonialism and its impact on Inuit life. “Angajusakuluk,” dedicated to their late bandmate Elijah, channels traditional Inuit melodies into a moving celebration of brotherhood, grief, and remembrance. Elsewhere, “Tukisi” shifts from a plaintive country ballad into a hard rock surge, showcasing the band’s gift for fluid, unpredictable songwriting, while “Inuusivut II” revisits a theme from their 1985 debut, weaving continuity between past and present.

Even after three decades, Northern Haze still sound like themselves. The mix of bluesy rock, heavy riffs, and Inuktitut storytelling hasn’t changed much — it’s still raw, still direct, and still real. The guitars cut in with the same emotion, the drums keep that steady push, and James Ungalaq’s voice, weathered now with age, carries more weight than ever. Instead of coming off like nostalgia, Siqinnaarut feels like the band picking up where they left off, but with the perspective of everything they’ve lived through.

As a comeback, it’s rare. Siqinnaarut doesn’t just lean on the band’s legacy, it adds to it. It proves that Northern Haze’s sound has a life of its own — one that still makes sense more than thirty years after their first record. For listeners, it’s a reminder that rock and roll can come from anywhere, even the frozen edges of the Arctic, and still connect. This isn’t just the “return of the sun,” it’s the return of a band that never really went away, and never stopped believing in what their music could mean.
-Robert Williston

James Ungalaq: vocals, guitar (original member)
Naisana Qamaniq: guitar, vocals (original member)
John Inooya: drums (original member)
Derek Aqqiaruq: bass, vocals (new member)
Allan Kangok: guitar, keyboards (new member)

Produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Recorded in Iqaluit, Nunavut, winter 2018
Released by Aakuluk Music, November 23, 2018

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