In His Own Words: Nick Bendzsa Reflects On Folk-Trap Debut "Very Soft Glow"

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Very Soft Glow, album artwork by Élise LaFontaine

This past spring, Montreal multi-instrumentalist and producer Nick Bendzsa assumed new artistic territory with the release of Very Soft Glow. Quietly retiring his St. John's Newfoundland-born moniker Hullo, Very Soft Glow is Bendzsa’s debut under his own name—signaling a bold shift in stylistic and conceptual approach.

Pairing elements of alternative folk and midwestern emo with a Soundcloud trap underbelly, Very Soft Glow is a candid chronicling of Bendzsa’s reflections on heartbreak, intimacy and the ache that comes with the passing of time. Recorded partly in Bendzsa’s home studio and that of his alma mater McGill University, Very Soft Glow is equally a testament to Bendzsa’s growth as an audio engineer. Throughout, Bendsza effortlessly introduces moving coral arrangements and gestural brass and wind tones into his polished pop repertoire, making Very Soft Glow a distinctive listening experience alongside his previously sunny discography.  

Now that the dust has settled and Bendzsa has micro-toured Very Soft Glow, he reflects on leaning into his artistic instincts and getting down to brass tacks.

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Nick Bendzsa and his band performing on tour, photo courtesy of the artist

Evolving from his bedroom synth-pop beginnings, Very Soft Glow actualizes Bendzsa permitting himself to divert from rigid over-polishing in the album’s creation phase. 

“Once I started taking music more seriously, I was very hard on myself. It’s such a classic experience. You’re always comparing yourself to others and trying to figure out how to master your sound, without taking time to appreciate your own trajectory,” shares Bendzsa. 

“I did a lot of hitting my head against the wall, and eventually just got sick of that. With [Very Soft Glow], I wanted the process to be completely different. If I had an idea, I’d stick to it. I tried not to change the original demos too much,” he adds.

Through dabbling in tenets in genres he admires but has yet to entirely live in, Bendzsa was able to achieve a new level of emotional depth in his songwriting. As a result, the album’s aftertaste is both dark and humorous, with Bendzsa fluctuating between moments of introspection and catharsis. 

This delicate chemistry can be heard on tracks like “Can’t Hold Back My Tears”, where Bendzsa infuses a Sad Boy beat with swelling slide guitar. Similarly, crowd favourite “Emotional Creampie” entirely subverts its crude first impression through a tender atmosphere, lofted by Bendzsa’s angelic chorus companions. Overall, Bendzsa’s breathy, brooding voice throughout is the signature instrument of Very Soft Glow, rehashing vulnerable moments past with care. 

Bendzsa notes that refining his skillset as a producer—both through completing his Masters in sound recording, and the many hours spent behind the board working on others’ projects— allowed him to expand on his vision for the album with its many collaborators.

In just shy of 20 minutes, Very Soft Glow features over ten contributions from various artists in Bendzsa’s creative orbit, such as Fine Food Market, Microwave Tower, Dameer, and a 12-voice women’s choir, among others. Bendzsa explains that the established trust in working with friends from a close-knit community shaped the album’s sound in unexpectedly pleasant ways. 

“We had just finished the background vocal session for ‘Emotional Creampie’, and I suddenly felt inspired to add a similar choral arrangement on ‘Gentle Red and Baby Blue’,” says Bendzsa. “The first few attempts sounded so bad,” he laughs. “But I was determined because I had just heard these four friends sing. From there, I told them to hear the words and try to capture the feeling, and eventually we started feeling really good and did a whole bunch of takes.” 

When it comes to producing, whether his own material or someone else’s, Bendzsa says connecting through cinematic language is how to ensure everyone is on the same page in off the cuff moments when inspiration strikes.

“When I’m producing something, I’ll have a very clear visual image in my head, and I’ll use that to describe the kind of emotional output I want to hear,” he starts. “I remember trying to get a particular vocal performance out of someone and I said something like, ‘You’re the big Italian man in the striped suit with a straw hat, and your whole family is there and you guys are being really over the top and grandiose – operatic.’ I feel like that sort of stuff connects with people, because anyone can imagine a movie image in their head,” he adds. 

Nick Bendzsa captured on tour, photo courtesy of the artist

In the case of Very Soft Glow, much of the imagery that shaped the album was as close to the heart as the experiences immortalized from song to song. 

“A lot of what shaped the album I can describe as ‘moods’ for me. I got a little digital camera and started taking pictures around my neighbourhood,” says Bendzsa. “There’s a little forest patch near me and I remember being very struck by the bare trees and the street lamps behind them.” 

These melancholy vignettes at the core of Very Soft Glow infuse the album with a scrapbook quality, one that Bendzsa flips through as he begins plotting his next musical feat. “Listening back to the album now is special because the most important thing I am holding onto is the positive memories within it, rather than the feelings that lead to its creation in the first place,” he explains. While Bendzsa hints that he is ready to amuse different musical directions, it’s clear that the creative risk-taking behind Very Soft Glow was essential in finding closure and being able to start anew. 

Nick Bendzsa

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Taraneh’s Next Chapter on Rock and Reinvention

Taraneh by Maggie Rossy-Aulman

On September 27th, I made my way down the narrow stairs to the green room at Casa del Popolo and sat down with NYC-based Iranian-American artist, Taraneh, before her POP Montreal show. As Comet played above us, her sound vibrating through the ceiling, we discussed her new album Unobsession, her North America tour, and music influences growing up in Ohio. Taraneh shared her thoughts on change, storytelling, and the new era of rock. 

Maggie Rossy-Aulman for Also Cool Mag: How is the start of the tour going? How is it touring with Comet?

Taraneh: It’s been awesome! This is the second date that we’re doing with Comet. It’s a huge blessing and a treat to be able to tour with your best friends. This leg of our tour is our warm-up for the main one that we’re doing in October so it’s nice to just get on the road and test a few things out. 

Comet by Maggie Rossy-Aulman

Maggie: Have you played in these cities before?

Taraneh: On this leg, every single show that we’re playing is our first time in each city. I went to school in Boston, but I’ve never played there and then same for Western [Massachusetts], Montreal, and Toronto. It’s nice to see cities with fresh eyes and to experience performing in them for the first time.

MRA: What is your favourite song to play live?

T: I would say either “Prophet” or “Only One,” which is a new one off the record we’re putting out on October 10th. But, honestly, all the new songs are really fun. We have—more or less—a set setlist, but we’ll swap in and out a few songs here and there. That’s the benefit of practicing a ton before hitting the road. We didn’t do that last time and we were kind of locked into a setlist every single night that stayed the same, so now being able to do what we’re in the mood to play is a treat. 

Taraneh by Maggie Rossy-Aulman

MRA: You were a solo artist for a while, but now, what’s your collaborative process like as a band?

T: Having a band has changed the whole process—from writing to performing to everything outside and in-between. [Unobsession] is the first album that we’ve written as a full band, so it was a very collaborative process in that sense – whereas New Age Prayer was mostly demos that I brought in and worked on with my friend James [Duncan] who co-produced. We did everything in the studio, more or less. 

This one, we sat as a band in the studio and treated it as our practice space. Being able to play something live that sounds exactly the way we intended for it to sound on the recording is really cool, because when we were touring off of New Age Prayer, a lot of those songs were translated for a live performance. Now, we’re able to just present things as the way they were meant to be presented, which is really fun. 

MRA: Is Unobsession more rock?

T: Absolutely. New Age Prayer kind of skimmed the surface of rock for me. There were a few songs that leaned more grunge or rock, but New Age Prayer was written with programmed drums; there were no live drums on it. That inherently made the album electronic at its core. It was a mix of electronic and this “lo-fi dream pop singer-songwriter” sound that I started out with, but Unobsession specifically is completely rock. I would say it’s hard rock, honestly.

And that really stemmed from the first tour that we did as a band together last year… we just made everything so much heavier, and it felt so much better. It felt like, “that’s the music that we’re supposed to be playing,” and that I want to be making. It happened very seamlessly, too. Me and my band were brought together, and things happened very organically, and you can also hear that in the music. It feels, at least to me, like a natural progression from A Fleeting Feeling to New Age Prayer to Unobsession.

Adam Sosnicki of Taraneh by Maggie Rossy-Aulman

MRA: All of your previous albums have 13 songs. Does Unobsession still have 13 songs?

T: This is the first one with 11 songs. I was again going to do the 13, but I feel like this album—subject matter-wise, energetically, the place that it has in my heart and soul—is about breaking cycles. Having 11 songs was a very intentional shift for me to break that cycle of a boundary that I had created for myself. This being 11 songs is part of that very distinct shift being signaled in the work and in the subject matter, spiritually in my life, and in this chapter of the project. 

MRA: What are some themes in this album? 

T: I think it says it in the name, even though it’s a made-up word. This album is about becoming so obsessed, so deep in something, and then everything falling apart, and then you put it all back together in a new way. This is about breaking things down so they can be rebuilt in the way that they’re meant to. 

Taraneh by Maggie Rossy-Aulman

MRA: Your overall sound is very gritty and has an edge that a lot of recent rock hasn’t had. There are some other artists starting to do this, but I think you’re at the forefront of that. How does it feel to be a leader in this new era of rock?

T: It’s a big responsibility, but also a great privilege, to be a part of this movement. We’ve had this cultural shift to electronic music: the indie sleaze/witch house revival, which is different than the electroclash of the 2000s, coupled with what we’re seeing with this shoegaze generalization, or “newgaze.” These movements have brought people to a place where they’re actually ready to consume rock; their palette has been primed. The way that electronic music fits into that is that we have these big shifts where electronic music dominates, and then rock dominates, and then it goes back and forth in different ways. But I really do think that rock is back up next, and it’s inherently different because culture, the tools, and the mediums have shifted. 

I think rock will inherently have electronic elements, and if not electronic elements, digital artifacts in it. And the spaces that we’re working with have changed. At least in NY, we don’t have a huge warehouse to record in, and you can hear that in the sound of different artists in different cities. The physical parameters have changed—as well as the culture—to influence the sound, so it’s not going to be the rock of the 90s, and it shouldn’t be. But it is going to be a synthesis of our own take on it, and I think that people are going to be ready for that. So I’m grateful to be part of it. It feels like the right time to be doing what I want to be doing. 

MRA: What’s one of your influences that’s a bit more surprising or unexpected?

T: On our last tour, Adam [Sosnicki] my bassist, put on the song “Blue” by A Perfect Circle. That’s Maynard James Keenan of Tool’s side project, he’s also from Ohio. Someone else in the band also put on “Blue” by Acid Bath, a Louisiana sludge metal band. And those two songs that I heard within 30 minutes triggered something in my brain where I was like “this is it.” And I think you can hear that in the music. 

I grew up listening to Teen Suicide, and later Title Fight and Basement – and those Run for Cover bands when I was 13 in Ohio, those were the shows I would go to. We were listening to Basement today, and I realized how that influence seeped into my brain because you can really hear it in this album. It wasn’t intentional, but it’s interesting how those childhood favourites influence our subconscious in some profound way where they come out ten years later.

Taraneh by Maggie Rossy-Aulman

MRA: You were previously a journalist with USA Today. From your journalistic experience, what’s a question you would ask yourself if you were interviewing yourself?

T: I would ask myself if the professional shift feels significant or if my work or purpose feels any different.

My answer would be, it does not feel different. Obviously, the medium I’m working in is different. My background is in investigative journalism, and music is so different from that, but I think that music is a form of archiving and storytelling in a similar way. There is this investigative aspect, inherently; you’re just investigating something else and telling the story of it in a different way. In journalism, you get to the bottom of something and then lay it out in a very specific way for an audience, and similarly in music, you do the same thing, but it’s just different subject matter, and it's a different means to arguably the same end.

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Unobsession

out now via TYPE YES

1. Unobsession

2. Anything

3. Only One

4. Unravel, Together Again

5. False Start

6. Spinning Out

7. Waiting For The Feeling To Pass

8. Magic 8

9. Next Week

10. Passing Through

11. Noorecheshmam

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Taraneh

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Maggie Rossy-Aulman is an American-Canadian writer, photographer, and visual artist currently based in Montreal. 

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Maryze Pushes Daring Queer Pop Frontiers with "Versed"

Maryze and Syd Kilroy, shot by Morganne Yambrovich

The taste of LA-via-Montréal pop artist Maryze has long been dubbed “stormy-sweet,” but their triumphant release “Versed” turns up the heat. Six months since its release, the single remains a rallying cry of unapologetic queer passion, signalling an uninhibited new chapter for the ever-evolving performer. Maryze’s X-rated fantasies are delivered with a staccato cadence, riding a classic techno pulse supplied by Siren Mars. And for the visual learners, the Priscilla Mars–directed music video hits like a feverish tableau, showcasing Maryze’s legion of sapphic collaborators – the fishnets, the Pleasers, and the reckless freedom of diving headfirst into desire.

Scroll on to explore how Maryze has settled into their new digs on the West Coast, and what’s to come from their next steps. Bonus: exclusive BTS photos from the “Versed” video shoot, captured by LA photographer (and close collaborator) Morganne Yambrovich.

Maryze and Siren Mars, photo by Morganne Yambrovich

Rebecca Judd for Also Cool Mag: Listening to "Versed," your sound has undoubtedly transformed since the days of 8. Boasting an evocative electro sheen, this new single feels like it's on the verge of a hedonistic explosion. Can you walk us through the personal and creative journey between these two phases of your craft?

Maryze: That's an interesting question. I think that 8 contained a lot of songs I'd been working on for upwards of eight years, and reflected on experiences from earlier on in my life. It was kind of an "up until now" project, whereas what I'm making now is very of the moment. Everything that I'm experiencing, I'm putting back out into music with a pretty quick turnaround. It feels more urgent, and kind of like a teenage level of intensity — taking in so many new feelings and trying to make sense of them. 

Michael Milton, Skyler Cocco, and Reaz Jafri, photo by Morganne Yambrovich

Also Cool: While you’re clearly thriving in Los Angeles, I can say the Canadian music scene feels your absence. What parts of Montreal continue to resonate with you—in art and spirit—and how has LA’s vibrance shifted your approach to self-expression?

Maryze: That's very sweet. I miss Canada, and Montreal specifically. I will keep praising that city, its nightlife, and DIY scene forever — it's truly a mecca for arts and culture. In terms of how LA has shifted my approach to self-expression, it's allowed me to put myself out there more authentically. I know people say it's a fake city, but I've found that creators encourage each other to take risks and squash self-doubt. Montreal's indie music scene has a coolness [that] I never really felt like I fit into, haha. I make and love pop, and that's always who I'll be.

Sadie Scheufler, photo by Morganne Yambrovich

AC: Since relocating to Los Angeles, you’ve immersed yourself in a vibrant community of queer femme creatives, many of whom played a key role in bringing "Versed" to life (like Skyler Cocco, Morganne, and Priscilla Mars). What does it mean to you to forge these creative alliances, especially as a queer artist?

M: I have to thank TikTok on this one, because I met the three artists you named on there! I'm so grateful for the friendships and creative alliances I've been able to make online before even moving to Los Angeles. As a queer artist, it kind of took me until the past few years to form the like-minded community I never had growing up. Montreal helped kick-start that journey. I feel very, very lucky — my close friends/collaborators inspire and lift me up every day. 

Morganne Yambrovich

AC: You’ve spoken extensively about the impact of artists like Peaches, Lady Gaga, and the trailblazing Princess Superstar on this record. What was it like to share the stage with PS at The Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs – did it feel like a full-circle moment to collaborate with one of your musical touchstones?

M: That was wild. I met Princess Superstar at SXSW and was tripping over my words trying to tell her she inspired one of the tracks I was performing that night. To be invited to perform with her in Palm Springs was an honour! She has a super kind, mothering energy, but is also just incredibly badass. 

Maryze, photo by Morganne Yambrovich

AC: With this raunchy electroclash soundscape that anchors your sophomore album, you’re flirting with evolution – but given how 8 unfolded, we know there are always layers yet to be uncovered. Are there any unexpected genres or sonic experiments you’ve been drawn to, or sensations you’ve yet to explore on this record?

M: Without giving away too much, we're getting into some epic, cinematic drama and embodying new characters. Strings? Operatic high notes? Americana thriller music videos shot in the desert? Coming soon. 

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Maryze

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | TikTok

Rebecca Judd is the Editorial & Operations Lead of Also Cool Mag. She is currently based in Ottawa.

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HiTech Talks Detroit Punk, Anime and More at Pique (Video Interview)

HiTech & Also Cool at Debaser’s Pique

Is this… An admin reveal? Also Cool co-founders Zoë and Malaika interviewed Detroit ghettotech trio HiTech at Debaser’s Pique in our first-ever video interview.

We chatted with them about their latest release HONEYPAQQ Vol. 1, the punk and rave scenes in Detroit, their favourite animes, and more. Watch our interview below:

HiTech

Instagram I Spotify I Linktree

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

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Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders Anne-Julie St-Laurent and Myriam Sophie Deslauriers Celebrate 7 Years of Music in Carleton-sur-Mer

Anne-Julie St-Laurent (left) and Myriam Deslauriers (right) - Co-Founders of Festival BleuBleu, photo by Elise Jetté

Despite their mutual connection to the quaint town of Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders Anne-Julie St-Laurent and Myriam Sophie Deslauriers didn’t cross paths until the music industry brought them together in Montreal. Leading up to their festival’s seventh edition, on from June 20th-23rd, 2025, we sat down with the minds behind Festival BleuBleu to chat about how the oceanside backdrop of their fondest childhood memories became the site of of some of the province’s most eclectic music curation. The duo also shares their approach to programming live music in a remote community, what to expect from this year's lineup and how they discover their favourite music.

Listen to our audio interview, originally aired on n10.as radio on June 8th, 2025, below. 

Also Cool Mag · Interview: In Conversation with Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders Anne-Julie and Myriam Sophie

Festival BleuBleu runs from June 20th-23rd in Carleton-sur-Mer, where Also Cool will be co-presenting a Soirée Électro featuring Ouri, Honeydrip and Isla Den. 

About the Festival BleuBleu Co-Founders

Anne-Julie St-Laurent

Anne-Julie is the Co-Executive and Artistic Director of Festival BleuBleu in Carleton-sur-Mer since 2019, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Festival Triste in Montreal since 2022. She holds a bachelor's degree in Cultural and Media Production Strategies from UQAM and has been evolving in the music, event, and audiovisual industries since 2012. Her experience includes internships at Dare To Care and the music video production company DTO Films, followed by roles such as Artistic Assistant at the Edmonton Chante festival, Project Manager at Chivi Chivi, Media Partnerships Manager at the Santa Teresa Festival, Music Programmer at the multidisciplinary festival SOIR, and Partnerships Coordinator for M for Montreal and Mundial Montreal at Avalanche Prod. Curious and driven by collaboration, Anne-Julie thrives on new projects and meaningful encounters.

Myriam Sophie Deslauriers

Sharing her seasons between Montreal and Carleton-sur-Mer, her hometown, Myriam Sophie has been working in the music industry for nearly ten years. Initially working as a tour manager (Safia Nolin, Les Soeurs Boulay, Matt Holubowski), she cofounded, in 2019, the Festival de musique BleuBleu de Carleton-sur-Mer, of which she is still the artistic and general co-director. A graduate from the Cégep de St-Hyacinthe Theatre School, she uses her experience and knowledge of the performing arts to develop her practice as a musical stage director (Les Soeurs Boulay, Jean-Michel Blais, Les Louanges, Beyries). Through a sensitive listening and careful attention to the stage space and light, she seeks to expand the artist's universe, to make it resonate in highlighting the essential. 

Festival BleuBleu

Website | Instagram

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Meet Tony Price: Nighttime Connoisseur, Greektown Businessman and Media Archivist

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Tony Price via Streets of Toronto

Toronto producer, engineer and DJ Tony Price conjures a steamy dancefloor on his album Street Theatre. Supporting Montreal’s Marie Davidson launching her City of Clowns record, Price’s recent Street Theatre micro tour unveiled his 6th long-player to audiences in Ottawa and Toronto. 

In one act, the performance of Street Theatre at Ottawa’s Club SAW starred Tony Price as the enigmatic nightclub switchboard operator. Alongside an ensemble of various equipment, from synthesizers and mixers to a trusty Ableton Push, Price takes cues from the monolithic influences of midwestern house and Motor City techno to interlace metallic beatwork and shadowy rhythms with the whispers and sweet nothings from his Street Theatre cast of acapella vocal samples. For a moment onstage, the contour of Price’s concentrated expression was illuminated by the beaming reflection of a silver boombox, much like the abstract figure on the Street Theatre album cover. With this image etched into my mind, I approached Price in Club SAW’s courtyard after his set to set up an interview. 

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Street Theatre album cover via Maximum Exposure Bandcamp

Released earlier this spring on Price’s own label Maximum Exposure Inc., Street Theatre evokes the atmosphere of a leather upholstered basement dive, featuring a revolving door of charismatic and browbeating clientele in hushed conversation under red lights. Price explains this pairing of sexy and sinister is by design: “I envisioned creating a type of performance that could lend itself to dancefloors and theatres, incorporating elements of the record, production and remixing on the fly.” In an effort to challenge the reflexes that come with being a seasoned DJ, Price says realizing Street Theatre in a live context tows a line between curating and improvising, with the ability to respond to the heat of an audience—much like a traditional DJ—with a myriad of endlessly interchangeable sonic elements. “DJing is more like journalism than literature. You’re taking sources and you’re stitching them together to make an argument, as opposed to taking these abstract visions that you have in your head and turning them into words,” he muses.  

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Tony Price performing at Club SAW, photo by Ming Wu

Much of Street Theatre’s personality reminisces and reinvents Price’s urban surroundings. As a third-generation resident and small business owner of Toronto’s Greektown neighborhood, Price’s childhood stomping grounds have an everlasting influence on his sound. 

“Growing up in a metropolis—being downtown, riding the subway as a child—you meet characters. There’s an intrigue with the darkness of city life—the bizarre interactions, underground casinos, feelings of fear. I don’t know why, but I associate these experiences with house music. I try to capture that essence in my work, while also paying homage to a specific era of music coming out of midwestern America where post-punk met synthesizers in a way that reshaped how you could use technology in music. It almost reminds me of neon spray paint—it has a highly toxic, almost nuclear energy. [With Street Theatre] I was trying to tap into that, or rather, it was trying to tap into me.” 

While Price recognizes that the Toronto he grew up in was “a very different place than it is now,” he attributes coming of age in the wake of the city’s underground dance music culture to his everlasting fascination with summoning a “nighttime atmosphere.” He recalls how Toronto’s proximity to New York, Detroit and Chicago—and thus its tastemakers—undoubtedly influenced the nightclub scene in the 80s, and had a profound impact on the generations that followed. In parallel to this, Price says that his family’s tapes of radio shows from disk jockeys hailing as far as Florida had an enormous influence on his musical and aesthetic palate. 

“My aunts and uncle would drive down to Florida to visit my grandmother often and tape the radio down there. I grew up listening to tapes upon tapes of freestyle music from a station called Power 96. The cartoonish, or ridiculous, DJ voiceovers were mesmerizing to me as a kid, and I’ve found myself revisiting these radio shows taped by my family, as well as archives of other stations from Chicago, Detroit and so on. These recordings are the most astounding, mysterious cultural artifacts that I think need to be preserved for the aliens that find us,” laughs Price. 

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Tony Price for East Room by Dani Aphrodite

It may be surprising that Price cut his teeth playing Band Music™ in his teens and 20s considering his dark, danceable discography and accompanying NTS radio show. A self-taught guitarist, Price was a fixture in the Toronto music scene as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist of garage rock band Actual Water. Likewise, Price says he “has been lucky enough to have [artists] trust [him] as a producer since [he] was quite young.” His musical resume, from performance to technical production, includes collaborations with fellow Toronto artists U.S. Girls, Jane Inc., and Tess Parks, among others. 

Though Price has cited “falling out of love” with playing guitar, it has remained integral to his craft: “My guitar is my musical GPS system, my map. When it comes to trying to figure out where I’m going in terms of finding scales, chords and melodies, I always use it, even when I’m making dance music.” 

Price’s attachment to his guitar comes from his infatuation with 1960s rock n’ roll and its volatile energy. The “bizarre edginess” preserved on the  earliest rock n’ roll recordings is a spirit that Price strives to emulate through his artistic output: “No matter what it is that I’m doing, if I’m involved with music-making, I’m always going to try and reduce things down to their core essence and inflate it,” says Price. “I'm spellbound and mesmerized by record production, and how ideas can be solidified into pieces of wax or digital code that stick with people throughout their entire lives because of how they feel to listen to it over and over. And that’s something that will never change when it comes to this format or this art form, you know? I’ve always understood that is what I want to do, or what I have to do in this life,” he adds.

This mentality gave rise to Maximum Exposure Inc., Price’s music-focused production company, record label, and consulting agency, in 2017. Frustrated with the pressures to market his music in the same digital landscapes responsible for the “death of music journalism” and the “atomization of discourse”, Maximum Exposure is an aesthetic universe created to situate Tony Price, without him having to become a so-called influencer, for more than what he considers as “part of the job.” 

Via Maximum Exposure Inc.

At the end of our conversation, I revisited my memory of Price’s show at Club SAW, now making sense of his observer-like behaviour; hand on chin, meandering backward from his rig. Unlike other players—DJs if you will—Price chooses not to indulge in the limelight. Whether in a live context, on the NTS e-waves, or through his records, Tony Price is the conduit for all that embodies the nucleus of the Maximum Exposure universe. He isn’t a rockstar. He isn’t an artistic director. I’m now beginning to wonder if we are all merely a part of his unfolding rhythmic experiment. 

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. 

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Tony Price

Website | Instagram | NTS Radio Show

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Interview: BACKXWASH Affirms Storytelling Prowess With New Album "Only Dust Remains"

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BACKXWASH by Méchant Vaporwave

Critically-acclaimed Montreal-based rapper and producer BACKXWASH emerges from creative meditation with her new aptly-titled album Only Dust Remains. Self-released on March 28th, 2025 via BACKXWASH’s own label Ugly Hag Records, Only Dust Remains is the Zambian-Canadian artist’s first offering since her 2022 long-player His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering—the third of a trilogy, including her Polaris Prize-winning breakout God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It (2020) and I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses (2021). 

The nom de plume of Ashanti Mutinta, BACKXWASH has been an outlet for embracing anger and life’s darkest corners as a means of self-exploration; breaking down the profound intersection of faith, identity and queerness at the foundation of Mutinta’s being. Deepening her legacy of dexterous storytelling and captivating sonic world-building, Only Dust Remains nonetheless actualizes Mutinta’s newfound “concrete and conceptual” direction, compared to her previous works, which she says were “guided by feeling”. 

“With my previous [albums], I felt like immersing myself in my emotions numbed me out,” shares Mutinta, her face softly illuminated by the red glow in the background of our video call. 

“With my [triology], I really tried to capture how I was feeling in the moment. I would write a verse in the morning, and shortly begin producing a beat that afternoon, so as not to detach myself and maintain my emotional energy,” she tells me. 

Conversely, on Only Dust Remains, Mutinta allowed herself to relish in the album’s construction, and consequently reconnect with her innovative musical virtuosity that has propelled her to trail-blazing status in the queer hip hop space. 

“With [Only Dust Remains], I wanted to concentrate on composition, melody and rethink my approach to writing verses. I was motivated by artists like Tyler the Creator and Björk because of the way they constantly change things up in unexpected ways. Tyler the Creator, for example, will bring in elements, like a flute, into a song. It’ll show up for four bars and then totally disappear. I also started watching Björk documentaries, and felt inspired by the way that she tackles music in so many different ways. Her approach is so dynamic and fluid, and exploring her mindset challenged me to stop thinking of my compositions as static blocks and have fun with experimentation. I also re-energized my love for 2000s pop. Like Jessica Simpson’s ‘Irresistable’ has one of the craziest string arrangements of all time!” 

Reimagining her trilogy’s signature fusion of traditional African rhythms, nightmarish undertones, industrial thrashing and ambient soundscapes, Muntinta aimed to empower the “student of hip hop” behind it all. Stripping back and allowing her songs to breathe ultimately surfaced an uncompromised, yet emboldened, sound on this fifth album. Only Dust Remains is both thunderous and luminous, with powerful choral arrangements elegantly flowing into grand overtures, melodic sampling, and metallic classic rock instrumentation, along with polished pop winks and gripping genre-flips. Throughout, Mutinta’s signature flow remains unflinching, contemplating global atrocities and injustice, substance abuse, suicide and trauma with her ever-commanding poise. 

On Only Dust Remains, Muntinta reflects on her Bancamp: “These are the songs of a person who was brought back to life but is now haunted by death itself.” This aspect is personified not only in Mutinta’s sound, but in the visual representation of the BACKXWASH universe that honours her Zambian heritage and spirituality. 

Credited to the brilliant mind of Muntinta’s manager and creative director, Méchant Vaporwave, BACKXWASH’s metal-meets-corpse makeup channels masks worn during a traditional Zambian ritual, whereby the living take on the presence of the dead. 

“I belong to two tribes. I’m Tumbuka on my father’s side, and Chewa on my mother’s side. In Chewa culture, there is a traditional ceremony where the community wears masks inspired by spirits, symbolizing death. Even though they’re being worn by people you know and are close with, children run from those wearing them at night because they are legitimately afraid—not of the masks themselves, but what they represent,” Muntinta shares. “I pull from this concept in all facets of my work. We are all facing something scary, and need to be able to perceive and challenge it in different ways in order to confront it,” she adds. 

I remark that it’s powerful that Muntinta is so warmly received by fans and the wider music industry while adorning a performance look with such cultural significance. She agrees: “It goes back to this idea that these ceremonies were done in order for people to respect these spirits. Once the mask falls, you’re not going to be scared of someone from your village, you’re going to embrace them,” she says, smiling. 

BACKXWASH by Méchant Vaporwave

Though it’s clear that Muntinta is growing as an artist, staying true to her vision and roots has allowed her to remain grounded in midst of her music’s proliferation. Being an independent artist is vital to Muntinta’s outlook, and is something she feels will never change. 

“I have an issue with being told what to do creatively,” giggles Muntinta. “[Méchant Vaporwave] and I have talked to a few labels here and there, and most of the time we notice there is a clause in the artist contract that says [I’m] not allowed to release music without their permission. I want to be able to express myself to the fullest extent, and I can’t imagine being met with someone telling me they’re not going to put something out because they don’t think it's the right fit. I love having all the control with regards to my work,” she adds. 

Currently touring across Europe, BACKXWASH will return to Montreal for her album release show on April 18th, 2025 at the SAT, performing alongside Only Dust Remains collaborators Magella and Fernie. 

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ONLY DUST REMAINS

Out now via Ugly Hag Records

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1. Black Lazarus
2. WAKE UP
3. Undesirable
4. 9th Gate
5. 9th Heaven
6. DISSOCIATION (feat. Chloe Hotline)
7. History of Violence
8. Stairway to Heaven (feat. Ora Cogan)
9. Love After Death
10. Only Dust Remains (feat. pet wife, Magella, Fernie and Morgan Paige)

Composed, Arranged, and Produced by Ashanti Mutinta

Mixed by Will Owen Bennett
Recorded by Sarah Harris
Mastered by Richard Addison (Trillium Sound)
Creative Direction & MGMT by Méchant Vaporwave

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BACKXWASH

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Youtube

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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skulK!d Lights a Match in Ottawa's Downtown Core with Rage Rap-Focused Event GHETT0 G0THIC

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With an aim to provoke the 9-5 lullaby of the National Capital Region, rage rap artist skulK!d invites you to the second edition of GHETT0 G0THIC on Friday, February 28th at Club SAW. When night falls, GHETT0 G0THIC’s lineup of disruptive performers and DJs hailing from so-called Ottawa will swarm the beloved artist-run centre’s stage. This next installment of GHETT0 G0THIC will see performances by Treus Jones, Wes Calliope, Namix Kilowatt, skulK!d, Expired Youth, and a B3B DJ set from GothBitch, TTRILLS, and PC. 

Conceptually celebrating the unity of hip hop, punk and gothic aesthetics, the night also features a pop-up shop from local punk-inspired brand The Craaft and encourages attendees to embrace its crepuscular theme: Fuck Marry Kill. Suggested attire includes wedding dresses, veils, leather, lace, blood-soaked and tattered clothing, and red/black/white monochrome. 

The event series is the brainchild of skulK!d, the moniker of Ottawa-based hip hop artist, producer, DJ, event programmer and youth mentor, Tafari Hall. Paying homage to the New York warehouse club movement of the same name—created by Harlem’s DJ Venus X in 2009—Hall’s rendition of GHETT0 G0THIC acknowledges the relationship between tenets Black culture and gothic culture, previously reflected on by the concept’s original founder.

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Tafari Hall AKA skulK!d, photo courtesy of the artist

“Venus X’s thoughts on the connections between Black and Gothic culture have had a huge influence on me as an artist,” explains Hall. “Despite Black artists exploring darker themes through music, the space hasn’t been claimed historically by Black people. Suffering and trauma have followed me, and other Black artists, throughout our lives, and I wanted to create a rebellious outlet to explore these experiences while immersed in a thematic environment, as gothic elements have always intrigued me,” he adds. 

Like Venus X, Hall’s beginnings in the music industry began with DJing. Now performing predominantly as a solo artist, Hall is inspired by alternative rappers dominating cloud rap and trap circles, such as Playboi Carti and Trippie Redd, fashion brands like HPA, as well as filmmaker David Lynch. Having recently retired his previous pseudonym Yung Heat in favour of his skulK!d persona, the spirit of GHETT0 G0THIC wholly personifies Hall’s stylistic shift and musical aspirations. 

“With Yung Heat, I felt like I was going down a road of conformity. I wasn’t having fun, I like to call it selling out. skullK!d is embracing my inner child; my act of defiance against parts of myself that prioritize the needs and feelings of others over my own,” says Hall. “I think the hip hop scene [in Ottawa] has been very curated. I don’t want to subscribe to that, both in my sound and with what I bring to the community. Of course, I’m extremely privileged in my ability to experiment with my music. It’s not my means of putting food on the table and paying the bills.” 

While Hall moonlights with his artistic and curatorial pursuits, his primary calling is leading Produced By Youth, a by-and-for Black youth music mentorship program, of which he is a founder. While Hall notes that hip hop and its practitioners are being more widely celebrated in Ottawa, he feels there are few outlets that encourage experimentation and challenging the status quo. 

“While Produced By Youth is a space for people in hip hop and rap to experiment and rebel, we are limited in our ability to reach the entire Black community of Ottawa. I also don’t think GHETT0 G0THIC is necessarily going to solve all the issues affecting the local music scene, whether it be the lack of venues or opportunities. That said, I can lead by example and share the resources available to me to help others push the envelope, perform, book events and make noise. I’m hoping it will be enough to inspire others to continue the work or do more,” explains Hall. 

As the original stomping grounds of Produced By Youth, Club SAW continues to be Hall’s venue of choice to host GHETT0 G0THIC and other programming. A longstanding resident of Ottawa’s historic Arts Court building (the former Carleton County Court House, now home to artistic organizations of all disciplines) SAW Gallery and its adjacent programming spaces has supported politically and socially engaged mediums since its inception in 1973. Since relocating to Arts Court in 1989, the artist-run centre’s activism-oriented mandate has rendered evermore palpable due to the history of its walls.  

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skulK!d performing at Club SAW, courtesy of the artist

On Club SAW, Hall shares: “Being able to operate and reclaim radically in this institution, a City of Ottawa building, where unthinkable atrocities were brought upon Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour, is truly one of the most unique experiences of programming [arts events] Ottawa. The space nurtures creativity and gives back to the community,” he adds. 

Acting as the connective tissue for Ottawa’s subversive and gloomy, GHETT0 G0THIC will see protégés and collaborators from Hall’s inner circle deliver “unholy, unruly and unforgettable” performances from 8:00pm ‘til late. General admission tickets are available for $15 for a limited time. 

skulK!d

Instagram | Youtube | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Playing Dress-up: Unpacking the Artistry of Yolande Laroche

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Yolande Laroche by François Mittins

One way or another, you have likely run into Yolande Laroche in the Ottawa music scene. The Hull-based musician is omnipresent; she is a member of the acclaimed art-rock group Pony Girl and the experimental trio KAY-fayb, a solo artist known as Orchidae, and a classical music educator, amongst many other things. Armed with an admirable work ethic and limitless creativity, Laroche has a lot to look forward to.

For one, she’s on the lineup of Crystallize, the latest Congrego venture co-presented by Also Cool and Dominion City. Held on Saturday, February 15th at Club SAW, the supercharged festival features a slew of rising talent from Ottawa, Montreal, and beyond, compiled by guest curators Geunf and Fiamma. Laroche has eagerly teased that her sound will be “dark electronic music leaning into techno,” fit to break winter’s frost and set the dance floor ablaze.

Laroche is also fresh from the release of “Sun and the Stars,” her latest offering as indie-pop superstar Orchidae. The uplifting disco-inspired song marks the first single from her forthcoming debut True Beginning, out April 4th via Birthday Cake Records. But despite its vibrant groove, the roots of “Sun and the Stars” reveal something deeper. Laroche notes that the song depicts a codependent romantic relationship from her past. “‘Sun and the Stars' represents a longing for that firework type of love, then losing yourself in the idea of it – no longer being present in your body, with who you are as a person,” she explains. “It was important for me to not just give my attention to my sad persona because I can linger in that if I let myself. I really wanted to lean into the joy that I experience as I'm exploring my personhood and relieving myself from that relationship where I disappeared and I needed to find myself again.”

That joy is palpable in the song’s music video, which was shot, edited, and directed by Conor DeVries. The video features a liberated Laroche rocking a warm-toned two-piece as she struts through the bare halls of Axenéo7 in Gatineau. I remark that this stripped-back set allows the message of the song to shine. “I wanted to dance. I wanted to hold the microphone as if I was performing on stage,” Laroche recalls. “We had access to this perfectly square window, and we got up early to catch the sunrise. That was important – with ‘Sun and the Stars,’ we wanted to integrate sunlight and work with the space.” At one point, there is a cheeky glimmer of Laroche’s tooth gem, which she reveals is a call-back to her album cover shoot with François Mittins. “I wanted to bring as much world-building as possible. I love artists who go far into the visual aspect of their music, [and] that is something I aspire to do.”

Laroche shares that True Beginning has been in the works since 2019, propelled by the strong desire to articulate her voice and celebrate her evolution. She points out that her mental health journey is entwined in the album’s narrative: “I wasn't at peace, and with that conflict within me I saw two options – either I could try to figure it out or it was going to get worse. [The music] really comes from an honest willingness to discover my heart and see if I can relieve myself of my emotions.” By embracing the art of vulnerability, she has discovered that she can help others heal from their journeys. “I’m mixed race, I'm queer, so those two things can feel alienating,” Laroche admits. “I’m hoping that [the album] can allow people to dive [into] their own minds and hearts, just by giving them the language to talk about their experiences.”

The Orchidae project clearly stands amongst a collection, but while these paths may appear to lead in many directions, Laroche insists there is a sense of harmony. “I found that what I love is exploring music in all of its facets. Through the different arrangements, it's still my voice, but I'm putting on a different costume. I think that everything that I'm showing up with is a sum of all of my experiences.” Laroche remains unburdened by genre, and this allows her to remain curious under any conditions: “If a song is good, it doesn't matter what dressing you're putting on it. It can be country, pop, or a dance track. As long as the core of it is meaningful, it’ll be good.”

And she laughs while pointing out another truth: “I think I want to make myself as hireable as possible, and I want to say ‘yes’ to as many things as I can. In doing so, I've opened up my community, and I’m able to show what I can do because I'm not just a ‘one-trick Pony Girl.’” The creativity never stops, it just exerts itself with different forces.

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Yolande Laroche by François Mittins

This is why it’s so exciting to have another chapter of Laroche’s story unfold at Crystallize, where she will be performing under her full name. Laroche recalls the beginning of her foray into electronica: inspired by Marie Davidson’s performance at MUTEK, which she describes as “transcendental,” she harnessed that energy to create a brand-new set for the September 2024 edition of Pique. “I've always been so traditional in my writing – starting with piano and arranging it with musicians. This Yolande Laroche material is all done on the computer, but [it is] still coming from my diary.” Laroche clarifies that this project is not record-ready, but it occupies a similar space to Orchidae in her mind: it’s another chance to control her narrative with confidence. DJing might present a learning curve, but it’s one that she is determined to navigate.

As Laroche prepares to take the Crystallize stage, she drops a few nods to other names on the bill. “I'm super excited about Sineila,” she gushes. “I met her at a Pop Montreal mentorship program, which was probably the best industry event that I’ve ever attended. I've listened to her music online, but I think the live experience, especially for her kind of music—which is hyperpop—you want to see that live. She kills it on the costumes.”

She also speaks highly of Sweet Morgane, an Ottawa-based DJ who’s enriched the scene as one-half of the team behind Fortress. “I love her energy and her fits.” For a little while, we chat about groups like Fortress—and Congrego—who step up to the plate to craft productions that the Ottawa community can be proud of. “There is a hunger [for that programming],” Laroche muses. “It takes so much work to build community events and plan them, and not everyone has that capacity, so I’m grateful for those who do.”

Curious to experience one of Yolande Laroche’s many characters IRL? Join us for Crystallize, Congrego’s latest production on Saturday, February 15th from 8 PM-2 AM at Club SAW. Early-bird tickets are sold out, but you can still snag some advance tickets for $25 at the link below!

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Yolande Laroche

Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Interview: Franki Charms with Electropop Antics on Debut EP "All the Things I Try to Say"

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Helena Palmer AKA Franki

Like a chandelier suspended over a crowded dancefloor, Franki’s debut EP All the Things I Try to Say fractalizes flirtatious embers for all that relish in its captivating electropop beams. The new project of singer-songwriter, producer and visual director Helena Palmer arrives in the afterglow of Brat summer, here to thaw the stillness of Montreal winters with an atmosphere that evokes steamy nightclub windows to meet cutes under apartment fairy lights. 

Having conceived the project exactly a year ago during a sojourn in Ottawa, Palmer returned to Montreal with new-found creative determination, inspired by switching musical gears. 

“With my first acoustic project under my real name [Helena Palmer], I had a difficult time finding my place here in Montreal. I didn’t feel a sense of community, and it was disheartening. I was looking up to pop artists like Charli XCX, Grimes and Björk while playing guitar solo, and I didn’t feel like I had a fully-fledged identity. While I was in Ottawa for eight months last year, I decided to mess around with electronic production, and out of that I was able to launch a whole new project and everything snowballed from there. By the time I returned to Montreal in May, I had a ton of self-booked shows under my belt as Franki, and now I’m being considered for festivals and have my own scene of peers at similar points of their musical journeys. The project has helped me solidify my place as an artist here, and it’s been heartwarming and reassuring,” shares Palmer. 

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Franki on the set of her “I’m A Mess” music video, photo courtesy of the artist

While guitar composition will be making a comeback in Palmer’s musical arsenal—whether or not the project continues in its current vein of IDGAF pop—she emphasizes that reinventing her songwriting approach was a cornerstone in the genesis of Franki.  

“When I was writing primarily on guitar, I would often start with lyrics in my Notes app – words that I had been accumulating. Right now, I’m more inspired by sounds that I hear in music or life in general. I try to go for a ‘feel’ when I’m composing electronically, and then I'll weave in the lyrics afterwards,” she says. “I’ve been bouncing back and forth between both my old and new processes, as I find playing guitar very therapeutic and it helps me to think things through. For example, the lyrics and the melody of the EP’s title track came to me as one thing, and then I made an instrumental to go along with it. Whereas ‘Act Clever’ started as a track that I’d made in a single morning that was later influenced lyrically by a conversation I had with a friend later that day. ‘Jeans’ was actually the first song I wrote the day I moved back to Montreal,” adds Palmer. 

Emulating the upbeat fizz of 00s pop in the background of her childhood in England, All the Things I Try to Say embraces both the carefree spirit of being young in a vibrant city, as well as the growing pains of comparison haunting your mid-twenties.  All the Things I Try to Say thrives in its duality – with themes of self-doubt and feeling second best filtered through frothy, distorted UKG beats, punchy production and Franki’s bubbly vocals and cheeky lyricism. Capturing the vibrations of her close-knit music community, Palmer actually met the album’s producer Oren Ratowsky (Cecile Believe, Enjoy, Cowgirl Clue) one night at beloved St-Hubert Plaza club, Le Système.

On collaborating with Ratowsky, Franki recalls: “Working with Oren was the first time I’d ever sent someone else my finished tracks. He was very patient with my—let’s say carefree—way of making music, and the back and forth between us was a great lesson for me in learning to be assertive. I’m so stoked on the final product. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever worked on, and we’ve talked about co-producing together in the future.”

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All the Things I Try to Say album cover

Franki’s perfectly imperfect pop approach comes to life in her new music video for “I’m A Mess”. Directed and edited by Palmer herself, alongside Kyra Saad and Chloé Galarneau, “I’m A Mess” sees Franki and her entourage indulging in a Marie Antoinette-style dinner party à la Sofia Coppola with a little more indie sleaze flavour on the menu. Inspired by “the original messy girls” in the 1966 film Daisies by Věra Chytilová, on the video Palmer comments:

“‘I’m a Mess’ is about feeling chaotic. It captures the intensity of taking on too many tasks when you’re trying to reach a certain level and attain success in different areas of your life, while not giving yourself enough time to process [it all] or rest. It comes from that feeling that you should always be doing more.”

On All the Things I Try to Say, Franki reminds us that quote unquote success is overrated and impossible to define, and that we deserve to let loose and embrace the curveballs life throws our way: “So wear your heart on your face / And don’t be afraid / That when you speak / Someone might hear / Act big / Act clever / It’s your life girl / So do whatever you want”.

Franki plays the Also Cool Taverne Tour showcase on February 7th, 2025 at O Patro Vys in Montreal alongside Fireball Kid & Ura Star, Los3r and Public Appeal. Get your tickets and explore the festival lineup below!

Franki

Instagram | Spotify | Youtube

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Nabihah Iqbal On the Art of DJing, Knowledge Sharing, Mentorship and More

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Nabihah Iqbal by Joseph Hayes, via the artist’s website

A virtuoso and undeniable taste-maker, London-based artist, producer, curator, broadcaster, and DJ Nabihah Iqbal says she could have never imagined the impact that her finely-tuned ear would have on audiences across the world. After extensively touring her 2023 album DREAMER for the last 18 months—all while igniting dancefloors in between—the globetrotting Iqbal reminisces watching people relate to her music as the “most incredible experience” of her musical tenure. 

“I was reminded of the power of live music one night while in Minneapolis at 7th Street Entry when I left the stage feeling better than going on. I was feeling ill and tired that night, and just having a sense that it wasn’t going to be a good show. But I was met with the most beautiful crowd who had such good energy, so much so that I actually got emotional on stage. Though it was a smaller audience than others I had seen on tour, [the show] just did something to me that I had never felt before.” 

Joining our virtual call from Upstate New York, where she is currently crafting a string-quartet composition, Iqbal’s warmth and candor are no match for the fuzz of our Google Meet signal. 

Iqbal tells me the classical commission marks her first time working with multiple stringed instruments (apart from her signature polka-dotted electric guitar) and has introduced a welcomed challenge to her usual creative process. 

“Even though I composed all the parts on [DREAMER], this is the first time I’m working with instruments I’ve never played before, like violin, viola, and cello. I’m normally thinking more about the relationship between the individual instruments when I’m writing my own music. But in the case of string instruments, you can’t just play a chord, there’s a lot of movement.” 

In having to think outside the box, Iqbal teases that she would love to incorporate a string ensemble into her next album, which she says will be her next project once she wraps this musical residency. 

When not serenading listeners with her atmospheric post-punk-influenced dream pop, Iqbal also moonlights as a DJ as a resident on NTS radio. She has graced the stage at Boiler Room, LAB LDN, Sacred Ground, and The Lot Radio among others, as well as clubs from coast to coast. As a crate digger with a background in ethnomusicology, Iqbal’s sets deliver top selections spanning genres such as Funk, Soul Jazz, Afrobeat, Dub, Disco, and more. 

From being brought to tears by a Shakuhachi flute player in Kyoto, engulfed in the spiritual trance of a Sufi percussion circle in Lahore, and stumbling upon a polyphonic ensemble of Booboo pipe players on a beach in Sierra Leone, Iqbal gratefully credits her expansive palette to experiencing the role of music in different cultures around the world.  

Though musicianship and DJing occupy different notches in Iqbal’s artistic belt, she says their influence on one another is indisputable. 

“When you love music, you just absorb so much of it. What I create is a product of everything that goes into my brain. The amazing thing about DJing is that it really helps you understand more about the human relationship to music. It’s been there since the start of time, people moving their bodies to sound. It’s a primordial thing, and so much more than just playing music for people to dance to. It’s about taking people on a physical, spiritual, and mental journey,” explains Iqbal. 

“When I watch more senior DJs, people like Moody Man, Gilles Peterson, or Benji B – they’re way more in tune with what DJing is and it's such an amazing experience. It’s what I aspire to cultivate. I love playing all kinds of different music with no boundaries – it’s all about how it makes you feel. The only thing is, it has to make you dance!”, she laughs. 

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Nabihah Iqbal DJing at NTS, via Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden

More recently, Iqbal had the opportunity to step into a musical leadership role at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in her hometown. Growing up near the St. John’s Wood neighborhood of London as a lifelong music enthusiast, Iqbal’s dream to explore Abbey Road Studios came true when she was selected to mentor a younger artist as part of its Amplify program.  

“It was such an exciting and special experience to be recognized by such an iconic studio as someone who could come in and play the role of mentor. While the internet has democratized music and knowledge sharing, and the industry is starting to move in the right direction, I still feel like there isn’t enough acknowledgment of women producers,” she says. 

Motivated by reinforcing the importance of reciprocity and encouragement in musical dynamics, Iqbal said she and the studio audio engineer, Seth, were happy to take the backseat and let her mentee Emily drive their recording session. 

“For her, it was a lot of first times: first time in the studio, first time using professional gear, first time using her voice. I really wanted her to feel like she was leading everything that day," adds Iqbal. 

Whether in physical or virtual spaces, Iqbal is committed to fostering inclusivity across all levels of the industry: “I think there needs to be more space made for goodwill rather than territorialism. The whole point of music is sharing. Without it, music wouldn’t exist at all.” 

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With musings for a new record forthcoming, Iqbal is set to tour in February and March supporting American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. In the meantime, she is in midst of a DJ stint between NYC and Canada. Her tour will conclude in Montreal, where she will headline Also Cool’s first show of 2025 on January 25th at Le Système. Iqbal’s DJ set is not to be missed, as well as those from Also Cool Co-Founders Malaika Astorga (flleur) and Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (Lamb Fatale). Early bird tickets are sold out! Get your second tier tickets below. See you on the dancefloor!

Nabihah Iqbal

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Youtube

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Dive into the World of Poolgirl

Poolgirl by Alice L’arrivée (from left to right: Laura Clark, Gwenna Pirozzi, Manya Ziemiecki, Randy, and Rachel Bradbury)

At 7:41 PM on June 11th, 2023, classical flute student Gwenna Pirozzi tweeted that they were “very serious about starting band now” and asked anyone interested to hit them up with what instrument they play. Several tweets and Instagram story callouts later, Rachel Bradbury, Gwenna Pirozzi, Randy, Manya Ziemiecki, and Laura Clark came together to form what would soon be known as Poolgirl: an emerging alternative rock band based in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke.

One of the group’s most frequently asked questions is about their name, which happens to be the inverse of Girlpool, a now-disbanded indie rock band. To clear things up, percussionist Bradbury—who has seen Girlpool in concert—says that they “zero percent thought of” Girlpool when brainstorming band names, and were mainly working off of Notes app lists of words everyone thought would sound cool. With T-shirts depicting a woman lounging in a swimming pool juxtaposed with lyrics capturing the joy of “drinking beer and playing pool,” the band says it’s up to the listener to decide what the name means to them.

Nearly a year and a half after Pirozzi’s aspirational tweet, Poolgirl has released their first EP, racked up thousands of streams on Spotify, played the internationally-acclaimed POP Montreal music festival, and developed a loyal following of 20-something-year-olds with dyed hair and facial piercings who shout along with the band all across the city. From the smoke-laden atmosphere of Traxide to the vibrantly graffitied concrete slabs of the Van Horne Underpass, Poolgirl never fails to curate a safe and welcoming concert environment. This is a result of the band’s creation of their own space in a scene that often tends to be dominated by men. Instead of attempting to break into a scene they had no interest in belonging to, Poolgirl has instead forged their own path. This includes booking their own shows, often “with [their] people,” and playing benefit concerts for organizations whose values align with theirs, such as Rock Camp Montréal, a nonprofit organization that empowers girls, trans kids, and queer kids through music.

Poolgirl performing at Batiment 7 by Judy Yun

With only two released singles in their repertoire, the band was selected to perform at POP Montreal, a five-day-long music, film, and visual art festival that invites acts from all over the globe to play at over 50 venues across the city. When Powell-New, who applied on behalf of Poolgirl, broke the good news to the rest of the band, everyone was “screaming with joy.” In addition to delivering an electrifying performance at Mile End’s Quai des brumes on September 28th, being accepted meant seeing their name on the POP Montréal advertisements on the metro and the festival’s iconic beer cans. Balancing festival performances with school and work can be hectic but the band agrees that they “wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.”

Playfully titled I Can’t Swim, Poolgirl’s debut EP is a four-track testament to the band’s artistic versatility. Although the majority of the songs they perform tend to transform every venue into one large moshpit, new tracks “Lucy” and “Pool Party” offer a glimpse into the group’s more mellow side. With the upbeat, anger-fueled tracks “Charity” and “POS,” the EP is an eclectic mixture of rage, queer joy, and somber melodies. Beginning with the cover, a collage designed together by all five band members, the EP is a collaborative effort from start to finish. Although the bulk of the lyrics are composed by Powell-New, the band ties everything together with very open communication, allowing every member to offer their input. With artistic influences ranging from indie duo Wet Leg to riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill, and educational music backgrounds including classical voice training and percussion performance, I Can’t Swim weaves these differences together to form a cohesive and catchy EP. 

Along with the new EP, Poolgirl fans can expect new merch and music videos, in addition to a full-length album in the future. However, Poolgirl will be on hiatus from around February to April 2025 to focus on songwriting. The band plans to use this time to jam and work on new music but will not be playing any shows. That being said, make sure to take a dip on January 18th at Batiment 7, which will be Poolgirl’s last show before the hiatus. 

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I Can’t Swim

Released December 6th, 2024

1. Lucy

2. Charity 

3. Pool Party

4. POS

All songs by Poolgirl 

Gwenna Pirozzi - Bass

Randy - Vocals

Manya Ziemiecki - Rhythm Guitar & Background Vocals 

Rachel Bradbury - Percussion

Laura Clark - Guitar

Matt Sagar - Recording

Mixing & Mastering - Sarah Harris 

Artwork by Poolgirl

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Poolgirl

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Youtube

Maggie Caroddo (they/them) is a lesbian writer and film fanatic originally from Long Island/Lenape Land and currently based in Montréal/Tiohtià:ke.

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Five Years and Three Cities: VICTIME Unveils New Album En Conversation Avec (Mothland)

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VICTIME by Rose Cormier, from left to right: Samuel Gougoux, Laurence Gauthier-Brown and Simone Provencher

Crumple it up. Unfold it. Walk away. Come back together and start again (and again). This was noise rock trio VICTIME’s unexpected five year-plan to create their second long-player En conversation avec, unveiled today via Montreal label Mothland.  

En conversation avec album artwork by Cléo Sjölander

Deconstructing a guitar-bass-drums mold, while still embracing their unbridled exploratory approach, VICTIME have returned with a genreless sophomore manifesto that they credit as their best work to date. Hurtling at 100kph, En conversation avec is a corrosive, meter-busting rendez-vous of DIY breadboard overdubs, pixelated synth-scapes and a complete disregard for conventional musical permissibility. 

Devised across three cities (Gatineau, Montreal and Quebec City) between bandmates Laurence Gauthier-Brown (Ponctuation, Pure Carrière), Simone Provencher (Album) and Samuel Gougoux (Corridor, Kee Avil) through virtual demo-ing with high-stakes jams in-between pandemic lockdowns, En conversation avec is the result of the VICTIME’s unanimous urge to overhaul their sound. 

While the band is adverse to talking about the COVID-19 pandemic (with good reason), they agree that making a record long-distance was a cornerstone to the evolution of their creative process.  

“Without some delineation of guitar-drum-bass, it truly isn’t a VICTIME record,” says guitarist  Provencher. “The three of us worked on every part, which defined the album more than anything. The studio-based approach allowed us to rediscover the joy [in playing] through recording riffs, vocals, rhythms and loops directly on our computers and then sharing them with each other for processing or overdubbing,” she adds. 

For vocalist-bassist Gauthier-Brown, the digital back and forth allowed her to tackle difficult and uncharted subject matter through her lyrics differently than before. 

“Over the many years with the band, living through both the #MeToo movement and the pandemic, I’ve learned how to use my voice and take my place. The album’s first single [M.A.] allowed me to grieve and process a difficult experience. At first I couldn’t sing it without crying. But at the same time, after 7 years in a relationship, I also wrote my first ever love song with this record. It felt like the first time I could really do it,” she explains. 

The band attributes lessons learned from exploring expressive mediums outside of music to the spirit of En conversation avec. 

“We weren't necessarily tired, but we were excited about new things that we were learning while working on separate projects,” shares Gauthier-Brown. “We were all playing music with other people, scoring films, theatre and dance pieces as well, and that brought out different elements of our [musical abilities] that we were interested in incorporating into Vicitme,” she adds. “I had worked on a theatre show for two years that never happened because of the pandemic. Having to really sing on my own [while practicing] and not just do rhythm stuff helped me go deeper into myself and find my voice.” 

“I remember a moment, way before we even started the record, where Laurence walked into the jam space and said she didn’t want to be in a rock band anymore,” recalls Provencher. “I cried,” adds Gauthier-Brown, as the band laughs in harmony. 

“We each wanted to do something different with our own instrument and influence each other’s output,” explains Gougoux. “While using loops isn’t exactly inventing anything new, it brought a different element to thinking about the songs’ rhythmic elements and changed my [creative] vision over time,” he adds. 

Since forming in the late 2010s, VICTIME’s trust in each other as friends and collaborators is a testament to the band’s progression in tandem with the members’ individual growth.

“We’ve been able to find a balance in having fun together and being serious,” says Gougoux. “We started this band when we were still teenagers in our heads, but now we all have full-time jobs and are thinking about, you know, having a house and a family,” says Gauthier-Brown, the band all laughing together.

That being said, VICTIME are just as weird, and just as millennial, as they’ve always been. Along with Kim Gordon, eye surgeries and the sadness of roadkill, En conversation avec cites Twilight's Breaking Dawn and the documentary Sisters With Transistors among a myriad of intriguingly cryptic references.

While VICTIME is currently challenged by the ambitious translation of their “studio-heavy” songs to live context, they are collectively eager to see what the future holds for En conversation avec. 

“We’ve spent time in different scenes. For me, more the art scene than the music scene. And we’ve changed labels. I have no idea what kind of reception we’re going to get, because we’re starting over again, in a way… But we’re going to keep the momentum going and hopefully not take five more years to write another record,” giggles Provencher. 

“Even though I’ve been touring a lot with other projects, I know that the music communities we’ve been in will be receptive and supportive. I think we’re in a place now where we’re just excited to get invited to venues and festivals again,” says Gougoux. 

Don’t miss VICTIME’s upcoming shows in Montreal and Ottawa!

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Double Album Launch Party

with Yoo Doo Right with We Owe ft. Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) 

December 6th, 2024 at Théâtre Plaza (Montreal) 

Tickets 

Debaser’s Pique Festival 

December 14th, 2024 at Arts Court (Ottawa) 

Tickets 

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EN CONVERSATION AVEC

Out October 25th, 2024 via Mothland

1. Pleine conscience
2. Un beau spectacle
3. M.A.
4. Ces ruines
5. Collage
6. Résonne encore
7. Faire la matière
8. Régicide
9. Figurine
10. En conversation avec

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VICTIME

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Slice Casts a Dreamy Sheen on Sincerity with "III" (Selenite Records)

Megan Magiera, Barbara Barrera, and Alex Hattick of Slice by Debbie Cho

Mellow yet moving, flowing yet focused, Long Beach’s Slice have long been crafting their unique indie spell. Comprised of spouses Megan Magiera (guitar and vocals) and Barbara Barrera (bass), along with keyboardist and vocalist Alex Hattick, Slice’s thoughtful artistry has gained favour with women and LGBTQ+ communities across Southern California. The trio masterfully employs motifs of jazz, post-punk, and dream pop, honouring their respective backgrounds without compromising artistic growth.

Their latest EP, III (out August 9th via Selenite Records), carries that compelling torch. Its captivating melodies are enhanced by earnest lyricism, navigating the waters of mental burnout and the demonization of homelessness. Slice touches on pervasive issues with cohesion, turning moments of isolation into cause for unity.

Late last month, Megan, Barbara, and Alex sat down with Also Cool to chat all things Slice.

Rebecca Judd for Also Cool: The band is coming up on its tenth anniversary. I’m interested in hearing how Slice's story first began, and looking back on the first chapters of the band.

Megan Magiera of Slice: It was kind of just me and Barb. Has it been ten years? Or is it-

Barbara Barrera of Slice: It’s coming up. You [Megan] would jam with your looper and you recorded [debut EP SLICE] – remember? All by yourself.

Megan: Yeah.

Barbara: But then we would also jam in your room – I would play bass, you would play guitar.

Megan: The beginnings are just in a bedroom. I thought it would be fun to play a show for my birthday, so we [Megan and Barbara] played a show, and I thought that was really fun. We met Alex and Kelsey [Landazuri, producer and engineer] through the music scene and… I feel like those beginnings are just in a bedroom, you know? Just making-

Barbara: Lo-fi.

Megan: Yeah, lo-fi…

Barbara: Bedroom pop.

Megan: Yeah, there you go…pop? [laughs]

Also Cool: So what were some of the previous bands you were in?

Barbara: I was in a band called Gaze with Lily Stretz from Meow Twins.

AC: Alex, you came into the band a bit later. What was your experience like before joining Slice?

Alex Hattick of Slice: I was a music major turned psychology major. I started playing guitar…in my early 20s, I guess? And then I started my own project, Hellgal, that Meg was in too. I was playing in three bands at one point.

So I saw Slice play, and there were a couple of songs that got stuck in my head, which is pretty rare when I go out and see bands. Usually, it’s like, “Oh, I like this!” but I don’t remember anything.

But I remembered “Sick,” and it always – I could sing “Sick,” and there’s no lyrics to it. There’s this little melody [that] would get stuck in my head. I remember hearing them play as a three-piece, and just being a little fangirl for a while. And then Michael Williams of Sanguine Knight was like, “You should be in Slice! You should have Alex in Slice!” [laughs] He was the little bird in everyone’s ears.

AC: So it was like a [crowdsourced] fusion of the minds coming together? It was just a matter of time before you joined forces?

Alex: Yeah!

AC: Jumping off of that – you’ve mentioned some of these smaller bands in the scene. Here in Canada, you hear about the music scenes in Orange County, LA, and across the West Coast as some kind of entity. A lot of what I’ve learned about the band is that Long Beach and the OC are important to your identity. I’m interested in knowing how your music reflects the sounds and the vibes of the West Coast, of the OC, and how you think it differs as well.

Megan: It’s hard to say stuff about Orange County – Long Beach is LA, technically, but I don’t know much about the Orange County scene. I know you [gestures to Barbara] were involved in it.

Barbara: I mean, I was in the Orange County punk scene as a teenager. But I feel like [being from the West Coast] adds to our chill sound.

Megan: There you go, there you go! [laughs]

Barbara: People say life over here is very laid-back and chill and I feel like our sound reflects that. What do you think, Alex?

Alex: I feel like Long Beach is a mini-LA in some ways. There are some really good venues here – some well-established venues that are dedicated to local music, which is cool. I’ve never lived in Orange County—Long Beach is right on the cusp, it’s like the last stop before you get to Orange County—but a lot of people from LA have started moving down here. I’ve run into multiple people who say they’ve moved here from LA and they’re like “It’s weird here, everybody just says hi! Everyone says hi when you’re walking down the street!”

I think there’s been a shoegaze-y or a 90s resurgence in stuff [here]. There are also little pockets of post-punk resurgence in the area too. So I think it’s been interesting watching who we parallel and relate to music-wise.

Slice by Debbie Cho

AC: Getting to the new EP, III, a lot of it shifts around some dark subject matter. There are songs that deal with anxiety, and “Depleted” deals very specifically with burnout – I’d like to hear more about the greater inspirations at play here. Did you set out to make an EP inspired by something you were working on [or dealing with], or did you feel like the songs kind of came together organically?

Megan: I would say it happened organically, for sure. There was no concept – I strived to do that later on. But all of these songs were written so far away from each other that there wasn’t a “theme” or anything. It just kind of [came back to] everyday struggles that we deal with and were inspired by. The subject matter is something that we [all] see probably every day. Dealing with anxiety and things like that, it’s just our everyday lives. The ebb and flow of life, you know?

AC: What would you say are the time frames through which you were working on all of these songs?

Megan: 2018 to 2020, maybe?

Alex: “Depleted” and “Shopping” are the most recent songs. Those are 2020, 2021, I think? Time passes so quickly!

I worked on the lyrics for both those songs and the lyrics came up during specific moments of feeling my own burnout from working as a therapist; of just feeling those feelings of the world, the nature of our political climate, and things like that. Holding all of that is a lot – for everybody, for lots of different reasons! I work with clients on [those subjects] too, so it’s something I encounter really frequently.

Also, as a social worker, I’ve had several jobs working with lots of different populations, so the lyrics for “Shopping” were inspired by some of the political pieces I’ve been following around the unhoused population and the treatment of those folks in our culture.

AC: Yeah, “Shopping” was one I particularly picked up on. It felt very charged, very riot grrrl in that sense of boldness to it. That’s really interesting to hear more about its connection to the unhoused and other [therapy clients] you’ve worked with.

Learning more about the band, it seems like the band consciously refrains from overproduction and you want to replicate the essence of your live shows. Painting the picture of these live shows, what do they look like? What is the connection to your community in those shows, and how did you come to value this in your sound?

Megan: That’s a good question. Have you ever been to a concert where the band didn’t sound like the recording – in a good way or a bad way?

I guess it’s just more authentic and we feel like we’re being ourselves. There’s nothing that we’re hiding behind. It’s an expectation that we set.

Barbara: When we’ve recorded, it’s always felt like taking a picture of what we sound like at that moment in time…rather than making a painting…if that makes sense? We added some [stronger] production to the new EP though.

AC: I like the visual imagery of that – that does make sense!

Alex: Yeah, and I think with how we seem to jam together, we almost work better together with simplicity and a certain amount of minimalism. Between the bass line, the guitar parts, the [keyboard] parts, there’s this natural flow that they have together and there’s three different melodies all happening at the same time.

So in order to hear that, for that to come out, I like that it doesn’t have so much “background noise” that blocks that out. It has that balance that reminds me of Grass Widow, and how they recorded too.

AC: It’s warm and fuzzy, and you can associate it with the memory of being at one of your shows. It sounds like the community really shows up for you.

Slice by Kelsey Landazuri

Speaking of shows, with the EP coming out on August 9th, I’ve heard there’s a big release show on August 10th. I’d love to know – what can fans expect? Are there any other shows planned, or other tricks up your sleeve?

Barbara: Kelsey and Val[eryee Jimenez of Selenite Records] said that we should record another 3-4 songs, and press that EP and this EP together on a 12-inch. So we’ve been talking about doing that. I’ve also suggested we could press all four EPs on one 12-inch, like this one punk band – Subhumans.

But we’ll see. We want to press a 12-inch, press another record for sure.

Megan: We’re also definitely playing more shows. Whenever a friend hits us up, we usually say yes… we have one more show booked in September.

Barbara: The August show, we’re playing with Coleco Club. It has members of the band Baus. They’re really cool, I can’t wait to play with them!

Megan: Angela Jane Bachman…

Barbara: Angela Jane Bachman!

Alex: I’m a big fan.

Barbara: Yeah, Alex is a big fan.

Alex: We’re going to be playing at our “home base” in Long Beach, which is called Vine. I think it became a thing when I was in college – so maybe not quite 20 years.

It’s now owned by Dustin Lovelis, who’s been in the music scene for a long time. [Dustin] has a recording studio, and he’s really involved in booking musicians. They have music pretty much every night of the week. The shows are also always free, so it’s a hub for music in Long Beach. Honestly, the main hub, which is funny because it’s one of the smaller venues. But it really is – if you’re a musician in Long Beach, you know about it. We wanted to play there because it’s the home base.

AC: Feels like a “return to form” of sorts.

Would those other shows also be in Southern California? Are there any plans to tour out-of-state?

Megan: We have no plans for that right now, but we would love to! We’ve toured the Pacific Northwest a few times, and we’ve even gone the SXSW route. We’d love to play more on the East Coast – Canada! [laughs] We would love to.

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III

Released August 9th, 2024 on Selenite Records

1. Depleted

2. Don't Overthink It

3. Painfully Aware

4. Shopping

Megan Magiera - Guitar/Vocals
Alex Hattick - Synthesizer/Lead Vocals
Barbara Barrera - Bass
Kelsey Landazuri - Drums

Mastered by Nick Townsend
Produced by Kelsey Landazuri
Album Art by Alina Kano

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Slice

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Birds to the Front: A Conversation with Montreal's Birds of Prrrey

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Birds of Prrrey via Facebook (from left to right: Grace Spitzley, Noelle Inniss and Clarence Tremblay)

In a 8 x 8 music space in Verdun, Birds of Prrrey (yes, the 3 Rs are important) are getting ready to rehearse for the night’s show. It's small, hot, and stuffy, but time is money and they don’t have any to waste. Grace Spitzley, the band’s bassist, is dutifully looking over their schedule. Noelle Inniss, the drummer, is reminiscing on funny anecdotes. Clarence Tremblay, the guitarist, is setting up their gear, while explaining that this was the first room they've ever played in, and that the other rooms are much better.

There’s a direct contrast between the playful atmosphere of this rehearsal and the focused recording sessions that Birds of Prrrey had in the studio gearing up for their first EP release. Those days were characterised by missing equipment, sound malfunctions, and delays. “Personally, I almost cried,” says Noelle while explaining their initial difficulties. Old equipment required the band to adapt quickly and be flexible when unexpected things happened – things like having to record a song while not being able to hear yourself, or your fellow band members, at all. 

Though the Birds of Prrrey had a rough start, the band fondly recalls sharing a hug with their producer Ben Rowland during their last session. “Our last take, it was so easy,” says Clarence. Noelle chimes in: “[If you] think about it too hard, that’s when you fuck up.”

Released in early July, Yet, we’re still growing in place features only songs that have been performed live, so the band’s family, friends, and everyone who regularly hits up MTL’s thrift shops will finally be able to stream to their hearts’ desires!

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Graphic by Winie Coulanges

The creation of this EP served as a way for the band to let go of the past and look forward to the future – a time of transformation and new beginnings. It granted the band members an opportunity to embrace new memories and to escape negativity. As for how they feel now that the EP is out? Grace describes the feeling as cathartic. “Finally, we’re getting it out there for the world, and it’s our first big thing!’’ She hopes listeners will be able to recognize themselves in the songs.

Written over the course of 2023 while the band was going through growing pains, the EP touches on themes of love, power, self-reflection and independence. “Training Wheels”, the band’s favourite song, is an assemblage of all the qualities that make up Birds of Prrrey, such as humour, friendship and perseverance. Symbolic of the journey that brought them to this point, this track also serves as a reminder that their music is not a silly pastime or hobby but a real passion. “It’s such a beautiful song, we made something so beautiful and legit,” Noelle says.  “I have never felt more proud.”

Clarence recalls performing the song “Hatemail” at a show—a song they wrote about an unhappy relationship that was about to end—and locking eyes with an older man in the audience. “I was singing lyrics to a new song, and I saw an adult man who wasn’t there for us, he was there for the other band. Truly, listening to the lyrics and nodding his head like I was saying his truth. That gave me so much more confidence in what I was saying, like I wasn’t crazy.”

If Birds of Prrrey songs are intense and poignant, their social media presence is the opposite. Well-curated, it features many images of birds, memes and photos of the band. They don’t take themselves too seriously. Used to promote upcoming shows and document their evolution, the colourful images along with the funny captions invite everyone to feel welcome to dive into the universe that is Birds of Prrrey. Grace says, “I find that living in the city, performing at the same five venues, some bands take themselves way too seriously.” 

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Graphic by Winie Coulanges

Clarence describes it as a method to connect with their audience outside of live shows and to express themselves. Their openness and camaraderie not only makes the band unique and approachable, but it grabs the attention of potential collaborators. They’ve been able to work with artists of many different disciplines like animators, textile artists and graphic designers in their short career. Recently, they collaborated with an animator and artist named Sherry (also known as @Aecolyte) on the cover of their EP. “ They have a softness to their artwork but also deal with dark themes, it fits perfectly with our EP, ” explains Clarence. 

During a small break in their rehearsal, the band reminisces on a time someone compared them to The Beatles; the band, finding it hilarious, immediately jumped into an impromptu rendition of “Blackbird”. As for their actual musical inspirations, the band lists the Breeders, Hole, Mitski and Bikini Kill. At first glance, you might mistake them for riot grrrls. Despite their name and grunge aesthetic, complete with drawn-on Converse sneakers, Clarence clarifies: “We don’t think we are riot grrrls – to be a riot grrrl is to be political. We are just uplifting the movement.” They’re also not punk, Clarence explains: “ I would never say we’re punk – people call us punk, but I think they just use it as an umbrella term for those who make loud music.”

Debuting in the male-dominated Montreal music scene, it was a bit daunting for Birds of Prrrey to find their place. However, they quickly found an audience that was waiting for a band like theirs to come into the scene; young women and queer people taking up space and expressing themselves on their own terms, not wanting to confirm. While their initial demographic might’ve been fellow early 20-somethings, it’s clear that Birds of Prrrey can appeal to anyone. “There’s a part of our audience who we would've never thought would be interested in us, and it goes to show that it’s truly about the music,” Clarence shares. 

If you’ve never seen Birds of Prrrey live, a typical show might be prefaced with sentences murmured in the crowd like “This isn’t Birds of Prrrey” and “All the good bands are in Brooklyn.” Quick little quips as well as inside jokes serve as transitions between songs and each member shines in their own unique way. Noelle’s explosive drum solo at the end of “Noelle’s emo song” is captivating and full of emotion. Grace’s electric vocals over their fan-favourite cover of “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’” makes the crowd go wild. Clarence entertains the audience with their cool and charming personality. With a sea of moshing and bopping heads listening carefully to every song, Birds of Prrrey puts on a remarkable show. Towards the end of the night, you’ll usually find the members floating around the venue socializing and giving out handmade stickers to anyone who asks. 

Catch Birds of Prrrey at La Sotterenea on July 26th hosting and performing Bird Ball, their EP release show with a pop-up vendor market.

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Graphic by Winie Coulanges

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YET, WE’RE STILL GROWING IN PLACE

Released July 6th, 2024

1. A Man Invited Shoelaces

2. OMGCROWSEVERYWHERE.COM2003$

3. Hatemail

4. Noelle’s Emo Song

5. Training Wheels

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Birds of Prrrey

Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Writing and graphics by Winie Coulanges

Winie Coulanges (she/her) is an emerging writer and artist living in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Her art is informed by her identity and her desire to dissect the environment she lives in with care, consideration and humour.

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From Bartender to Headliner: Montreal's Alix Fernz Turns Heads with Debut Album "Bizou" (Mothland)

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Alix Fernz by Antoine Giroux

Alix Fernz is the beloved enfant terrible lighting a match on Montreal’s music scene. Formerly performing as Blood Skin Atopic, Alix Fernz is the moniker of 24-year-old singer-songwriter Alexandre Fournier. Arriving April 19th via hometown label Mothland, Bizou is Fournier’s debut album under this new alias. 

On Bizou, Fernz leads us down a drainpipe into an unabashed, palpitating reverie of studded leather, troublemaking and lipstick-stained dive bar mirrors. Produced in the bedrooms of three different apartments, with vocals tracked on Fernz’s iPhone mic, Bizou fearlessly criss-crosses remnants of bratty 70s-punk with new wave romanticism in a blistering 32-minutes.

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Bizou album artwork, credit: Alix Fernz & Nora Mejdouli

Mixed by Emmanuel Éthier (Choses Sauvages, Corridor, P’tit Belliveau, Population II), Bizou is Fernz’s first studio effort. After parsing over Bizou for nearly three years, Fernz is anxious for its unveiling at his album listening party this Thursday at Montreal nightclub Le Système.

“I got signed to Mothland after the album was done, but it's been worth the wait to release it for real,” says Fernz. “Teasing things out single by single has worked well, I saw the [streaming] numbers and I was like ‘holy crap!’” he laughs. 

Beyond its subversive aesthetics, Bizou is a coming-of-age record for Fernz, expanding on his experiences and growing pains as a suburban outcast.  

“Bizou has helped me a lot, as a period of self-learning,” explains Fernz. “A lot of the songs are angry and bring up a lot of unsavoury old feelings. I don’t like writing from the first-person, so I’ve created other versions of myself—personas—to write about the tough stuff and disconnect from my teenage years—trying to figure things out, feeling out of place in private school, doing drugs and shit. When I’m onstage singing these songs, I feel like another person, like someone else.”

The characters of Bizou come to life in the album’s accompanying music videos, where Fernz takes cues from latex magazines and 80s fashion to shapeshift from a nightmarish, botox-injected fiend to a lace-clad pierrot clown. 

With the adoption of his new stage name, Fernz has already encountered significant milestones as he aims to take his musical career to the next level.

“I moved to Montreal when I was 17, and started making music shortly after as Blood Skin Atopic. Switching to this solo project has helped me evolve out of a little DIY guy, now that I actually have [a label] backing me up,” explains Fernz. 

Fernz's it-factor has been established by his electric live sets attracting festival audiences, despite previously only having one single online. Since sharing “Wax”—the inaugural single from Bizou—in late 2023, Fernz has played POP Montreal, M For Montreal, Le Phoque OFF and Taverne Tour. In between, he’s gripped show-goers across Montreal’s signature stages and recently toured outside of Quebec for the first time.

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Alix Fernz by Antoine Giroux

Along with his musical forays, Fernz is a tattoo artist by day and a bartender at Montreal venue L’Esco. 

“I tell my boss [at l’Esco] all the time that I owe him my career,” says Fernz. “Meeting all these artists night after night is one of the main reasons that I can say that I am where I am. It’s priceless. I recently stayed after my shift to see Model/Actriz from New York after hearing their soundcheck and my mouth was like, watering the entire time,” he laughs. 

With all the buzz surrounding Bizou’s arrival, Fernz has started to perceive a shift in his reputation from local bartender to micro-celebrity. “I still don’t know how to react when people recognize me from my shows at work,” he smiles. “Working at L’Esco is like the epitome of ‘Oh! I know you… but I don’t know from where?’”  he adds. “I’m finding more and more people recognize me on the street from music than tattooing—I see my clients at the bar all the time. It’s definitely weird, but I enjoy it.” 

Despite this, Fernz remains humble and committed to his creative growth. When talking about what’s next, he reveals he’s already got a new project in the works. Hinting at what the future holds, Fernz describes his new songs having more of a pop direction, but maintaining his signature oddball edge. “I have ten demos already. Bizou has been a huge learning opportunity for me in being able to work on music with other people and introduce [the project], but I can’t wait to work on something else!” he exclaims. 

Catch Alix Fernz on tour this spring and pre-save / pre-order Bizou before its release this Friday!

April 28th - Toronto @ The Baby G 

May 10th - Sainte-Thérèse @ Santa Teresa  

May 16th - Montreal @ POW POW (album release show)

May 23rd - Chicoutimi @ Bar à Pitons 

May 24th - Québec @ Le Pantoum 

May 25th - Rimouski @ Bains Publics  

Alix Fernz

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Youtube

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Public Appeal: The Fight for Queer Creativity

Public Appeal didn't come out of nowhere – her rise to notability is profound for all the ways they have worked to create music that people want and crave. Growing up in the rural south of France, Discord forums, and Internet algorithms fed her artistry, and moving to Montreal allowed for the exposure necessary to become a star. With mentors and inspiration coming from places like NYC and LA, Public Appeal has found her voice through years of listening to Club Eat and Charli XCX. 

When asked to describe her genre, they tell me there's no need for labels – her music is meant to serve and make you feel good on the dance floor. It's a pursuit I can't discredit in any way, shape, or form. I think communal love for Public Appeal comes from this honesty. In her music, there is an expression of something almost too real for simple minds to handle. With performance being center stage in this era of the Montreal music scene, brutally realistic and dystopian pop beats are what we need to make it through the weekend.

“Indie sleaze is where I draw my inspiration – the irony of playing with archetypes is where you have the most fun.”

When making her music, Public Appeal is asking questions. Her process could be compared to the Barbenheimer phenomenon: the brains of nuclear physicists, but an almost plastic-like beauty and playfulness going hand-in-hand. Indie sleaze becomes ultra-meta as a new generation of artists take on ideas of aesthetics, Tumblr and Instagram, allowing for nuanced forms of consumption. 

As we sit in a park discussing everything from childhood celebrity crushes and the meaning behind lyrics, Public Appeal runs me through her outfit. The level of indie sleaze that one can exude is showcased. The shirt is her father’s, her jewelry was found on the street, mismatched Doc Martens that got switched at a party, and Jack Antonoff spectacles without lenses. Everything from head-to-toe is a collage – a moment in time and an inside joke, yet still eye candy for strangers. 

Her music is similarly a family affair: it's perverse because we can all relate and imagine the scenarios expressed on her latest EP, Mind Your Business. This can be seen in “I Wanna Party With You”, which addresses the awkward dynamic of going out with a lover while being over the feeling of them – easy enough in a city like Montreal, and relentlessly relatable.  

Sometimes the care and attention given to artistry is not noticed when people are making their music on a laptop in their bedroom – yet I believe the best forms of expression come from raw experiences, and Public Appeal allows for that. They study histories of music and genre, searching through old interviews of favorite artists and diving deep into the Soundcloud ether to find inspiration. 

Recently, Public Appeal has delved into the history and sounds of electroclash, introducing even a music lover like me into a world I've never known. With hundred-song playlists and concert lists with footnotes, a sense of care and need for good music is instantly seen in her way of being. This is all the proof needed to express the love they have for music that wirelessly connects to listeners as well.  

“My music can't be labeled! It's androgynous and hot, it makes you feel like party drugs – careless but curious, let it take hold of you!”

Public Appeal is a lesson in balancing work ethic and production as well as attitude and style – the perfect equation for sexy music. They put in an effort within the scene that I can only attribute to the sanctity of protecting queer spaces. 

With so many people taking up space in the industry without the boldness that warrants the spotlight, her music lets her talent shine without ego or force. Self-awareness is used similarly in their music, as indie sleaze is used in all its campiness – allowing for a tangle of fun and intelligence that is an exact portrait of a time and place. As they've told me, music is a tattoo, something that comes from an ache and gets spread all over the city for everyone to feel.  Public Appeal knows her music will change completely with time. But right now, Mind Your Business is the moment and a force to be reckoned with, with future live performances and new music in the works, the possibilities are endless. 

The MIND YOUR BUSINESS REMIXES EP will drop in the new year, featuring appearances from artists like babynymph and bounce2. Stay tuned, as the sound of Public Appeal’s grows and evolves for all to witness, for the betterment of dance floors everywhere.  

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Public Appeal

Instagram | Spotify

Uma Nardone is a writer based in Montreal.

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Population II Get to the Heart of their Sound with Latest Album “Électrons libres du québec” (Bonsound)

Population II photographed by Starly Lou Riggs

Playful and alluring, Population II’s Électrons libres du québec is an enigma wrapped in a fever dream. These new sounds by the Montréal-based band hang above Earth’s atmosphere like a twisted multicolour satellite. Sure, it’d be easy to call them “psych-rock”, but that would be an oversimplification. Instead, this powerful trio successfully brews a multi-era potion, seamlessly collecting jazz fills, funky basslines, and emphatic synth in their intergalactic cauldron. 

I had the honor of chatting with the band in their practice space—a treasure trove comprised of Tristan Lacombe’s synth and guitar pedal collection and Pierre-Luc Gratton’s drum set—complete with a rubber chicken in the kick drum (a gift from their tour, they tell me). The wall across from Sébastien Provençal’s bass gear is adorned with a cute Sesame Street-themed bedsheet. Ah, and don’t forget their iconic collection of troll dolls (my favourite is the one with earmuffs and a blue star belly button), as featured in the band’s L’Esco video interview, “L’Autel 4461”. Needless to say, it’s abundantly clear that this ragtag group have been friends for a long time. 

In fact, they’ve all known each other since high school. Tristan, Pierre-Luc, and Sébastien all grew up in the North Shore, just north of Montréal. “[Tristan’s] father is the reason we’re playing together,” Sébastien laughs. “He’s like the guru of the band, if I can say, definitely a guru.”

Incidentally, some of the band’s early independent tracks caught the eye of John Dwyer—of the prolific rock band Osees—and Population II signed on with the rocker’s label. The group’s premiere album, Á la Ô Terre, came out hot on Castle Face Records in 2020. After returning from tour with the aforementioned legends, Population II are back in Québec with Électrons libres du québec, released via Montreal-based label Bonsound.

“We were at Ursa for [someone’s] show and I was going home very late to go to sleep,” Pierre-Luc recounts how they landed on their current label. “And then I received a call [from] someone and she’s like, ‘Hey, come to the park, there’s that person who works for Bonsound.’ So I go to the park and I talk with Valérie [Bourdages]… We talked for, like, two or three hours.” Pierre smiles and adds, “And the next week, we were on Bonsound.” 

Population II photographed by Starly Lou Riggs

Pierre-Luc, Tristan, and Sébastien have a sweet and honest chemistry that comes through in their music. It’s truly as if they can read each other’s minds. That could explain how their music is so bold and intricate, yet seems to come naturally. “We’re really fortunate to have crossed paths and to have this sensibility for the same music and art. We’ve been playing since we were fourteen/fifteen, so sometimes we don’t even talk,” Sébastien speaks to their innate intuition together. 

While the three have known each other a long time, Pierre-Luc is the newest addition to the band. Tristan explains, “We had a different line-up of that band and it was instrumental music. It was basically just jams and we were making long songs with a different drummer. And then we wanted to play with Pepe [Pierre-Luc]. In the first months that we were playing together, he was playing and one time had a mic and started singing. And [it] completely changed the band.” 

“Not singing like a karaoke singer,” Sébastien adds with a big grin, “It’s more like face-melting. Like, ‘How in the world did that little guy do that?’”

“Our first band broke up and we had a show booked,” Tristan recounts. “It was at L’Esco, and when we were kids it was really big, so we couldn’t cancel. So we were just like, ‘Okay, we have to do this show,’… We had to play that show and then we added Pepe and he just added his personal background.”

Pierre-Luc’s lyrics are simple. His vocals act as an instrument all their own—impressive, as he is the drummer and lead singer. These belting vocals, akin to ‘60s garage-style, compliment the wall of sound in instrumental: Tristan’s alternating synth and guitar, and Sébastien’s booming bass. Pierre-Luc shares that his words are meant to “break the fourth wall”.

Électrons libres du québec is truly a powerhouse of an album. From the space-like sonics of “Orlando”, to ripping funky bass licks in “Beau baptême”, to the discorded cacophony of “Pourquoi qu’on dort pas”, the whole thing screams epic. 

Listening with a fine-tooth comb, their influences seem fairly visible to the naked eye: ‘60s and ‘70s psych rock, definitely some classic jazz, and the likes of Funkadelic. Admittedly, Population II are very open-minded when it comes to music. We chatted about Sébastien’s dad being a ‘70s disco DJ (very cool), Pierre-Luc’s use of 6/4 jazz timing, and Tristan's affinity for exploring all genres.

“Oh yeah, there’s a lot of jazz. You wanna talk about that jazz, all that jazz? We’re all about the jazz,” Sébastien says emphatically of the band’s rhythm. All that, before leaving me with a list of recommended bands to add to my roster: ‘60s German band CAN, Canterbury scene legend Robert Wyatt, and Canadian ‘70s rock bands Simply Saucer and Aut’Chose . 

“There’s something good in a lot of different genres,” Pierre-Luc says as the band reflects on their own “genre”. 

“I literally listen to everything and I don’t want to stop myself,” Tristan tells me. “When I was younger, I was trying to be this cool kid: ‘Pop music is not for me. Oh, I don’t like country.’ And one day, I had a narrative shift. I want to be able to love everything.”

Tristan Lacombe of Population II, photographed by Starly Lou Riggs

“Mainly on Électron, we were really listening to those Canterbury prog bands like Soft Machine,” Tristan explains. “Mixing that with like… Krautrock bands that we love, and just a more naïve and primal energy of early proto-punk. Basically, it was a dumb and really naïve way of playing those styles of music.” While Tristan says naïve, what I hear is “experimental”. Population II has this in abundance—a childlike wonder for music and a desire to just play. 

As it turns out, the band writes most of their songs in an improvisational way, jamming out ideas. They record their sessions and revisit from there. “We’re always, always recording,” Sébastien says. “Ideas are always flowing and it’s just because there’s this chemistry, this weird chemistry about the three of us being in a room.” Sometimes he’ll come in with some bass lines as a “foundation”, but the band seems to thrive on improvisational form.

All the music videos for Électrons libres du québec came to fruition in a similarly experimental fashion. Released both individually and as one full-album piece, Bonsound’s own Hugo Jeanson is the genius behind the strange colourful masterpiece. Tristan explains, “He wanted to have something that would work with the cover, just textures and stuff… We just had total confidence with him and we were just like, ‘Do your thing, have fun!’ And it looked good.”

“What was really cool,” Sébastien adds, “is that when we invited him [to] the rehearsal spot, he saw the whole vibe… He asked us to play every song on the records and he filmed us.”

Tristan was a fan of Hugo Jeanson’s visual art before they got the chance to work with him. “It was strange,” he mentions, “because since I was a teenager, I knew about his posters and stuff.” Hugo’s a bit of a music poster icon in Montréal, now operating as the Head of Label Marketing with Bonsound. “Yeah, we were just like, ‘Okay, this guy is the one who is making those crazy posters, he has good taste in music, he works there [Bonsound], we wanna work with this person.”

The band has had some luck, stumbling upon talented artists to join them on their journey. Pair this luck with musical skill, a charming demeanour, and a curiously open mind, it’s really no wonder the trio has come to put out such a killer record. “There’s a lot of layers to the band,” Sébastien tells me as we wrap up our conversation. “You just gotta witness us and hang out with us.”

The group laughs as Pierre-Luc sums it up this way: “In the end, we’re just normal guys shredding.”

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Électrons libres du qu​é​bec

released October 6, 2023 via Bonsound

1. Orlando

2. C't'au boute

3. C.T.Q.S.

4. Beau baptême

5. Tô Kébec

6. Lune Rouge

7. Réservoir

8. Rapaillé

9. Pourquoi qu'on dort pas

Pierre-Luc Gratton – percussion, vocals

Tristan Lacombe – guitar, organ, oscillator, piano, synthesizers

Sébastien Provençal – bass guitar, synthesizers

Emmanuel Éthier – violin on “Reservoir”

Colin Fisher – saxophone on “Pourquoi qu'on dort pas,” “Réservoir”

Emmanuel Éthier – production and mixing

Trevor Turple – sound engineer

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Population II

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Starly Lou Riggs is a queer agender visual artist from the United States, currently based in Montreal.

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Dizzy's Katie Munshaw on Growing Up and Getting Vulnerable Behind a Mask in New Self-Titled Album

Katie Munshaw of Dizzy by Boy Wonder

“They come into my head and rattle around in my brain until they become something bigger,” says Katie Munshaw, vocalist of Dizzy, of the lyrics she writes for the band. “I’ve always been like that. I'm really lucky [that,] growing up, I went to an elementary school with a songwriting program, so I’ve been writing songs since grade 5 or 6,” she adds. “It’s always been a big part of my life and how I express my emotions.”

Hailing from Oshawa, the indie pop band includes Munshaw as the lead vocalist and main songwriter, and three brothers, Alex Spencer (guitar), Mackenzie Spencer (bass, vocals) and Charlie Spencer (drums, synthesizer, guitar, vocals), who’ve been playing together since high school. Their first album Baby Teeth was released to JUNO acclaim, including nominations for Breakthrough Group of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year. They are back with their third album, the self-titled Dizzy, released this summer.

Soft, sparkling, and devastating, Dizzy is a retrospective album reflecting on the heartbreaks of the past and gnawing on fears for the future. Their music blends dreamy melodies and soft vocals with some 90s influence, a sound reminiscent of bands like Soccer Mommy, fittingly referenced in the opening track, “Birthmark”.

Katie first started writing the album in 2021 (“What else was there to do then?”, she jokes), following the band’s sophomore release (The Sun and Her Scorch) a year before. Katie’s own life— her trials, tribulations, and collaborations with her band—influence her writing. Each song is a burst of stories and memories: the only thing tying them together is that they’re hers. 

“So much of our second record was about getting old and dying—something weighing on my mind a lot at that time. I’d just turned 23 or 24 and was thinking ‘Oh god, my life is over.’ When it was time for this record, I thought I couldn't keep writing about getting older and death,” Katie says. The resulting Dizzy mostly reflects on the past and the present – heartbreak, disappointment, nostalgia, self-reflection, moving on, and ultimately acceptance. “It's about being in my late twenties and finally getting to know myself a little more,” she adds.

Part of this involves recognizing external pressures and how they impact her. “I turned 25 and people started asking me about getting married and having a baby,” Katie says. “Jaws” is a faster-paced change in the middle of the record, and the one song where Katie allows herself to “get that anxiety out.” To an upbeat, Lorde-esque cadence, Katie sings, “I don’t remember getting older, but somehow I’m here / falling for the same tropes as my mother dear.” 

While its name was inspired by a night out with her “movie geek friend” talking about the 1975 film, the lyrics to “Jaws” explore societal expectations and grappling with the choices that come with it. “Are these things we actually want or tropes we feel pressure to take part in?” Katie muses. 

While the band’s first two albums were self-produced, this one involved collaboration with famed writer and producer David Pramik, known for his work with artists including Selena Gomez, Oliver Tree, and Chloe Moriondo, whose recent album Katie was a fan of. 

“We wanted to be very precise about every decision made. That clean production was what we were looking for,” Katie says on working with David for this record. “We made a big list of people we wanted to work with, whittled it down, and reached out to him, emailing him “Barking Dog” and maybe “Starlings” and saying we loved his work.” 

Katie notes how his sound is very different from their own, which is what they liked about him, despite initial hesitations about bringing in a producer for the first time. “It’s always hard to let someone in and have someone critique your baby,” she says, “...but he’s the perfect person because we’re all so introverted and he's this extroverted ray of light when we can be downers.”

It wasn’t until the end of the recording process that the band collectively decided to self-title the album, though it’s an idea Katie liked from the beginning. She references an interview fellow Canadian musician Haley Blais did with Coup De Main Magazine, where she says of her own album, “If I could erase everything I’ve done before and have this represent me wholly, I’d be okay with that,” highlighting how, in many ways, she considers this her first album. “That’s how I feel about this record,” Katie says. 

While the album lays bare parts of her life and anxieties, physically, she does the opposite. Katie dons a painted mask on the cover of the album, shielding her face from the cover and any of its visual material. “The mask came in pretty late,” Katie says. “I was working with my friend Ryan on visual stuff and being a baby about having my photo taken. After a few years of isolation, I did not want to be on camera.”

She recalls that he joked “Well, if it's so hard Katie, why don't you wear a mask?” And that’s what they did. “It was hard to convince everyone,” she said, but they fought for it, and then spent weeks trying to find the right mask for the job. “We went down a rabbit hole,” Katie says. “We ended up narrowing in on this one vintage brass mask we loved, [but we] didn’t look at the dimensions, so it showed up the size of my palm,” she laughs. “And we were shooting videos a week later so we panicked. Ordered a paper mache mask and begged my friend to help paint a mask.” 

The resulting mask, with green-painted lips, black-rimmed eyes and swirls of pink, blue and purple makes an appearance across the band’s music videos and promotional material for the record. In a world that scrutinizes how people look, her choice to shield her face challenges expectations and brings the focus squarely on the music, its message and the people who relate to it. “I think it’s interesting for a person, particularly a woman, to make the decision for herself to take her physical appearance out of the question,” Katie says. 

In the video for “Knock the Wind”, you see a masked Katie looking wistfully out the car window, as the song’s lyrics ruminate on making choices and taking action. It’s a song she has said is about “...how you can live somewhere your whole life and never really feel at home,” demonstrating one of the biggest appeals of this record. Dizzy’s vulnerable, melancholic and hopeful; a masked voice anyone could find themselves behind. 

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Dizzy

released August 15, 2023 via Royal Mountain Records

1. Birthmark

2. Close

3. Open Up Wide

4. Starlings

5. Knock The Wind

6. My Girl

7. Jaws

8. Salmon Season

9. Barking Dog

10. Cell Division

11. Stupid 4 U

12. Are You Sick Of Me Yet?

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Dizzy

Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp

Valerie Boucher is a writer based in Ottawa, Canada. You can follow her on Instagram and learn more at valerieboucher.ca.

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D.Blavatsky’s New Single “FUK” Provides a Jaw-Clenching and Purifying Experience

D.Blavatsky by Feng Ish

Raw, tormenting, and cathartic – just some of the terms one might use when describing Montreal-based DJ, producer, and artist D.Blavatsky’s newest release “FUK.” This single emerges as part of their forthcoming album YOUR CHOICE, which will be released on November 11. Its inception stems from the symbiosis of D’s experience with the Calgary punk scene in their teen years, their active role in the Montreal electronic music scene, and the acute solitary reality of the pandemic years spent in their parents’ basement recording music.

From the fragmentary nature of the music video to the album’s themes of longing and desire, my conversation with D last week provides a glimpse of their complex artistic identity. 

From a Calgary goth-punk band vocalist-drum-machinist to an established Montreal DJ

D’s musical origins are rooted in the Calgary noise-punk scene, which they became part of during their teenage years. They explained that the “...big shifts [happened] when [they] started hosting a show at CJSW,” a local college radio station. From there, their musical interest intensified, and began shifting away from punk, noise, and instrumental productions to more electronic ones.

Another memorable moment stems from when they were 19 and formed a band, Torture Team, with three of their best friends. Torture Team was a goth-punk band, and D played the drum machine and served as the vocalist. They released one self-titled tape. As they spoke about it, D’s eyes were twinkling: “I really, really recommend that everyone is in a band at least once in their life,” they explained. “That was a really special time in my life. I look back on it with a lot of love and gratitude.”

A year later, they would arrive in Montreal with two of their bandmates, a move that would mark a turning point in their artistic and musical career.

D.Blavatsky by Feng Ish

“It was once I created the single “FUK” that I realized everything I had created previously was completely beside the point of what I was trying to do. And I scrapped that entire album.”

D began writing and creating the single “FUK” about three years ago. At that point, they had completed a draft of the whole album, composed of 15 pieces, which they discarded when they finalized the single that changed their vision of the album as a whole. The song, which was “mostly just a mistake,” as they explained, led to profound revelations.  “[I realized] that this is what I’m trying to communicate…I just felt very close to the language I [was] trying to create.”

“But this track really changed everything for me, because so much of this album was a learning curve of me just learning how to use digital production tools.”

This track was a turning point in D’s creative process in making the album. “I just felt inspired in a different way,” they explained. Throughout the album creation process, they began to move away from hardware production to digital, Ableton production. Their intentions also shifted: in the first version of the album, they said they felt that they were catering to some kind of audience or in a way they “had to,” so that it might appear more palatable.

But in creating “FUK,” they ruptured these mental standards. “[It] was a very pivotal moment, because it really showed me that it’s like, ‘okay, you can communicate.’” Going further, they explained that, as an artist, it is generally expected that you are “...reflecting on what perspective [you are] trying to communicate," or asking yourself why you are unique. Yet this kind of thinking doesn’t fit with their artistic process or experience. “This idea of creating a timeless work of art… I never cared about that. If my work doesn't necessarily age well within the broader cultural landscape, that's beside the point for me. I'm just trying to communicate something somehow.”

“Yeah, and “FUK” really just was like, holy shit. ‘I can do it.’ I think it was just really reaffirming…this track just embodies everything…I have something that I want to say and express.”

The creation is representative of a particular time – much of it was developed during the pandemic. The single–and, more broadly speaking, the album–seek to illustrate the complexity of desire, longing, and vulnerability within capitalist structures. On a more personal level, the works represented an exploration of a certain vulnerability they previously struggled to express.

Over a period of two years, D barely saw anyone – they said it was about eight months after they had burrowed themselves in their parents’ basement that they saw someone outside for the first time. And yet, this period of solitude was also a transformative moment for them: “The pandemic and this album was very much a metamorphosis for me, who I was when I made it.”

“[YOUR CHOICE is] about longing,  it's about desires in the most primal sense, like sexual desire, physical desire […] I'm getting my head nailed into the wall.”

D.Blavatsky by Feng Ish

Vocals, digital music, and a stream of consciousness

When listening to “FUK,” one element that grasps the listener are the vocals. Blending into the digital components of the song, one feels drawn into the destabilizing and intimately vulnerable mood that the vocals embellish. When I was preparing my interview questions, one of the things I was curious about was the intentions behind incorporating vocals, something which, unlike other genres, is not so common in experimental electronic music.

To begin, there is the process of creating the very content of the vocals. “FUK,” along with other songs on the album, often involves deciphering gibberish – quite literally. D explained to me that what they often do, including for this single, is “...create scratch vocals where [they] play around with cadence and syllables and tempo” of a digital production. “[I] just say random gibberish. And then I record that and then try to decipher the gibberish itself.”

When creating the song in their parents’ basement, they could never sing the vocals as loudly as would be featured in the final version. The final recording ended up happening in the studio of their good friend Keïta Saint, a producer and voice engineer, living in NDG. In a single, last-minute take before the curfew of noise complaints, the vocals were recorded: describing the moment of the recording, they explained that “...you could feel the static in the room.” D offered to do another take, but “...Keïta was just like ‘no, this is fucking it, you will never get a better take.’”

The music video accompanying “FUK” has its own story. D’s vision of the video was first situated in a cave: running through a cave, feeling claustrophobic, with a light constantly out of reach. Yet as they needed to adapt to the environment they were in, director Axel Zavala helped create a video that translated D’s vision with the single.

The creation itself went by fast. Axel, who had been working on other projects, connected with D right before they headed back to Montreal. In just two days, they went into the woods in the night, armed with a GoPro and camcorder. With ten hours of footage, they were able to create a visual embodiment of the disorienting and stimulating nature of the piece.

Montreal, the rave scene, and moving forward

Throughout our conversation, it was clear that the Montreal electronic music scene continues to significantly influence D’s art – both as a producer and DJ. Being a raver has been a consistent and essential part of who they are. “[Raving] has pretty much been my life for the last five years… it is the primary way that I develop social relationships with people, and that I maintain the social relationships I have… [it’s] a sense of connection and expression.”

Once D arrived in Montreal and became involved with the collective Cyberia, something of a community became evident to them. Whereas a mix of social anxiety and dysphoria had made their teen years unstable and difficult, the engagement they have found in Montreal’s rave scene has been a way to come to appreciate and validate themself. “I learned how to celebrate my body. And I learned all of the beautiful things that my body could do for me and how to express [myself] and be present. I think that was [about] being present in my body in a positive way, in a way of celebration.”

YOUR CHOICE by D.Blavatsky

Moving forward, they look forward to continuing as a DJ, producer, and organizer in the Montreal electronic music scene. After living through the metamorphosis of the pandemic as well as visiting some Europe’s techno hotspots, D explained that they came to understand that Montreal has something special that they hadn’t seen elsewhere. “I think one of the biggest faults of our creative realms here is just how much people take it for granted.”

This upcoming album release is far from being their only project in the works. In just one week, they are hosting RIP VAULT for Halloween weekend, which will feature a myriad of local DJs. After releasing YOUR CHOICE on November 11, they hope to get working on the next one right away, which would ideally be released by next summer. 

Although the Montreal electronic music scene was deeply rocked by the pandemic, it is coming out of it in new and unpredictable ways – and D.Blavatsky is sure to have a role in the way it will transform itself. Whether in terms of the music they release or the infamous raves they organize, their impact on the community is here to stay.

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D.BLAVATSKY

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | SoundCloud

Soline Van de Moortele is a tenant rights advocate, insatiable raver, and full-time griever.

A Grieving Girl Blog

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