Popping Off: A Vibrant Dive Into POP Montreal's 23rd Edition

Beverly Glenn-Copeland performing at the Théâtre Rialto for POP Montreal

Another edition of POP Montreal has come and gone. The festival’s 23rd edition had us zooming around the city at top speed hitting at least five shows a night, enjoying the best indie music Montreal’s scene, and its invited guests, had to offer. Experience four nights of POP Montreal in true Also Cool fashion with our post-festival review, covering Bleu Vésuve, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, YHWH Nailgun, Laura Krieg and more. 

Day One 

Our festival opener was none other than hometown hero Amery. In a custom-made gold and fuschia sequined ensemble (complete with her matching sparkly monogrammed white tee), Amery belted the synth-pop standouts from her recently released debut Continue As Amery (Arbutus), with classics like “Boring Potion” sprinkled in-between. The sold-out audience at Casa del Popolo saw Amery confidently strut into the crowd backed by her equally bouncy bandmates to define indie pop perfection. Along with a well-received surprise guest duet with Fireball Kid, the scene support for Amery and co. was palatable, with show-goers unable to resist shimmying along, smiling from ear to ear. Just when we thought the bangers were over, Amery kept spirits high, closing out with a cover of Donna Summer’s 1979 hit “Hot Stuff”.  

In between acts, we caught up with Winter and The Spirit of the Beehive at Foufounes Électriques. Winter is a Brazilian-American artist who recently moved from Los Angeles to New York, and warmed the crowd up with her dreamy shoegaze set. She also had some psychedelic notebooks for sale at her merch table, which of course came home with us after her set. Philadelphia band The Spirit of the Beehive is a longtime Also Cool fav, and offered a solid performance to an eager crowd of indie rockers. 

Next up on the Casa del Popolo bill was fellow local act Bleu Vésuve. A new artist for Also Cool, Bleu Vésuve is the project of Montreal-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Camille Rosset-Balcer. Upon Bleu Vésuve taking the stage, a haunting fog settled atop the hushed audience. It was almost as if the band was playing by candlelight, with Rosset-Balcer’s Mazzy Star-meets-Cat Power vocals gently meandering from the glow. Sharing entracing, dusky folk-psych from their first self-titled EP, Bleu Vésuve was a welcomed discovery from this year’s POP lineup.    

Day Two 

Spirits were high on day two of POP, knowing that living legend Beverly Glenn-Copeland would return to his university town of Montreal for a date on his final tour. The stained glass panels of the Théâtre Rialto were twinkling and the hall was filled with warmth from the anticipation of what was sure to be a magical performance. Aptly titled “The Salon Evening”, Copeland and his accompanying musical family shared an intimate performance that transported the Théâtre Rialto’s 1,500 person audience into what felt like a night of storytelling in the living room that he shares with his wife, Elizabeth.

Opening with “Ever New” from his 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies, Copeland’s otherworldly voice and presence kept our eyes glassy for the nearly two hour-long performance. Between poems written by Copeland and his wife, anthems from his latest release The Ones Ahead, and songs of perseverance and survival, Copeland’s playful storytelling and adorable back and forth with Elizabeth reminded us of the power of camaraderie and laughter. We could tell the band felt the same way, as two choir members clasped hands during Copeland’s heartfelt “(Harbour) Song for Elizabeth”. Along with fellow concert-goers, we were awestruck by Copeland’s gorgeous and humorous performance, and felt as though our lives may be forever changed. 

After wading through the post-Beverly Glenn Copeland swarm outside the Rialto, we booked it down to the Plateau to catch Nap Eyes. Shuffling shoulder to shoulder in the basement of La Sotterranea to Nap Eyes’ half-new, half-nostalgic discography felt so right. It’s been nearly a decade since we first encountered the pensive Halifax-raised indie outfit, yet it felt like no time had passed after the band’s three-year release hiatus. Songs that were the backdrop to Also Cool’s teenage years, like “Stargazer” and “No Fear of Hellfire”, were just as full of energy as if they were brand new, with the four guitars on-stage waltzing in harmony and singer Nigel Chapman’s delivery as endearingly earnest as we’d remembered. Montreal-based experimental sage Yves Jarvis joined Nap Eyes on rhythm guitar and synth, bringing welcomed oomph to the undeniably tight set. Having just signed to Paper Bag Records, Nap Eyes’ fifth record The Neon Gate is out on October 18th. 

Cecile Believe closed out the night with a stunning performance, gracing the stage in all white and butterfly wings fluttering around her eyelashes. Friends and fans screamed lyrics back at her as she performed tracks off of her most recent EP Tender the Spark along with classics like “Bitch Bites Dog” and “Show Me What”. Cecile also performed “My Forever”, her collaborative track on SOPHIE’s posthumous self-titled album, which had the crowd in tears. The show kicked off Cecile’s Canada-US tour, where she’ll perform alongside Sega Bodega in the coming weeks. Explore her tour dates here.

Day Three 

Freak Heat Waves kicked off day three at Théâtre Fairmount opening for HOMESHAKE. Set up in the middle of the stage, facing each other, the duo masterfully weaved live samples in with their various boards and blinking machines to create an enthralling set that had everyone grooving. HOMESHAKE started the set with a fake phone call before launching into their beloved stoner-rock sound, keeping cool despite a bit of a rowdy crowd screaming “let’s fucking go” in heavy Quebecois accents. The show began the band’s final tour in its current configuration, and felt like a nice call back to 2017-era Montreal.

We then marched over to Casa del Popolo, where Yves Jarvis put on a predictably beautiful show, before heading to La Sotterranea across the street just in time for YHWH Nailgun’s set. As predicted, the New York quartet quickly became one of our favourite discoveries from the festival, with their chaotic yet tightly controlled experimental set. Zack Borzone’s slightly possessed vocals paired with Sam Pickard’s immaculate drumming made for a captivating, high-energy musical force that had the whole room buzzing.

Day Four 

Laura Krieg opened the night at La Sala Rosa with a spooky dark-wave solo set, and got the room full of goths moving. We then ran downstairs to La Sotterranea for Ribbon Skirt (FKA Love Language), who’s newly-embraced grunge rock sound was amplified by their energetic stage presence. We also made sure to buy an embroidered camo hat from their new merch run before going back upstairs to see Mothland’s prince Alix Fernz, who commanded the crowd with his electrifying Queb-punk set. The night continued with Fireball Kid and Ura Star singing songs of friendship and quintessential partypop antics at L’Éscogriffe. 

We wrapped up our tour de POP with a swift BIXI across the Mile End back to the Théâtre Rialto. Selector and dreamscape conjuror, Nabihah Iqbal flawlessly spun icy, melancholic silk from her 2023 record DREAMER, followed by force of nature Ouri, who sheathed the audience in a transcendental, neoclassical mirage. 

POP Montreal

Website | Instagram

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Sounds Cool 2021 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

Illustration by Malaika Astorga

Once again, music has unsurprisingly gotten us through the year. Throughout the whirlwind of 2021, we here at Also Cool were lucky enough to discover a range of compelling releases across a spectrum of genres. What unites these projects is their radiance, their ability to captivate us through trials and triumphs and be a constant when seemingly nothing else was. In no particular order (except alphabetical), we’ve compiled a mix of stand-outs from our 2021 favourites. 

If you haven’t been introduced to these artists via our music section or radio shows on N10.AS and FSR, take a listen to our year in review. There’s something here for everyone, and maybe you’ll see one of your friends here, too – spread the love and send them this article to tell them that they are indeed also cool.  

We’d like to extend our gratitude to all the artists on this list for keeping us company through the last year. Our listening habits have been elevated and comforted by these selections, and we’re looking forward to what’s in store from here and beyond in 2022.

Whether experienced in-person during the brief resurgence of live music, or in solitude weathering out your headphones, here’s to music for filling the void in the best way possible. 

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Sounds Cool 2021 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

Ada Lea - one hand on the steering wheel, the other sewing a garden (Next Door Records / Saddle Creek)

Interview with Ada Lea by Malaika Astorga (October 21st, 2021) 

“The introspective folk/pop songs walk with you through the process of finding your identity and losing it again to someone who's not worth it, daydreaming about life in other cities, and wondering when to go home again.”

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BACKXWASH - I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES (Ugly Hag Records)

Interview with Backxwash by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter and Rebecca L. Judd (June 20th, 2021)

“With I Lie Here, BACKXWASH claims her title as contemporary hip-hop’s greatest force to be reckoned with, and we are celebrating her reign.”

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Bnny - Everything (Fire Talk)

Interview with Bnny by Malaika Astorga (August 20th, 2021)

“Written in sessions that span several years by singer Jess Viscius as she processed the death of her partner, the album is a chronicle of love at its most complex and loss at its most persistent.”

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Clairo - Sling (FADER)

“On her second album, reluctant Gen Z ambassador Clairo turns back the clock, embracing classic touchstones of 1970s folk.” — Cat Zhang, Pitchfork

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Das Beat - Identität (Arbutus Records)

Interview with Das Beat by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (June 3rd, 2021) 

“In four flawless tracks outfitted with celestial atmospheres and pulsating undercurrents, Identität offers a dioramic perspective of the couple’s intimate creative dynamics, backdropped with the essence of Berlin’s esoteric nightlife.”

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Dish Pit - DIPSHIT (Self-Released)

“Following the sudden closure of their record label, Montreal-based DISHPIT's long-delayed debut album is finally seeing the light of day as the band begins working on the follow-up. DIPSHIT — recorded with veteran producer Steve Albini — unleashes a devastation of post-punk and lo-fi grunge upon the world.” — Matt Owczarz, Exclaim!

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Dorothea Paas - Anything Can’t Happen (Telephone Explosion)

Interview with Dorothea Pass by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 7th, 2021)

“On her new LP Anything Can’t Happen, Paas illuminates how she came to define success as encountering and reconciling self-discovery through her work, all while establishing growth on her own terms.”

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Ducks Ltd. - Modern Fiction (Royal Mountain)

Interview with Ducks Ltd. by Malaika Astorga (August 17th, 2021) 

“Toronto's Ducks Ltd.'s new single How Lonely Are You? is the perfect soundtrack for your mildly existential end-of-summer playlist.”

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Hildegard - Hildegard (Chivi Chivi / Section1)

Interview with Hildegard by Malaika Astorga (June 8th, 2021)

“Their debut record has been described as the result of merging their identities, coupled with a complete loss of ego. The result is a beautiful and experimental eight-track experience, documenting the creative bond they share.”

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Jane Inc. - Number One (Telephone Explosion)

Interview with Jane Inc. by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter 

“Building off samples, break-beats and Ableton tutorials, Jane Inc.’s debut Number One serves as a reminder that Bezic is no one-trick-pony.”

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Kekko - Dreaming Life (Spirit Goth Records) 
Interview with Kekko by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter

“If not already evident by the band’s namesake —which combines the last names of the husband and wife duo, Tim Kek and Cherie Ko— Kek’s lush atmospherics intertwined with Ko’s ethereal vocals manifest a radiance unique to a soulmate connection.”

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kolenżanka - Place Is (Bar/None)

Interview with kolenżanka by Malaika Astorga (June 16th, 2021)

“To leave an old life behind and begin a new one is an anxiety-inducing and transformative process that Phoenix-born and NYC-based singer kolenżanka has mastered.”

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L’Impératrice - Tako Tsubo (microqlima)

Interview with L’Impératrice by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 22nd, 2021)

“L’Impératrice’s latest venture is a shimmering think-piece on life’s ever-perplexing phenomenon of broken-heart syndrome, which derived from the name Tako Tsubo (meaning “octopus trap” in Japanese).”

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Magi Merlin - Drug Music (Self-Released)

Magi Merlin “Mock Meat” review by Malaika Astorga (February 23rd, 2021) 

“A little spooky, a little bit sultry, Magi Merlin's "Mock Meat" draws you in with textured sounds and silky vocals.”

Magi Merlin Drug Music premiere by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (March 5th, 2021) 

“Throughout Drug Music, Magi Merlin owns her truth between entrancing beats and smokey basslines, while getting hot and heavy with lush vocal harmonies and a playful raspiness.”

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May Rio - Easy Bammer (Dots Per Inch)

Interview with May Rio by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (June 22nd, 2021) 

“Much like its origin story, May Rio’s Easy Bammer documents and celebrates the romantic unexpectedness of everyday life.”

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Motorists - Surrounded (Bobo Integral / We Are Time / Debt Offensive)

Interview with Motorists by Malaika Astorga (September 16th, 2021) 

“Comparable to various eras of punk, jangle rock, and mid-2000s Canadian indie rock, Motorists express their struggles with isolation by pairing a post-punk vocal tone with optimistic and upbeat melodies.”

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New Chance - Real Time (We Are Time) 
Interview with New Chance by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (July 28th, 2021) 

“On her latest offering Real Time, Cheong brings her reflections on nature’s abstract cycles to the forefront, between spellbinding textures and an eclectic sampling of everything from Calypso percussion to a sunrise rooster crow.”

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Ouri - Frame of a Fauna (Born Twice / Lighter Than Air) 
Interview with Ouri by Rebecca L. Judd (October 30th, 2021) 

“Marking the latest notch in Ouri’s belt, Frame of a Fauna carefully wields experimental and classical curiosities to seek deeper truths between the bars.”

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Oxford Drama - What’s The Deal With Time? (Self-Released)

Interview with Oxford Drama by Rebecca L. Judd (July 7th, 2021)

“Inspired by the never-ending mazes of modern technology and society, the duo – consisting of Małgorzata Dryjanska and Marcin Mrówka – transforms crushing emotions and uncertainties into a musical experience that transcends the turmoil.”

Oxford Drama “Too Busy” video premiere by Malaika Astorga (December 9th, 2021)

“Although it may seem like everyone else has their lives together, they're probably just good at keeping a curated online presence. Our Polish pals Oxford Drama encapsulate this chaos energy perfectly in their music video for “Too Busy”, a single off their recent album What's The Deal With Time?”

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PACKS - Take The Cake (Royal Mountain / Fire Talk) 

Interview with PACKS by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 17th, 2021) 

“Toronto’s PACKS are filling an indie-rock void with their sound that is equal parts laid-back and jangly, while also sophisticatedly pensive and bright.”

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PinkPantheress - to hell with it (Parlophone) 

“The 20-year-old UK producer broke out on TikTok with snippet-sized songs that ache with nostalgia for the recent past. Her intimate, lived-in music succeeds where cheaper imitations fail.” — Arielle Gordon, Pitchfork

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Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World (Warp Records) 

“Even on a brief EP, Yves Tumor’s prismatic world seems to get bigger as it mutates into certain conventions of goth rock, dream pop, and shoegaze.” — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork

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Listen to our year in review below!

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Ouri's "Frame of a Fauna" Offers a Treatise on Bodies in (Com)motion (Born Twice / Lighter Than Air)

Ouri. Photo courtesy of Kane Ocean

Sharp utensils carve through metaphysical auras. Jagged ribs pierce muted whispers. After much anticipation, the inimitable Ouri is ready to guide you through her life cycle. The multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer has released debut LP Frame of a Fauna – out now via Born Twice and Lighter Than Air. 

A revered fixture of Montreal’s underground rave scene, Ouri has long captivated with her nuanced approach to orchestral experimentation. Frame of a Fauna stands as the artist’s second release of the year; Hildegard, the transcendent duo comprised of herself and Helena Deland, dropped their self-titled debut in June (which AC had the pleasure of diving into).

Marking the latest notch in Ouri’s belt, Frame of a Fauna carefully wields experimental and classical curiosities to seek deeper truths between the bars. The artist reinforces her aptitude for the sonically-transformative as she dissects the exchanges between intangible forces and corporeal forms. The album is guided by life itself, etched with Ouri’s personal losses and awakenings. Birth, death and rebirth are arranged on a seafoam platter, their bones exposed for all to pick.

Album highlights include the hauntingly beautiful “Ossature”; "Intact Alef" by PTU furnishes Ouri’s auditory playground, enhanced by breathy vocals and disfigured percussion. “Grip” offers tender reflections over a lethargic beat, coupled with a stirring video of Ouri undergoing brain surgery mid-performance. Her ambitious vision is not lost in this straddling of soundscapes, acting instead as a compass for each ethereal composition and grounding them in an inescapable reality.

Days before the release of Frame of a Fauna, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ouri about her creative pursuits, body oddity, and the merits to minimalism. 

Ouri. Photo courtesy of Kane Ocean

Rebecca Judd for Also Cool Mag: I'm really interested in the kind of [creative] work you do and the trajectory that you've marked. You fuse the classical with the experimental, carving new folds into the parameters of electronic music. How did you lean into this thirst for transformation? How did you realize that that trajectory could be possible?

Ouri: I feel like I started in classical music, and then stopped and jumped into electronic music and the more experimental approach to [that genre]. At some point, I wanted to reconcile everything; I always saw [the situation] like [picking] one or the other, either an advantage or disadvantage, and I just wanted to bring everything in. 

It was super exciting to create a new fusion in general. I feel like there's a lot of schools, a lot of ways to do things, and I wanted to prove to myself that it was possible to do something else.

Also Cool: You’ve been involved with many different projects, including the critically-acclaimed duo of Hildegard (who we previously chatted with at Also Cool); your career is inspiring with this relentless pursuit of skill and expression. How do your different creative projects meld into each other – do you conceive of them as separate chapters, or do they all play into your greater story? 

Ouri: I think they're all part of my story, and they're not like the end of a chapter. I don’t think, because I was DJing a lot and now I’m DJing less, that that makes me want to DJ less [in general]. I want to keep doing everything that I do, and it’s like all [these skills] inform everything – the way I do music, the way I think about music, the way I discover new things in compositions. [They] change the way I DJ, the way I dig and research and find new music to mix together, my compositional techniques and singing. 

I feel like having a diversity of projects, it was a little bit draining at first, but now I feel like I’m confident enough that I can bounce off each one in a very dynamic way.

AC: That’s a wonderful way to look at it – the synergy you feel, it sounds like that really helps you identify yourself and your passions, and express all those different sides to you.

AC: Speaking to [debut album] Frame of a Fauna, I’m fascinated by its artistic philosophies. You explain it as an album which explores “how emotional hardship can imprint, and in turn deform the skeleton”. The sensations you describe are viscerally-stimulating, etched in textures and suspensions all around – how did this direction for your debut album come about? 

O: [This theme], it was just one of my current obsessions that was troubling me. I was touring for the first time in 2019, and I was seeing a bunch of different people with different stories. There were first impressions, and then learning about their life experiences and comparing how those changed for them. 

This made me realize that I was obsessed with human beings, with [the body as] our vessel. It’s a great machine, but it’s also a very dysfunctional machine and absurd sometimes. I wanted to express that in my music.

I don’t know if it’s as present in the [lyrics of Frame of a Fauna], I feel like those are more of an expression of the moment that came naturally. But the music, it was really important to me to have that feeling of a natural, but deformed, but natural [state of being]. We all feel deformed, even when we’re less than someone else. I wanted to translate that into the music. 

AC: Something I read is that, coupled with these vivid sensations and experiences of rebirth are snippets of your own life, sewn into the seams of each passing genre and sound. What has the journey of this project taught you about yourself and your artistry? How does music help you to process your own experiences?

O: This project started when my sister had her son – I’m so close to her, and we’re almost the same age, and we have parallel lives. I wanted to be [with her], I wanted to be close enough that I could visit her often, so I decided to settle in London for a month. [When I was there], I was researching a lot, and I decided not to go to any social activities. I would go to record shops to listen to music and discover the city, and just observe without existing or interacting. I received a lot of inspiration.

Then I went to Berlin for a month, where I was recording more. I was meeting a [few] more people, but I was still a bit distant. By that time, I had a bunch of recordings, and I was really like – I don’t know. I feel like, in the female experience, there’s so much shame, and I wanted to really transcend that and see what I was ashamed of and do it, the best I could. And so that’s what I did [with my music]. I wanted to break down all the mental constructions that were in my way. Now, I feel more confident. I’m accepting what I’m doing. 

In the past, sometimes I feel like I was [preoccupied with the idea that], you know, you don’t know what type of success you want and you don’t know how far you want to go – instead of just being in the present moment. I have no idea where this whole adventure is going to lead me, but I know what I want to experience now. I know exactly which experiences are helping me become more focused and more precise and happier.

Ouri. Photos courtesy of Kane Ocean

AC: Tomorrow isn’t promised, so in that regard you must put yourself out there the way you want to at that moment and deal with the rest later. [Creating is] all about that natural state of being and what feels right. 

O: And, also, to practice – to just isolate yourself to practice your skills, and then come back and refine your vision, not [losing] yourself in what you think people will understand or expect from you.

AC: Is [isolation] an approach that you think you’d take to your future creative work, or was that just an exercise for the time being?

O: It was an exercise that I pushed to the extreme, but I definitely think that isolation helps the creative process a lot. It can be two months, a week, a few days, a year. I don’t know what I will need in the future, but I will need some isolation for sure.

AC: Describe the environment you want to curate with your Frame of a Fauna shows, physically speaking or otherwise. What do you try to convey in your performances, and what do you want conveyed back to you?

O: I really want to convey the energy that I feel inside of me. I want to show a softness while balancing the intensity that I feel inside of myself. I really want to do something musical, but I don’t really want to do a visual show – right now, that is not what I’m trying to do. 

I want to feel a strong dynamic between me, the musicians on stage, and the crowd. I want to feel that exchange of energy. [My shows] will not be unidirectional. I want to stop time, accelerate it, and play with all the parameters.

AC: That [description] kind of relates to the overall themes of the album as well. [Frame of a Fauna] is about all of these vivid human sensations that you can’t describe, this “more than words” type of energy. So the idea is, then, that it’s going to be very minimalistic and people are going to be transformed by the musicality?

O: That is really what I want! I feel like there is so much going on visually [in the world]. Since COVID, I’ve spent so much time on my phone––seeing things, trying to grab information from visuals––but sometimes I feel like I receive too much information visually, and it goes too fast and doesn’t make sense anymore. 

Music can really help change that, jumping between completely new perspectives and new worlds of sensation. I want to take advantage of that. This is what I do, I’m a musician, so I’m focusing on the music.

AC: We are looking forward to whatever you’re up to next. Is it too early to ask about next steps? How are you hoping to transform in the months to come?

O: Absolutely. I’m going to do a couple of shows after this one [in Montreal on October 27], and I’ll also be launching my own imprint with this album––it’s called Born Twice––so I’m already working on the next project that I’m going to release. I’ll be continuing to forge the sound of that.

I’m really curious to observe people’s reactions to my album. In the past, I feel like I was running away from reactions because I was afraid they would be negative, but now I just want to see how people react to this because it’s going to give me a tip on what to pursue next. 

I want to have solid pillars for my different approaches, musically, to Born Twice. I’m already [working on a pillar]; maybe the reaction to Frame of a Fauna is going to be another pillar, and a new collaboration is going to be another one. We’ll see!

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FRAME OF A FAUNA

Released on October 22nd, 2021 via Born Twice and Lighter than Air

1. Ossature

2. The More I Feel

3. Two

4. Odd or God (ft. Mind Bath)

5. High & Choking Pt 1

6. Fear of Being Watched

7. Fonction Naturelle

8. Wrong Breed

9. Chains

10. En Mon Doux Sein

11. Shape of It

12. Too Fast No Pain (ft. mobilegirl)

13. Felicity (ft. Antony Carle)

14. Grip

All songs written by Ouri (except 'Odd or God' also written by Mind Bath and 'Felicity' also written by Antony Carle)

Produced by Ouri

Engineered by Ouri

Mixed by Ouri, additional mixing by Francis Latreille

Mastered by Enyang Urbiks

Synth programming by Pulsum and Justin Leduc-Frénette

Samples from Kelly Moran, Tati au Miel, Zach Frampton, PTU (Song: “Intact Alef”, courtesy of Trip Recordings), Aphex Twin (Song: “minipops 67”, courtesy of Warp Records)

Artwork: Photo by Derek Branscombe, layout by Jesse Katabarwa

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Ouri

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube

Soundcloud | Spotify | Apple Music

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Hildegard (Helena Deland & Ouri) Talk Friendship, section1 & Remembering How to Fly

Hildegard by Jules Moskovtchenko

To understand the world of Hildegard is to immerse yourself in the deep waters of Helena Deland and Ouri's soul connection and friendship. Their debut record has been described as the result of merging their identities, coupled with a complete loss of ego. The result is a beautiful and experimental eight-track experience, documenting the creative bond they share.

The duo are both accomplished musicians in their own right, both having toured the world with their individual projects. They've also been longtime Montreal friends, and over the years, the three of us have gotten to know each other through many shows, nights out, and mutual friends. 

I caught up with Ouri and Helena earlier last week to talk about the album, their friendship, dreams, and their label section1. I explained right off the bat that I wanted to skip the typical PR questions and get into the more esoteric, conceptual energy and of the record. They happily agreed and took me by the hand into the world of Hildegard. 

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: I first heard the album three years ago, and it's so exciting to have watched it come to fruition so beautifully, but I guess we should start at the beginning. How did you two become friends?

Ouri: We had been gravitating around each other for a while. We initially met through a friend group when we were around 20 years old. We properly became friends when our manager suggested that we do a few studio sessions together. It was so immediately effortless, and there were no expectations. We just completely connected.

Helena Deland: The friend group where we met unintentionally revolved around a couple guys. The whole group gravitated towards certain people, and everyone acted in response to those individuals instead of each other. This became obvious when we hung out one-on-one and became friends. It was crazy that we didn't sense that before.

O: If we had never experienced that, it would've been such a loss. It was such a fundamental part of my life experience. 

Hildegard by Jules Moskovtchenko

Also Cool: It is very Montreal to exist around people until you finally connect individually one way or another after seeing each other around for so long. 

What have you learned about friendship and your creative connection with each other throughout this process?

I've seen you both out in the world together so much, and it seems like you have a really happy friendship. I specifically remember you two drawing outside of Pumpui together, and it seems so beautiful to have a friend with whom you can be your inner child.

H: It's interesting because I do feel like the way that I exist with Ouri is so unique. [She] brings out things in me that my other friends don't, which is also true about the music. 

This collaboration is more than the sum of its parts; it depends on its alchemy. We've also spent so much time one-on-one for this project that people always tell us we act like siblings. 

O: I never feel like I have to be a highly individual part of this group, I just want to blend, and I want this energy to circulate all the time. I think that this is an essential part of our friendship. I feel like since we experienced this together, we've been researching flexibility and ego, and we're trying to get back to that every time. When we're on video shoots, and we're not crossing paths all day, it feels very wrong. We need the excitement and comfort that we share together.

AC: It sounds like a really nice soulmate connection.

Both: Yeaaaaaa (blush)

AC: Your record sounds like when Durocher (an after-hours in Montreal) was at its peak: Where you could walk through all the walkways, to all the different parties alone; knowing you would find your friends or make new ones along the way. At the same time, the album also feels very vulnerable and without ego. 

Going into it making the album, did you intend to make it a dance record, or did you want to just try and see what happened?

H: It was very unintentional. We usually resume it by describing the first day in the studio, where we were super excited and eased into the atmosphere. We had a drink in the evening, and it was kind of a party atmosphere. So the tone kind of has to do with how we broke the ice.

AC: If the record is a late night out with a friend, what would your morning routine look like? Would you make breakfast? Would you not talk? Would you lie down in the park to try and get over the hangover?

O: I think we would do a yoga session in the morning and then let each other choose what we wanted to eat, and then we would stare at a fire.

H: Haha yeah, we would make a fire and take our time with that. We also love discussing and unpacking the night before. 

We would definitely have a time without each other too, maybe on separate walks, and then we would come back to each other. We know this by experience, really. (laughs)

O: We were together for two weeks the last time. We would party and then try to come back to life.

Hildegard by Jetro Emilcar

AC: The tone for Jour 1 has been described as "Processing by partying." Both of you have travelled all over the place. You have experienced all kinds of different things, so I'm wondering what your most transformative party experience has been. 

H: There are so many, but there's this feeling that I sometimes get that's interesting. It feels like a "life drive," but at the same time, it comes when you're out, not sleeping, drinking and so on, so there's also this death drive to it, too. 

It's the feeling of time passing, and I just want it to stop, and every time I look at the clock, it's scandalizing that it's gotten so late. I just love those nights where it feels like if you could stop time or if you could exchange a little of the future for more of this, you'd do it. It's a very present moment feeling.

O: The beginning of summer in Montreal, maybe Durocher, maybe Moonshine. It's 5am, the sun is starting to maybe come out a bit. I would stop time to always live in this. We've also experienced this feeling together after doing the album. This was just a crazy night.

H: The one where we ended up on the soccer pitch?

O: No, the one with the mic at Durocher. (laughs)

H: There was also the one where we played Piknic.

O: Oh yes! We had lost Helena in the crowd, and she reappeared at the most epic moment of the set. There were hundreds of people everywhere. But also that experience of losing your friend at a party and then finding them again is very special.

AC: Well, I was going to ask, what would a perfect Montreal summer night be for you? 

H: I think the unexpectedness of nights in Montreal is one of its best qualities. It's small geographically, and you don't know where you'll run into someone. Everyone lives a 30-minute walk away from each other, and so you can end up on anybody's roof. Like that night, you played Piknic, and we walked home.

O: We played games and explored all the different metro stations and all the parks.

H: It's nice to think that this is almost possible again for the first time in a year now.

AC: Hildegard seems very much like a world. Can you describe this world as if it were a dream?

O: It's a castle.

H: An H-shaped castle.

O: We can run between towers and different rooms.

H: There's beautiful nature, but there's also something a little eerie. We wrote a really cool story to go with a playlist, and every step was following Hildegard's day. It was very community-oriented, but there were lonesome moments, but also sensuality and self-care.

O: That's also a mystical experience, to share with a community. 

H: But the dream, it would be a pretty lucid dream. 

AC: Do you have a favourite dream?

O: Since I was a kid, whenever I feel trapped, I think about flying before going to sleep. In my dream, I just run and fly, and I go everywhere. I feel free. This is something that I love to do.

H: Wow, so you're a good lucid dreamer! 

AC: I do the same! I always knew I could fly in my dreams, and I knew that I just had to remember how to do it. It's amazing

H: It's the closest we'll come to flying in this life. 

Hildegard by Jetro Emilcar

AC: Helena, your most recent album profiles the emotional fallout of when two people put their lives in each others' hands. Hildegard feels like the healed, higher-self from this experience. How does it feel different to put your life in Ouri's hands?

H: Aww, it's amazing, honestly. It is a big part of what's so joyful on the record; there's this intense fusional energy and abandonment of others and gradual attunement to how to make the other feel good. The reward is the music we make together, and the company, and the moments we share. 

It feels so liberating and like we understand each other in ways that are not always given in heterosexual relationships, even though we're just friends. I personally haven't really experienced this kind of closeness with a collaborator and friend. Having those things meshed together, it's eye-opening to all of what's possible in terms of proximity. But it's also this whole learning process; we're constantly adjusting and growing together. 

AC: You've worked with a lot of different people for the visuals of the project. Can you tell me more about your collaborators and that process?

O: We started working with Melissa Matos, who built the conceptual visual world of Hildegard. She had a whole team of people doing graphic design, 3d work, photos, etc.

AC: Yeah, your website feels like a portal into that world you're describing. 

H: Every element of the website is from our texts, our conversations, our emails, our sounds… But it's also designed to really include the interaction, and whoever wants to use it can explore with it, which is true of the music. 

It acts more as a space to project things onto and into. Melissa has been so helpful in designing an intentional world.

Hildegard album art

AC: How's it been working with section1? You're their first release and their introduction to the world of what section1 is. You've also been involved in the music industry for quite a while, and I'm wondering what this experience has been like?

H: It's been super exciting. I sent our songs to Brontë because I wanted her to help place it in this industry. I trust her and her taste, and I thought she would be a good person to understand what we were trying to do. So when she responded by telling us that she wanted to release it, we were elated. 

It's been so nice to develop the world of Hildegard as they develop the world of section1 and be proud of one another's projects.

O: Being introduced to their network has been really amazing. It feels like it's alive and not a stiff uni-dimensional thing. It's one of the first times I feel like the team received our work, and we're so excited about it. 

H: I remember when Brontë told me she was going to start a label. She told me she had a secret, and I thought it was about who she was dating. Instead, she told me she was going to launch a record label, and I started crying.

I think part of the label works into the mythology of Hildegard at this point because it was so organic and unsought after, which is also the case with section1.

AC: What does the future of the project hold?

O: We have dreams, we want to travel together to places we've never been before

H: This is working so well for me so far, where Hildegard is this project that I can put in all my attention for very focused amounts of time. I want to keep doing that; it nourishes everything else in a really lovely way. We have the backbone of the next record ready as well, which is exciting.

We want to make music elsewhere and keep exploring how environments influence the creative flow. The last two times we were together for a long time were in March, and that seems to have a specific vibe.

It's kind of like the third character, the place that we make music in. The studio we made this record in was so important to us, and it no longer exists, so it's a very nostalgic mind space.

Listen to Hildegard below

Hildegard

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Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and communications specialist currently based in Montreal.

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