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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PREMIERE: Motorists Crush the 9-5 Slog with Instant Hit "Call Control" (We Are Time/Bobo Integral)

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Motorists, shot by Kyle Berger

Toronto power-pop trio Motorists beckon summer sunshine with their new single “Call Control”, out today on We Are Time/Bobo Integral. “Call Control” is the band’s second offering from their forthcoming sophomore album Touched by the Stuff, set to release May 24th, 2024. 

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The well-crafted hit is certified a ripper from start to finish. An ode to the unglamorous grind of creatives, “Call Control” nods to musicians making ends meet at their day jobs with the hopes of hitting the big time (or simply being the second band on a local bill). Despite being a relatable anthem for the overworked and underpaid, “Call Control” beams with enough fuzzy pep to get you out of bed, morning after morning, for the rock n’ roll. 

On “Call Control”, bassist Matt Learoyd shares:

“My other songs are going for the literary award and trying to get heady with it. For this one, I wanted a song that was simple, hummable, and doesn’t get lost in the weeds with a thesaurus. It’s our attempt at a Go-Go’s style bopper that describes the powerlessness of trying to eke out a living as a working musician while knowing at the back of your mind that it probably will never be enough to have autonomy over your own future.” 

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Motorists, shot by Kyle Berger

Flush with feel-good college radio sensibility, “Call Control” is the soundtrack to blowing off steam with a smile: gas on the pedal, windows down, nowhere to go.

Want to feel the breeze and let go? Get behind the virtual wheel and experience “Call Control” to the fullest with Motorists’ interactive game, created by singer/guitarist Craig Fahner below!

Motorists

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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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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PREMIERE: Alix Fernz Enters a Black Lagoon Alternate Reality in "Muselière"

Alix Fernz by Antoine Giroux

Allo, and welcome to the world of Alix Fernz. The local post-punk artist has been taking over the Montreal scene over the past several months, most recently playing explosive sets at M for Montreal, Taverne Tour, and Le Phoque OFF. We've been fans of his work since seeing Alix perform at Système earlier last year, where he somehow managed to crowd-surf the dancefloor. It's also become the norm for us to greet each other by saying "AllO," inspired by Alix's song “Muselière”, so we couldn't pass down the chance to premiere the music video.

As we enter Alix's subconscious, we're greeted by a Black Lagoon-inspired version of himself, chasing him relentlessly in and out of his dreams. We follow Alix's alter ego as he robs a vintage shop, parties too hard, and gets kicked into another dimension where he gets into even more trouble.

"Through a character named Benjamin, the lyrics from “Muselière” recount my experience at a private school where freedom of speech was frowned upon. It's the first track of the album, a key song filled with intensity." – Alix Fernz

Alix Fernz by Antoine Giroux

“Muselière” gives us a taste of what's to come with his debut album Bizou, which is set to be released on April 19th via Mothland. Bizou depicts, through honest and anchored lyrics, a red-lit reality, the scene for nocturnal musings ranging from petty fantasies all the way to lurid nightmares. Singing about bar life, Alix delves into psychosocial disorders, drug addiction, and fear while drawing inspiration from high heels, lipstick, transvestism, fashion, and weirdos. He lays out along masqued syllabic beats the accounts of a coming-of-age in an era wherein likes and memes are all the rage. It's a beautiful delirium at the crossroads of art, pop, punk, and psychedelic rock, hitting the hearts of fans of Hubert Lenoir and Crack Cloud.

Catch Alix on tour across the USA & Canada in the coming months:

March 6th, 2024 - Montréal, QC @ La Sala Rossa (with Omni)

March 11th-16th, 2024 - Austin, TX @ SXSW

April 28th, 2024 - Toronto, ON @ The Baby G

May 16th, 2024 - Montréal, QC @ Pow Pow (Montréal Album Launch)

May 23rd, 2024 - Chicoutimi, QC @ Bar à Pitons

May 24th, 2024 - Québec, QC @ Le Pantoum (Québec City Album Launch) 

May 25th, 2024 - Rimouski, QC @ Les Bains Publiques

Alix Fernz

Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

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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Chicago Post-Punk Duo Oddysseys Talks Friendship, DIY Happenings and New Single "Enough"

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Oddysseys: Paul DiRico, (left) and Christian Treon (right)

Hot off the heels of their 2022 LP Softcore, Chicago-based post-punk duo and DIY collective Oddysseys shake off the bleak ache of winter with their new single “Enough”, arriving April 1st, 2023. Setting a promising tone for future music from the band, “Enough” cuts through its narrator’s uncertain inner-monologue with poignant, grungy rhythms and an undefeated aftertaste.

On “Enough”, Oddysseys’ Christian Treon shares:

“(‘Enough’) was written in the middle of the pandemic, when I started seeing less and less people; reaching out to less and less people. I was in a state of feeling very isolated, lonely and insecure. It progresses and gets louder and louder, following how I was feeling. It’s kind of like that build that comes from a while of being dissatisfied with how you handle situations—how you want to grow beyond (them)—and see how you can be enough not only for other people, but above all for yourself.”

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“Enough” single artwork by Oddysseys

While we can’t say much more about the track until its release, listen to our audio interview with Oddysseys’ leading members, Christian Treon and Paul DiRico, below. Within, they discuss their latest arrival, learnings from their last album Softcore, as well as the admirable work ethic and camaraderie nurturing their creative vision.

Also Cool Mag · Chicago Post-Punk Duo Oddysseys Talks Friendship, DIY Happenings and New Single "Enough"

Oddysseys

Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp

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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Take a Sip of Cola's Post-Punk Debut "Deep In View" (Fire Talk)

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Cola’s Tim Darcy (left), Evan Cartwright (middle) and Ben Stidworthy (right) by Colin Medley

Amidst our post-truth media landscape ablaze with sensationalism, bound by the tirelessness of superficial consumer culture, arrives Deep In View, the debut LP from Canadian three-piece Cola, out this Friday via New York label Fire Talk Records.

Composed of long-time collaborators Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy —formally of beloved Montreal band Ought— and Evan Cartwright of U.S. Girls/The Weather Station, the locally-star studded post-punk outfit is void of artificiality, despite its name.

Rather, Deep In View relishes in poetic revelations in a era of lukewarm takes. With an observational tone akin to David Byrne’s commanding Talking Heads personas, coupled with direct, yet animated, guitar-bass-drum arrangements reminiscent of early works by The Strokes, Cola strikes political conversation on modern life with refreshing sincerity.

Chatting with Cola, lead singer and guitarist Tim Darcy attributes the band’s “triumphant honesty” as an outcome of working as a three piece.

“The writing process for this record was pretty nimble and we could workshop things readily,” explains Darcy. “Ben and I have been writing together for a long time, and though there were elements that we wanted to bring into this new project, there were major structural differences; like working with Evan who has such a singular touch, and writing songs separately during periods of on and off isolation,” he adds. “We wanted to keep the band a three piece and see what we could do melodically with sparse instrumentation.”

Since 2019, the trio draws inspiration from each other, whether through in-person sessions or building upon demos sent back and forth during the creation of Deep In View. Drummer Evan Cartwright says the nature of Cola’s experimentation is a welcomed change.

“There is a level of trust in this project that I don’t have in most creative situations. We all give each other so much agency to be able to redirect and change what we’re working on, which doesn’t happen in every band,” he shares.

“I don’t feel an impulse to control. I actually want [Tim and Evan] to change what I’ve written!” adds Stidworthy.

“Mechanically, it’s part of the definition of a band; a chemical reaction that happens when people bring their own idiosyncrasies to the table. What makes Cola Cola is everyone’s individual contributions resulting in this record,” elaborates Darcy.

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Cola by Colin Medley

Sonically, Cola’s collaborative patterns aim to compose “worlds or moods that are difficult to pin down emotionally,” explains Stidworthy. Part of guiding audiences through an intentionally off-kilter listening experience is largely driven by Cola’s lyrics, which are often introspective, unfettered and sometimes irritable – yet always graceful.

“I did lean into a personal lens much more on this record than with Ought,” says Darcy. “I tapped into lyrical mindsets and characters as vehicles for my perspective as a writer.”  

Darcy’s arresting performance on Deep In View comes from adopting a more traditional “front-man” personality - quintessential to the band’s post-punk roots.

 “[The vocals] do have a more singer-songwriter, post-punk clunky-ness to them, (laughs). While the sound isn’t totally shocking, to us or people familiar with our past projects, listening to our songs feels different… Much more personal,” notes Darcy.

Rounding off our interview, Cola speaks of keenly of returning to touring and bringing their meditations to life.

“I’m excited to just get up and play our asses off!” beams Cartwright.

“We’re a guitar band and I think, we’ve made a good album of guitar songs. Hopefully people will experience joy and our songs will make someone feel something and experience a pivotal moment,” muses Stidworthy.

“Even when we played our first returning shows, they were amazing. It’s a lot to ask an audience to sit through a whole set of songs they’ve never heard before, but everyone who came out was great! So far we’ve been getting back into the flow and it’s like no time has passed. I hope that everyone gets to experience that very soon if they haven’t already,” adds Darcy.

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Deep In View

Out May 20, 2022 via Fire Talk Records

Pre-order here

1. Blank Curtain

2. So Excited

3. At Pace

4. Met Resistance

5. Degree

6. Water Table

7. Gossamer

8. Mint

9. Fulton Park

10. Landers

Written by Tim Darcy & Ben Stidworthy

Supercollider, Guitar (“Blank Curtain”) & Drums by Evan Cartwright

Guitar, Vocals and Lyrics by Tim Darcy

Bass, Guitar & Keys by Ben Stidworthy

Recorded by Valentin Ignat

Mixed by Gabe Wax

Mastered By Harris Newman

Artwork by Katrijn Oelbrandt

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Cola

Instagram | Bandcamp

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, radio host & DJ, and a musician.

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Danish Post-Punk Trio KONVOJ Release Debut Album "Basher"

There's nothing I love more than a high-energy post-punk show. It's one of the few genres where I actually see people dance a bit, even if they're just subtlely bouncing up and down, trying not to spill their beer.

KONVOJ, the Danish post-punk trio, is the perfect band for this kind of setting. The word 'post-punk' is often thrown around in music writing, usually referring to the cold, angular guitars and monotone vocals found on the East Coast. KONVOJ breaks out of these stereotypes and abides by their own strict rules. Their vocals are joyful, their music still structured but less harsh than others in the genre, allowing space for elements of grunge, psych and garage rock to seep in.

For fans of IDLES, Parquet Courts, and shame, you’re sure to find a song for your daily Spotify rotation off of KONVOJ’s debut album “Basher.”

The trio met in high school in Gladsaxe over ten years ago. They're the kind of band you'd be pleasantly surprised by, playing at the local bar with your friends' band. The members have played together in different bands over the years, eventually forming KONVOJ as it exists today.

Upon creation, KONVOJ was based on the following dogmas:

• The band should ONLY consist of the three.

• It should be alive and dangerous.

• No focus on the commercial for the sake of the commercial!

• Everything had to be recorded in one-takes – mistakes / the rawness has a clear justification as an expression.

• Don't go down the same path as everyone else.

• The music needs to be liberating.

Six months after their first show, KONVOJ recorded their album "Basher" in two days, with one take for each song.

Listen to "Basher" below.

KONVOJ

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"Surrounded" - Motorists' Jangle Punk LP Explores Isolation, Community & DIY Spirit (We Are Time/Bobo Integral/Debt Offensive)

Surrounded by Motorists album art

Standing at the back of the show, holding your beer close, you're wondering if anyone is going to talk to you or if you'll have the courage to talk to that cool person that keeps walking by. This is the oddly specific yet nostalgic feeling that emerges while listening to Motorists' debut LP "Surrounded."

Comparable to various eras of punk, jangle rock, and mid-2000s Canadian indie rock, Motorists express their struggles with isolation by pairing a post-punk vocal tone with optimistic and upbeat melodies. The trio Craig Fahner, Jesse Locke, and Matt Learoyd have played music together since their early days in the Calgary DIY scene. They've since gone on to work together on various projects, including Chandra Oppenheim's release of her 1980s album EP Transportation.

Throughout their many years playing, touring, and community-organizing together, Motorists have maintained their values and ability to be vulnerable with each other, and through their music. We spoke with the band about all this and more a few months back, leaving us feeling cautiously optimistic for the future of DIY Canadian music scenes. 

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Tell us a bit about the band and who you are as people.

Jesse: My name is Jesse, but my DND name is Nox Arcana, inspired by a minimal wave artist who made DND-inspired music. Matt, Craig & I have been friends for a long time, have played in bands together almost ever since, and eventually formed Motorists.

Also Cool: I'm interested in hearing more about the scene you came up in and how you got into the scene.

Craig: Great question! It's particularly fitting because we've been really close friends for the past 15 years. We met each other through the DIY music scene in Calgary. I met Matt when I was 16 and Jesse shortly afterwards. For me finding the Calgary DIY music scene felt like salvation. I was living a pretty sheltered suburban existence and was really thirsty for people with shared values. 

I think it's a testament to how valuable those kinds of communities are. We've been able to maintain friendships and keep those same values together moving forward, even when we've moved to different cities. We've tried to bring those inclusive anti-commercial values to the scene in Toronto, which is ostensibly not an anti-commercial music city. It's very much where people go to make money in music.

Jesse: The last show we played before the pandemic was in the basement of a comic book shop in Toronto, where we were carving out our own little DIY scene. It was all ages, PWYC, which was really similar to many shows I went to growing up in Calgary.

Matt: I also think there was sort of a heyday in the mid-2000s. Maybe from 2007-2011, during the Weird Canada era, there really felt like there was a camaraderie across Canada of various DIY scenes having the opportunity to connect. It might have just been coincidental with us being in our early 20s at that time, but there was definitely an affinity of the Calgary DIY scene with Ottawa, Victoria, and Halifax. 

It's always felt like there's been a sharing of values and perspectives. Canada also has so few major cities, so when you did get on the road to tour, there was definitely a crew of this DIY community. Obviously, these things have shifted and changed over time. Some of these people are stars, some have dropped off, and others are keeping the spirit alive… But there's just something about keeping things DIY and grassroots and trying to resist the industry machine. 

Jesse: We're now tentatively booking release shows, and a lot of those contacts are from the Weird Canada days. Those connections that we forged back then in 2009… Just the fact that Weird Canada had a map icon and you could search by place, it helped build a DIY touring circuit across Canada and connected me to all kinds of different communities.

Photo by Michelle Lemay

AC: In my own experience growing up in Ottawa, I would be so happy that any show at all was happening. Regardless of what show was on that night, everyone went because it was the only thing happening that night. Now, as I interview more bands, they all bring up this same sort of spirit of how making an effort in their own communities was what really brought them a long way.

That being said, it seems like friendships and community-oriented things are really important to you. What have you learned about friendship in your experience as a band and being friends with each other for such a long time?

Matt: What a nice question! I think being in a band is a special kind of intersection of relationship where you're buds, creative partners, sometimes roommates, and sometimes travel buddies. There's a lot of joy and intimacy due because you end up going through so much together. It's something you might not get from someone who you just see out on the weekends. 

There was also nothing about our friendship where we were once friends and had to cross the threshold into bandmates. That was just sort of the cauldron that we were forged in, so there was nothing more natural than being in a band together. We had all been in bands before, and together it almost felt like muscle memory. Even the songs came together really fast. There's a song on the record that came together three months after we got together. Regardless of if we're in each other's bands, lives or even in the same city, there's always been a cumulative effect of quickly being able to get on the same page creatively. 

Craig: We got to know each other by playing music together, which for me personally, shaped what it means to be in this sort of ideal friendship. And like Matt said, it's one where you have to depend on each other, be accountable, and work through problems together. 

You have this really rich constant negotiation and intimacy, which I think set a foundation for me personally of how powerful a friendship could be. It's more than just having a good time and chatting; it's creating a really rich and meaningful dialogue while being able to rely on each other. When we recorded this record, we were the only people we saw other than the people we live with. This record is sort of a product of that intimacy.

Jesse: I never would want to be like the Pixies, where everyone has their own tour bus. I think we all challenge and hold each other accountable. We raise each other to a height that we know that we can all achieve.

AC: The album carries a theme of reconnecting with people. What has that process been like for you? It feels like an awkwardness that we're all going through together.

Craig: One observation I've made is that COVID has forced us to acknowledge that we all have different boundaries and comfort levels. When re-entering the social world, I think it's a really good thing to approach it with this awareness of others and be considerate of what they need and what they're comfortable with. This is also why we haven't rushed into playing shows again; we're just waiting for what feels like is the right time to do so. 

Matt: Well, it's difficult for sure; a lot has changed as we start to reconnect again. A lot of the venues are gone, the musicians who work in the service industry are struggling, and those who used to tour all the time now have to look for alternative sources of income. We have less time for leisure activities and less time for practicing music. In the most optimistic version of the future, DIY will become a necessity because there just won't be that many places to play. 

In Toronto, we have Rehearsal Factory, where 90% of bands rehearse, but they're all being sold, which is probably 1000 rehearsal spaces gone. We got really lucky because Craig has a basement we can use, but almost everyone I know uses these spaces to rehearse. 

The barrier for entry is definitely a lot higher. I think the landscape is going to change in general. Still, I hope that it makes it so that when shows do happen, people will think of them as really valuable and won't just treat them like a party opportunity. Instead, it will make them more inclined to build community. 

Motorists

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

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Mindfulness and Magic: How Nyssa Has Been Keeping Busy During the Pandemic

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Nyssa, shot by Ron Hollywood

Toronto-based musician Nyssa has been writing and performing songs since she was 12 years old, with her musical influences covering a wide range of generations and a plethora of musical genres. These sources of inspiration are clear in her 2020 album Girls Like Me, an insightful exploration of gender-based expectations that dips between post-punk and glam rock, incorporating hints of folk in its more reflective moments. Girls Like Me was recently nominated for the 2021 Polaris Long List, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for Nyssa. We got the chance to catch up with Nyssa to chat about rock n’ roll storytelling, dream journaling and working with Meg Remy of U.S. Girls on her latest track.

Spencer Nafekh for Also Cool: Hi Nyssa! As an introductory question, I was curious if you could say a little bit more about your artist name? I looked a little more into the name “Nyssa,” and the first thing that came up was a Wikipedia page for a Doctor Who character. Is this where you’ve gotten the name from?

Nyssa: Actually, Nyssa is my birth name! I’m of Irish and Scottish descent, but my mom read the name in a book and really appreciated it. Apparently it’s ancient Greek for “a new beginning,” and there’s also the bonus of the Doctor Who character, an ewok in the Star Wars universe, and a tree found in North America. I figured that because I have a first name that sounds like a “one name” thing, I would use it as a stage-name. This puts a healthy pressure on me not to let myself down, because at the end of the day, I don’t want to change my name: I’ve got something to live up to.

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Nyssa, shot by Ron Hollywood

Also Cool: Personally, I find that Girls Like Me is an album with a uniquely cool post-punk sound to it - I hear hints of bands like The Cure and Bauhaus. I’d like to take this opportunity to pop in a “generic music question”: What kind of music did you listen to growing up? What inspires you now, and are there any artists or albums that you’ve heard as of lately and just absolutely need to put people onto?

N: Growing up, my mom and dad both separately listened to a lot of rock n’ roll. My mom was a big Rolling Stones fan, so that was a big presence in the house; same with Neil Young, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Liz Phair, Lucinda Williams, and Sinéad O'Connor. I’ve been thinking about this recently, and it’s funny how all my favourite artists from childhood that my mom introduced me to are still essentially my favourite artists: Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville are still two of my favourite albums of all time.

With Girls Like Me, I was basically trying to make my own version of storytelling rock n’ roll without using traditional rock n’ roll instrumentation; relying more heavily on Ableton and sample work, and not so much on guitar. I wanted to incorporate influences like Bruce Springsteen, and fuse rock n’ roll with soul and country music. It’s hard to put into words, but I’ve always been attracted to squishy, fuzzy, and crunchy sounds. My background in garage rock informs that, but I didn’t want Girls Like Me to sound like garage rock at all. Having access to samples and the ability to manipulate them was what really allowed me to get the unique sound that I was looking for.

AC: Would you say that your latest track “It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)” is a direct response to the pandemic lifestyle? It seems different from your previous works, in terms of its slow buildup and its spooky synth-pop vibe… Do you see this track as an experimental anomaly or does it mark a transition in the vibe of the music you want to make?

N: My song is actually a loose cover of this 60’s Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret song; a real crazy garage rock anthem that I was first drawn to in high school and “squirreled away” for later use. My friend Lex—who is one of the owners of Fuzzed and Buzzed— initially approached me about doing a single for a compilation that they were planning. His neighbor is Meg Remy of U.S. Girls, so that got the ball rolling on the production of the track. Next thing you know, I was in the studio with Meg and a bunch of other musicians, and although Meg oversaw most of the session, “It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)” was the song that she really stepped on board to produce. The whole process was very freeform: it was mainly me and drummer, Jay Anderson, jamming it out. 

I wouldn’t say that “It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not To Live In)” is totally an anomaly, though. I see myself walking down a number of musical paths in the future, and one of them is darker, and more surreal. It was recorded pre-pandemic, but it feels very… “pandemic friendly.” (laughs)

AC: I’ve noticed the “dreamscapes” series that you post on your socials from time to time. Whether it’s work from Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder, photographs from the children’s picture book iSpy, or shots from that crazy fantasy movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, it appears as though you like sharing grandiose landscapes and pleasantly ethereal scenes. I was curious whether this aesthetic was something you try to mimic in your music, or is it something that you admire from a visual standpoint?

N: Because I’ve been so confined to my apartment these days, I find myself thinking about these dreamscapes and scenes from childhood… Worlds that I inhabited as a weird only child. To be honest, Girls Like Me is an album that I wrote over the course of a couple of years when I was waiting tables and living my life. Things obviously just feel very different these days, and I think that sharing these “dreamscapes” encapsulates everything that I’ve been doing over the past year, and the stuff I’m writing now.

On the topic of my more recent habits, I’ve also started doing this thing called “active imagination,” a Jungian technique which works like guided meditation. You’re supposed to enter your own dream world and just see what happens, or what your mind is trying to communicate to you. I find this has been helping me open my unconscious mind, and the dreamscapes that I have shared recently have been really informing that whole practice, which feeds into my writing as well!

AC: Sounds interesting! It seems like you have been keeping yourself busy in these strange times, exercising retrospectivity and imagination. Would you say that the pandemic has had a positive impact on your creative process, or a negative one?

N: Definitely positive. I’m part of this songwriting group with some friends in New York, and so I’ve had the pressure of writing a new song every week. This has been hugely important to me, and it wouldn’t have happened if we weren't thrown into this whole ordeal.

I’m really thankful for these exercises in creativity, which have resulted in my thoughts being much more magical. There’s going to be a very witchy album coming out post-COVID, that’s for sure.

Since we’re on the topic of creative practices, I should mention that another thing I’ve been doing is logging entries into a dream journal… It’s been beyond satisfying. It is so fulfilling to be able to look back over your dreams over a given period of time, and to notice patterns or recurring themes. I would recommend this practice to anyone and everyone.

AC: I think it would take a certain level of dedication to maintain a dream journal. Personally, I’ve tried a few times but can never fully commit to it. Have you ever had any lucid dreams? Also, I don’t want you to do anything that you’re uncomfortable with… But. is there any chance you would be willing to share an entry from the journal?

N: Trust me, I’ve tried this dream journal idea on multiple occasions but this is the first time that I’ve stuck with it. It takes patience, for sure, but don’t give up! Also, you don’t need to have a full dream in order to log it. Even if you remember a small tidbit of information, it is still worth logging. I’ve honestly never been too interested in lucid dreaming, because I think there’s a special quality about something totally untainted coming from your subconscious. Because the Otherworld is attempting to speak to you, I think it makes sense to not hold onto your ego, let things happen and go with the flow.

And you know what? Sure, why not… I’ll share an entry. 

—Nyssa goes off-camera for a moment and returns with her dream journal—

Hmm… I eat seafood… Lots of beaches… Okay, here’s a weird one that sounds like a real fairytale archetype:

“An old wizard at sea, travelling the land and performing illusions as a bat in exchange for sanctuary. Islanders with red caps accept the deal, watching as he performs the final illusion. Noah’s Ark arising from the sea, at first afar and then up close. The ark opens like a sea monster with many teeth. The wizard emerges in-mouth and proclaims, ‘and now you shall offer me shelter whenever I ask.’”

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Our conversation quickly transitions into movie territory, and I soon learn that Nyssa is a big horror movie buff. “I like violent movies,” Nyssa says, “but not when it’s too realistic or unnecessary.” Among her favourite movies, the 1985 horror-comedy Return of the Living Dead has a special place in her heart. “It really just ticks every box,” she tells me. “I love the practical effects, the gore, the punks in the cemetery… it has everything.” Thinking of what she’s watched recently, Nyssa talks about her new fascination with the surreal films of Alejandro Jodorowsky, as well as The Secret of Roan Inish.

What stood out to me more than anything, though, were the ways in which Nyssa has harnessed creativity during this strange time; the mystical planes and otherworldly dreamscapes where she has situated herself as of late. By the end of our chat, we digress into a conversation about the intersection between religion and spirituality. When I explain to her my belief that dreams and music are the closest that humans can come to magical experiences, she passionately agrees. “Absolutely,” Nyssa says, “and I think that the oldest human beings would agree with you on that. At the end of the day, it all comes down to mindfulness and magic.”

I’m really looking forward to seeing what Nyssa puts out next, which may or may not be a darker and witchier album that releases post-COVID. In the meantime, Girls Like Me has been released on a limited edition vinyl and is readily available for order online.

Nyssa

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Spencer Nafekh is a tireless reader, writer, editor, and advocate for the written word. With an undergraduate degree in Concordia's English and Creative Writing program imminent, he plans to pursue a Master's specialization in journalism so that he can fully realize his career path. When Spencer is not working away, he is probably listening to experimental music while lost in the world of a science fiction novel.

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