B-Side Guys

A single purchased rose becomes an entire emotional landscape in Lensky’s “Valentine’s Day,” the Montreal-based artist’s second single that confirms his status as one of Canada’s most intriguing emerging voices.

Like the operatic character his nom de plume references, Lensky crafts a narrative of unrequited affection that builds from confession to catharsis. The track’s architecture—beginning with sparse instrumentation that gradually accumulates texture and intensity—mirrors the psychological trajectory of romantic self-deception. When he admits “I bought myself roses/Why did I pretend I got them from you,” Lensky establishes both narrative premise and emotional vulnerability in a single, devastating couplet.

Producer Chris Kengard (whose credentials include the Banff Center and Conservatoire de Paris) creates a sonic environment where every instrumental element serves the song’s emotional arc. Antoine Tousignant’s guitar work oscillates between restrained accompaniment and expressive counterpoint, culminating in a solo that feels less like technical showmanship and more like emotional punctuation. Thomas Harries provides complementary guitar work that enriches the track’s textural palette, while the rhythm section of Juan Felipe Quintero (bass) and Dominic Gendreau-Duguay (drums) provides propulsion without overwhelming Lensky’s vocal performance.

The repeated refrain “I surprised myself, I got lost in the fray/Waiting for a word from you Valentine’s Day” functions both as chorus and as psychological revelation—each repetition carrying greater emotional weight as the arrangement intensifies. This structural choice creates a listening experience where familiar lyrics gain new dimensions through musical context rather than verbal variation.

Where Lensky’s classical background becomes most apparent is in his vocal approach—technically accomplished yet emotionally direct. His delivery of “I won’t be a villain, so I lied, yeah it’s fine/I’ll love you like I love my friends” conveys both the decision to deceive and the underlying pain motivating that choice.

Jeff Buckley’s influence emerges in Lensky’s willingness to explore vocal extremes within a single phrase, while echoes of Wilco appear in the track’s architectural patience. Yet “Valentine’s Day” never feels derivative—instead, these influences have been absorbed and transformed into something distinctively contemporary and personal.

This single stands as evidence that sometimes the most impactful musical moments emerge not from fictional narratives but from honest excavations of our smallest self-deceptions—like purchasing roses and pretending they came from someone else.