Cassia Hardy is a loudish musician and songwriter from amiskwacîy-waskahikan, Treaty 6. As a member of the bands Wares and ASKO, she has performed in clubs and festivals from Dawson City to Charlottetown. Recently, she has also appeared at Sappyfest, Sled Island, and Pop Montréal.

In Relation, her 2025 Mint Records debut, explores a wide and carefully arranged soundscape, drawing from 90s queercore cassettes, 70s AM radio pop,  and modern electronic textures. Lyrically, the album explores themes of queer love, loss, and struggles against predatory landlords. Rejecting industry norms around streaming and plastic platters, the album was withheld from streaming platforms, and was released physically as a cassette and a zine of lyrics, with photos & essays from contributors. This approach illustrated the relational element of the lyrics, while exploring a new path forward for sustainable music production. Upon release, In Relation spent 7 weeks at #1 on CJSR, Edmonton’s campus community station, and peaked at #8 on campus community radio nationwide.

Live on stage, the songs become saturated and intense,  fuzzed-out guitar squalls undergirded by driving drum machine rhythms. Cassia’s voice pierces through the noise, taking stock of exquisite things lost and found.