Also Cool's Project Nowhere 2024 Top Picks (Toronto)

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Also Cool has landed in Toronto! This time we’re covering the second edition of west-end fest Project Nowhere, taking west Dundas by storm with its “cosmic array of underground legends, modern vanguards and exciting up-and-coming talent from Toronto and beyond,” from October 3rd-5th, 2024. Based on this year’s lineup, it sounds like this project ain’t going anywhere. We did a deep dive into Project Nowhere’s curation and have hand-picked a collection of AC-certified top picks. After taking in the first night, discover new music with us and take a peek at just some of the acts that will guide us through the rest of the weekend.

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Leah Singer and Lee Ranaldo, credit Frey Ranaldo

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Leah Singer and Lee Ranaldo, from the archives via S8cinema

Partners in life and music, Leah Singer and Lee Ranaldo have been collaborating on evolving image and sound installations since the early 90s. The pair’s immersive performance sees Singer casting projections of live 16mm film manipulations alongside improvised, droning guitar from Sonic Youth founding member Ranaldo. Cornerstone to the duo’s shadow play is Lee’s electric guitar swinging from the ceiling, suspended like a pendulum.  

Leah Singer and Lee Ranaldo play St. Anne’s Parish Hall on Friday, October 4th. Doors at 8:00pm.  

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God’s Mom, credit Jacopo Paglione

After seeing their electrifying chainmail-clad performance at Le Système in Montreal, we can’t wait to see God’s Mom, especially with new music on the way. Their latest single Maddalena is a taste of what’s to come, playful, dancey, and synthy. 

God’s Mom plays The Garrison on Friday, October 4th. Doors at 8:30pm. 

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Pelada, credit Hendrik Schneider

Montreal’s beloved electro-punk duo Pelada are bidding farewell on their final tour, but not before one last rager. Composed of singer Chris Vargas and producer Tobias Rochman, Pelada just tore up the fall edition of Debaser’s Pique festival in Ottawa this past weekend. Promising to draw you into their world of hardcore, synth-based justice anthems, Pelada will spit you out, begging for more. Hear songs from their Polaris long-list nominated album Ahora Más Que Nunca before the pair’s sweaty sound becomes that of raver ephemera. 

Pelada plays The Garrison on Friday, October 4th. Doors at 8:30pm.

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SORB via Bandcamp

Toronto-based Farsi electronic duo SORB infuses genres of the underground—Industrial Techno, Dub, Gabber and others—with influences from Kurdish and Iranian music to rebel against the powers that be with confrontational rhythms. Channeling their rage towards experiences of exile, police brutality, facism and living under an authoritarian regime, SORB fosters a space to imagine collective hope on the dancefloor.  

SORB plays their final Toronto show at The Garrison on Friday, October 4th. Doors at 8:30pm.

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Moon King via Bandcamp

Between his straight-up excellent curation and hybrid live-DJ sets, Montreal’s Moon King always keeps our toes tapping. Check out his collaborative track “Turning (Inside Out)” with Visors for a taste of what’s to come! 

Moon King DJs Bambi’s, Friday October 4th, 2024. Doors at 9:00pm. 

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Y’KNOW via Bandcamp

Toronto duo Y’KNOW beam us into the silvery universe of Spiritual World with their digital downbeat deliciousness. Featuring Bally and M1_Sound (half of Toronto based dub post punk band UH HUH), Y’KNOW cooks up funky splendor with syrupy vocals, dubby depths, galactic sound effects and an effortless je ne sais quoi that evokes coolness from another realm. 

Y’KNOW plays BSMT254 on Friday, October 4th. Doors at 9:00pm.

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Crasher via Bandcamp

Always powerful and kind of spooky, Crasher is our favourite Bandcamp-only band. Catching this trio is always a treat, blending strange dark wave, leaning on the electronic side, with DIY grunge punk grit. 

Crasher plays BSMT254 on Saturday, October 5th. Doors at 10:30pm.

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Project Nowhere

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Snow Strippers, Ducks Ltd., Haruomi Hosono, Kim Gordon & More: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

Kim Gordon by Danielle Neu

It seems that every musician we like here at Also Cool has released new music in the past few weeks, so we put it all together for you to enjoy.

This edition of our Playlist Refresh includes everyone from Kim Gordon to Haruomi Hosono, and you can listen along via our regularly updated playlist on Spotify.

Snow Strippers and Turnabout - “Luctus Mane (Snow Strippers Remix)”

Snow Strippers (Nice Bass Bro) have permeated the music scene with their signature sound, reviving the nostalgic appeal of late-2000s electroclash with haunting vocals and hyper-pop nods. In their latest endeavour, the Detroit duo step up to remix Turnabout’s “Luctus Mane,” softening its trap metal roots with a celestial touch. Vocalist Tatiana Schwaninger’s hypnotic inflections rise above the distortion and conjure a light all their own.

Allie X by Marcus Cooper

Allie X - “Weird World”

Avant-pop fixture Alexandra Hughes, better known as Allie X, has emerged with her third album Girl with No Face, out today via Twin Music Inc. This new record anchors itself in a swath of ‘80s synth-pop and dark wave—entirely self-produced by Hughes—and “Weird World” marks its latest single. This impassioned track mourns the notion of a past life while erupting with freedom, sprinkling a touch of German musings over eerie instrumentation fit for the likes of Drab Majesty.

Kim Gordon - “I’m A Man”

Kim Gordon has offered the second cut from her forthcoming album The Collective, set to release March 8th via Matador Records. Swiftly following The Collective’s breakout single “BYE BYE,” “I’m A Man” is an equally noisy testament to Gordon’s triumphant domination of post-rock. Awash with a blistering collage of dissonant guitar and an ear-splitting trap underbelly, “I’m A Man” is best played cranked at full volume, with Gordon’s meditations on the disappointments of Western masculinity taking centre stage. While some have argued that Gordon’s reflections harbour passé feminist sentimentality, we wonder if Gordon (now 70) is making space for the music she would have wanted to write in her Sonic Youth days.

Watch the video for “I’m A Man,” starring Gordon’s daughter Coco Gordon Moore.

Hot Garbage by Laura-Lynn Petrick

Hot Garbage - “Look at My Phone”

Toronto psych rock four-piece Hot Garbage barreled into 2024 with Precious Dream, the band’s second full-length on Montreal indie label Mothland. Flush with rippers from front to back, Precious Dream sneers with dark surf flirtations, motorik rhythms, and sinister synth-laden chaos. The album’s second track “Look at My Phone” is a super-charged headbanger for coping with the horrors of this cruel world.

Tyla by Annie Reid

Tyla - “Butterflies”

Tyla hit superstardom after releasing her Grammy Award-winning song “Water.” Quickly after, she dropped her debut EP Tyla via Fax and Epic Records and proved she wasn’t going to be a one-hit wonder. “Butterflies” highlights a softer, almost ethereal side to the singer – let this song transport you to a magical place!

Nick Schofield by Christopher Honeywell

Nick Schofield - “Resonant World”

Self-proclaimed “ambient raver” Nick Schofield (Best Fern, Saxsyndrum) recently dropped his third solo sonic venture, Ambient Ensemble, via Halifax label Forward Music Group. Along with a band of masterly local collaborators (Yolande Laroche, Philippe Charbonneau, and Mika Posen), the Hull, QC-based electroacoustic composer achieves otherworldly splendour on Ambient Ensemble. Likened to works by masters Brian Eno and Philip Glass, Schofield's delicate yet profound Ambient Ensemble is a kaleidoscope of lush, instrumental bliss.

Loving - “Any Light”

Loving has been a longtime staple of Also Cool’s playlists, bringing well-considered tenderness to the Canadian indie music scene. “Any Light” is the title track of their latest album, guiding us into the contemplative world of Jesse Henderson and David Parry. The 10-track album weaves through themes of love, existential uncertainty, and "the psychic consequences of living in an increasingly digitized world."

Max Leone - “Kirkland”

There’s nothing that hits harder than going back to your hometown just to discover that your memories have been paved over and replaced by parking lots and big box stores. California-based Max Leone submerges himself in this flavor of bittersweet nostalgia with his latest release “Kirkland,” which is accompanied by a music video made of home videos that act as a portal into his childhood. Watch the video below.

Moon King - “Go To My Head”

Comfortable in a cold blue light, Moon King brings us yet another slinky synthy single “Go To My Head,” off of his upcoming album Roses (which is set to release later this year on Arbutus Records). Inspired by loops found on ‘future music’ CDs from the mid-90s, FM synths, and 808s, the track rounds out with his layered, pitched-up vocals – perfect for grooving to anytime, anywhere.

Born at Midnite - “*69 (Patrick Holland Remix)”

The great music minds of Montreal have merged to create an absolute banger remix of an already great song. Born at Midnite's “*69 (Patrick Holland Remix)” will soon be added to DJs’ USBs worldwide, and dancefloors everywhere will rejoice.

In the words of Born at Midnite: “If you are anything like me, the second you hear Pat’s remix of *69, the tears will roll, everything you’ve ever heard will suddenly seem irrelevant, tingles will go up your spine and you’ll drop your Timmie’s on your Rick Owens Crocs.”

Ducks Ltd. by Dylan Taylor

Ducks Ltd. - “On Our Way To The Rave”

“Memories I'll barely retain, We're on our way to the rave.” Relatable for almost every party person, and eerily reflective of the theme of our FSR radio show (music ranging from the indie rock show to the rave), Ducks Ltd. have returned with an excellent single off of their recent album Harm’s Way.

Reliably jangly, and always fun, Tom McGreevy and Evan Lewis of Ducks Ltd. deliver a highly-anticipated expansion on the sound they established in 2021. We were able to catch their set at Taverne Tour this year, and are happy to report that the sold-out show was one of the highlights of the festival.

Haruomi Hosono & Mac DeMarco - “Boku Wa Chotto”

Mac DeMarco has teamed up with Japanese legend Haruomi Hosono for their latest release, “Boku Wa Chotto,” via Stones Throw Records. While it may seem like an unlikely pairing, Hosono has long been one of Mac DeMarco’s musical idols and had previously covered his song “Honey Moon” in 2018. For those unfamiliar with Haruomi Hosono, we suggest listening to his 1978 album PACIFIC and the classic track “SPORTS MEN” off of his 1982 album Philharmony as an introduction to the incredible world of Hosono’s Japanese pop music.

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