He’s been called a phenom, hero and a slinger, a virtuoso and a “hired gun”. No matter how you say it, the through-line with Luke Doucet has always been his guitar. And with each listen to his growing catalogue, and ever evolving artistry, there’s no mistaking his tone.

The man in my head recommends against paving my history

Getting his first guitar at age 13, Doucet’s deep love for rock music matches his skills to thrill on a six string. He played with his father in a blues band at age 15, honing his stage presence and infusing that sound into his own style of playing. From there, he moved from Winnipeg to Vancouver, where he notably joined Sarah McLachlan’s band at age 19.

Originally released in 1996 via west coast indie label Divine Industries, Hot Loser was Doucet’s first album.

I wonder why
It scares me to death
You tell me everything you ever
Thought about love was a lie

Reminiscent of Beck’s “Loser,” The Melvins, Seattle grunge and the restless alt- rock scene of the 1990s, Veal’s Hot Loser sounds authentically-era, like it was made in and belongs to that time...because it was.

Like changing scenery, “Mexico Texaco”' appears here as a dark waltz, awash in tremolo and Doucet’s early foray into pedal steel playing. Longtime fans will recognize it from a later version, recorded for Whitehorse’s The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss. Here, the production is clear and simple, and each choice to add or subtract is done in plain view.

This is not a beer commercial, no untouchable convention
You know just as well I wish to god it were

Bursting forth like a honeymoon rocket, “Girlfriend” (not to be confused “Girlfriend (Pt.2)” found on Veal’s third album, Embattled Hearts) is a pop punk cacophony that shreds like a Scott Pilgrim fight scene. Through double time guitars that rattle heart cages, the chorus lands like a soft valentine, with Doucet cooing, “I’m so much happier now, cuz’ I live near a beer store, and I have a girlfriend.” His vocals sit out front of the mix, like regulars that gather on the sidewalk at the bar listening to the average existence of a just-past-the-post teenage boy.

Pulled in the many misdirections of youth, underwritten by life’s inexperiences, Hot Loser’s themes of home, love, coming and going and the perpetual state of self-doubt are still as relevant and persistent today as they were 26 years ago.

THE HORIZON LINE PLAYLIST:
Listen to this week's Horizon Line playlist inspired by Veal's Hot Loser.