Montreal's Eve Parker Finley Hosts New CBC Music Series "Ten Minute Topline"

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Eve Parker Finley by Stacy Lee

Eve Parker Finley is putting musicians to the test by challenging them to write an original song based on a randomly-selected genre and a topic pulled from a hat. To top it off: contestants have ten minutes to compose their lyrics in-front of rolling cameras from the country’s biggest broadcaster. This is the concept behind Ten Minute Topline, the new CBC Music series hosted by the Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist and comedian.

On Ten Minute Topline, Parker Finley shares, “I hope [that people watching the show] get an excitement to try and play and experiment artistically themselves.”

With three out of five episodes out so far, the short series aims to “bring awareness to [the] diverse talent” making-up the Canadian music industry.

Hear our conversation with Eve Parker Finley on Ten Minute Topline below!

Also Cool Mag · Interview with Eve Parker Finley on "Ten Minute Topline"

Eve Parker Finley

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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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Surf Curse Talks DIY Music Scenes, Friendship and TikTok Algorithms

Surf Curse by Julien Sage

When I think of 2013, I think of Buds, the debut album from Los Angeles indie-rock band Surf Curse. At the time, I was just discovering the music and film that would impact my teenage life in an identity-shaping way. I was stoked to hear those same points of inspiration in the band’s collaborative songs and independent projects (Current Joys and Gap Girls), and couldn’t get enough of their garage-rock sound that was re-emerging at the time. 

Surf Curse has come a long way since then, and have been touring their new album Magic Hour this past year following the viral success of “Freaks,” which came off their first album. 

I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Nick and Jacob over the years, in both Los Angeles and at home in Montreal, and was happy to catch up with them before their recent show at Club Soda. We spoke about the all-ages venue in Reno that changed their lives, their friendship over the years, and the impact of TikTok algorithm’s on DIY music scenes.

 Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Can you describe the scene you came up in Reno and what it was like when you moved to L.A.?

Nick Rattigan: I feel like there's like three parts: Vegas, Reno and L.A.

Also Cool: I went to Vegas for the first time recently and was wondering how people live there full-time. 

Nick: Yes, we do that every time we come back.

Jacob Rubeck: Especially when you're young, it's like you're musically depressed, you know? It would take forever just to go see a band that you actually like. When we got to Reno, there was finally an all-ages space,The Holland Project, where bands that Nick and I loved would actually play.

Nick: It was kind of shocking.

Jacob: The very first night we were in Reno, we got invited to a show that was on the college campus by this guy handing out flyers. It was for a band called The Babies, and it was Kevin Morby and Cass Ramone from Vivian Girls. I had literally gotten the seven-inch record that day in the mail and loved it. Then this guy's handing out flyers for a show that they're playing in like two weeks, and I was like, “Where have you been my whole life?”

Nick: That guy booked our first show.

Also Cool: Not to say that Vegas is a small place, but I understand that there's not much going on music scene wise, and I’m also from a place where there was not much going on. This made it so that any show at all was really exciting and special. It was better than nothing, and I so desperately needed that.

 Nick: We went from a little bit of something to a lot, because L.A. is a lot. When we first visited, it was always the extreme of what we experienced at The Holland Project. There were so many all-ages shows, so many event spaces and places for people to play. So that was very exciting and exhilarating. Now I don't have my ear to the ground at all. I'm like, “Where’s the new stuff in LA? What's going on with the scene?

Jacob: Yeah, it's funny; it’s a lot of touring bands. What's great about being able to live in Los Angeles is that everyone comes to play here. So, you're reunited with old friends, bands that you always wanted to see; they’re all going to land here at some point. I got to see Duster this year and have been stoked on that. I got to see two nights of Pavement, which was incredible, and Danny Elfman for Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl, which was absolute lunacy. The one thing that I do like about L.A. is that you have access to so much.

I will say that I do miss being in smaller venues, like seeing a show at The Holland Project back in Reno. I miss being in that room and on the stage and figuring out what to do at the end of the night. With all these LA shows, I tend to leave immediately afterwards and go home, you know? Like an old guy. 

AC: Yeah. I mean, one of my questions was, and I know politics with The Smell are a bit complicated, but it obviously had a huge impact on your lives, so much so that you wrote a song about it. I'm wondering what other venues or spaces have been impactful for you in that way? Often when I talk to musicians, they often have “this one venue that was the only spot where everyone went to, and where that's how they met everyone in their lives.”

 Nick: Yeah, I feel like that was mainly The Holland Project for us in Reno because it was the only all-ages space we'd ever experienced before. It's where we played all our shows and where the bands that came through hopefully would play.

 Also Cool: And bands don't really tour through Reno?

 Nick: And bands don't really tour through Reno. They do sometimes. They did a pretty good job of lassoing some pretty big bands. I remember Future Islands came through, and that was like the biggest deal of the year. 

But then in LA, my favourite was Pehrspace. It's actually the new cover of our first album because the other cover was so bad, I was like, “We have to change this.”

 Also Cool: Why do you think it was bad?

Nick: It's just like us sitting on a couch with some waves behind it.

Jacob: It was a little beachy.

 Nick: It's a little beachy. We already suffered the “surf curse,” which is that everybody just seems to think that we’re a surf rock band.

Jacob: Which you know–-

Nick: It's the surf curse.

Jacob: It's a curse.

Nick: You get what you know, two beachy dudes from LA.

 Jacob: We love eating pizza.

 Nick: Yeah, yeah. We love movies and pizza.

Also Cool: Movies and pizza, great.

Nick: Movies and pizza, yeah, we still like movies. I've actually been eating a ton of pizza the last few days, but Pehrspace was just this really cool DIY venue in L.A.

Jacob: It's supposed to be coming back.

Nick: It's supposed to be coming back for years.

Jacob: It disappeared because they got kicked out of their location. I'm pretty sure it got replaced with a big chain coffee shop, if I'm not mistaken, but they're moving somewhere else. We opened up for Omni there.

 Nick: The Bootleg, Pehrspace is moving into the Bootleg.

Jacob: Bootleg was a good spot, Non Plus Ultra was also a great spot.

Surf Curse Magic Hour

Also Cool: So, I like to ask people who've been in bands together for a long time: What have you learned about friendship from each other?

Nick: It's complicated.

 Jacob: It is complicated. I like to look back on us. The cool thing about us is that we didn't drive each other crazy so fast because we had too much time in between everything.

Nick: Yeah, we didn't like, blow up, right away.

Jacob: When we first started, Nick moved to New York and worked as a PA, and I was working as a dishwasher.

We had a lot of time to take space from each other and then reunite again, work on music and show each other stuff whenever we did have the time. So it wasn't like we were young, and then our egos got to our heads and were like, “ I fucking hate you,” or nothing like that. It was like, “It's good to see you again. Let's go back into it.”

The more we’ve toured and added members and worked on new music, you know, not gonna lie, it has been tough and hard, but we've been able to communicate with each other.

 Nick: Yeah, communication is key. That's the glue.

Jacob: When we added Henry and Noah, we wanted people that we one; totally respect musically, and two; who are just like really great people. It’s balanced a lot of things out between all of us.

It feels good, creatively. When we do Magic Hour, and we are writing new stuff, I have it in my head that it’s intentionally for someone, you know? Like something that's going to be appealing to them. So when I pitched them like, “You like this, do you like this?”

 Also Cool: You both have your independent projects too. I'm sure you separate: “Okay, I'm writing for Surf Curse, and maybe this one is just more for me.”

Nick: I think this year has been a good learning curve to this year because it's the busiest year of our lives, and we're kind of figuring out how to make it all work.

Jacob: When we did figure it out, being as a DIY, independent band or whatever, I think, you know, we mastered it. But then when the major label thing came about, it was a whole other learning curve of trying to figure out what makes sense and what feels good.

Also Cool: I know that film has hugely influenced your music to the point of having song titles on Buds named after movies. What visual media in the last few years has had a similar impact on your creative process?

Nick: We're All Going to do the World's Fair (2021). That's one of the best modern movies I've seen, and is forward in its storytelling techniques. It's a horror movie about this kid that starts playing this online horror game… and that's really all I can tell you about it. You just gotta watch it. It's so good. Alex G does the soundtrack, and I came for the soundtrack, but stayed for the movie.

Also Cool: This is the only TikTok-related question, but I see a lot of kids on TikTok the Internet void, “How do I get involved? Where is the scene? How do I get invited to the party? Where is the secret DIY venue?” Which is really funny but also sweet. They're just like: “I don't know!” So, I'm going to ask the algorithm until it gives me what I want. 

I think the pandemic affected this sort of integral experience of being a teenager that starts going to shows. When I was like 16 to 18-ish and was like figuring it out, I had older people showing me how to act at shows and where to find them. That was completely gone for this generation, where they went from being a teenager to being a sort of adult wondering, “How the fuck do I find friends?”

Nick & Jacob: Yeah.

Also Cool: I'm interested in what your advice is for those people who would like to get involved in things in a meaningful way and have a scene again in real life and not on the internet. 

Jacob: It's a great question. I think the best way is to pick the shows that you like going to, if you do have that music scene and just start noticing who's there and who are the recurring suspects. Those are potentially going to be the people that you can find in all your music, love and trust in.

 Nick: Yeah, that's funny, as soon as you said that, it kind of reminded me of the Facebook question of when people would post their status like: “Hey, what's everybody up to tonight?”At least that's like, my equivalent of it.

When I was 19, we were looking for that too, you know? I think everybody's looking for that. And you sort of stumble into it. I think just life just happens, and you find your people.

Jacob: One thing that I do like about TikTok is that there's no gatekeeping. I see this one girl always posting slowcore stuff. I don't know her name, but she's like: “If you like this, you like Alex G. Here's another five bands,” and then there's discourse that's happening in that comment section. It's like a good way of connecting with people. That's how, you know, I was back in the day on Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram, just trying to find some sort of sense of a community. It still exists, it’s just changing.

Despite our conversation about searching for community through the algorithmic void, there weren’t as many phones out as expected during Surf Curse’s set that night. The crowd was energetic, respectful to each other (from what I experienced in the mosh pit), but most importantly, just really happy to be there.

Stream Magic Hour on all platforms, and keep an eye out for future shows via Surf Curse’s socials. 

This interview was transcribed by Cyril Harvin Musngi.

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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Mue On Ritual, Intimate Spaces, and Decomposition in LP "Les vasières" (Halocline Trance)

Mue by Vincent Castonguay

Explore the esoteric and terrestrial that is embodied in Mue’s first full-length new album, Les vasières. Even though the electronic duo—made up of Léon Lo and Catherine Debard—is based in Montreal, the sonic perimeters of Les vasières are vast, spanning across complex layers of sound and space. 

Elaborating on the landscape of their latest release, the band explains: “The French album title translates to “The mudflats.” Sounds from disparate sources form aural silt that is brought to life by waxing and waning cycles, each improvisation presenting a new, different mudflat scenario.”

By incorporating the sound of water, nature, and compost, Mue presents more than an album but an auditory experience through their experimental rhythms and alternative percussions. In this conversation with Mue, Liza Makarova mediates the intimacy of Mue’s spontaneous-yet-methodical approach to their world-building and soundscaping process. 

Les vasi​è​res by Mue. Cover artwork by Katherine Melançon, graphic design by Haley Parker

Liza Makarova of Also Cool Mag: What is the history behind Mue? When did it start and why?

Catherine Debard of Mue: Mue is definitely a pandemic project. It [all began]in March 2020 – I was supposed to go on a European tour and had sublet my place. A few days before leaving, I started having doubts and ended up cancelling everything (which was a really good decision, since the international lockdown happened the week after). I stayed at Léon's place and we quarantined together.

Léon Lo of Mue: I had some gear stocked at home from a previous performance, so one day, out of boredom or curiosity, we decided to jam together for the first time. I set up my computer to record it just in case and it turned out to be unlike anything either of us had done individually before.

Liza: Throughout the three- (or more) year process, what were the feelings, sources of inspiration, rituals, and expectations that motivated you to develop Les vasières?

Catherine:  Looking back on the recording process, the ritualistic aspect was undeniable. I think the pacing was important in this respect. We recorded a song or two at a time, a few weeks apart, for a few months. Each time, we would clear the space and since our project is hardware-heavy, it would take us about an hour to set everything up. It was meticulous and messy as if we were building a world out of a bunch of cables and machines, all intertwined and tangled together. Then, without talking much or planning anything, we improvised until we connected with each other and when the sounds locked, we would record until we felt satisfied. It would always start playfully and chaotically, but then, intuitively, we'd find each other and vibe on the same frequency.

Léon: I would say “frequencies”, as there were so many elements acting of their own accord. It was entrancing but also eerie in how egoless the process was.

Catherine: Somehow, we always intuitively stopped recording at the 12-minute mark, possibly our own sacred time unit. That was the first phase of the project, and we didn't have an album or concept yet.

Léon: After letting those recordings sit for a bit, we revisited them, chose the ones we liked best and set about cutting them down to more digestible formats. That proved to be really difficult because of the overlapping cycles of different lengths. Finding the right spots to cut out without it showing too much was challenging. But at that point, there was a feeling that the compositions could become something more concrete –that together, they could turn into something else. Kris from La Rama was an early supporter and singled out two songs (“1,000 Passages” and “A Tangle of Filaments”) to release as a limited edition 10” vinyl on the store’s in-house label La Rama Dubs. Toronto-based label Halocline Trance gracefully signed on to release the remaining tracks, which were coalescing into something like an album.

Catherine:  It's around that time that we started thinking about mudflats, right? That's what “vasière” means. We added the interludes to expand a bit more on the idea. Before that, I remember we were into more of a “compost”, “slimy” imagery. I was trying to grow plants out of vegetable scraps, and I recall we were both pretty invested in the process.

Léon: Yes, listening to the tracks, we started seeing how our disparate sounds would come together like all the different overlapping cycles present in mudflats: those of the waves, the countless micro-organisms, the vegetation, the birds overhead, etc. So, each jam was re-imagined as us having set up a new mudflat and wanting to see how all the different elements would co-exist.

LM: The album is both transcendent and down to Earth. While utilizing high-frequency vibrations to create an ethereal aura, the title—Les vasières—and the organic rhythms create a grounding sensation. By balancing the abstract and the earthly, where would you “place” the sonic atmosphere?

LL: I think "transcendent" and "down to Earth" are two poles that we reach for. However atmospheric our music may be, we really want it to be a physical experience.

CD:  I think a telling example is the kind of field recordings we used in the songs. I had recorded myself playing with rubber bands, pine needles, water... I think these sounds bring everything together in a more physical way, as you were saying.

LL: When you listen to the music and hear these sounds from different sources, you're getting all of their original sonic contexts as well. So, the sounds are actual physical spaces merging and vibrating in your space, and not just ethereal evocations of ideas of space.

CD: Thinking about your question, it made us realize that we both embody a different end of that spectrum. I am very much in my body and my senses, but my contribution to the music is more amorphous, and ungrounded.

LL: Whereas I'm very much in my head most of the time, I contributed the more grounding rhythmic base.

CD: Weird!

LM: Les vasières was recorded on your living room floor. What do “home vibrations” mean to you? What kind of energy is generated while recording in a home studio and how does producing in intimate spaces affect your creative process?

LL: Recording in a small living room with all of our gear felt like a cozy spaceship.

CD: Like the cover of that Silver Apples record, but super chill, and with herbal tea and fruits.

LL: Because we didn't have any plans at the outset, the recordings were intimate moments of exploration. There were no clocks ticking overhead, no pressure to deliver anything specific.

CD: I think it's because the whole thing was so low-key and fun that I made much bolder moves than I would usually. I had the time to dive further into my instruments' menus and settings, which led to more sophisticated, weirder textures. I didn't care about perfection at all, and you can hear that. Also, not using a computer led me to rethink my way of creating loops or to improvise using more than one instrument at a time. It was all quite clumsy but special.

LL: Also, I think it's important to let people know exactly where we worked so that the music doesn't just float around untethered. The context is important because it defined what we could and couldn't do at that specific time. For example, I was a middle-aged, middle-class, cis-het settler of colour lucky to still have a job and some music gear at home.

CD: I was a white settler part-timer in the service industry—temporarily out of work and living out of a suitcase—but still, I was able to get some of my equipment from my place.

LL: We didn't have access to a professional recording studio, and neither were we constrained to just doing everything in Fruity Loops. All this binds the listener back to us at that specific time and avoids creating a purely isolated aesthetic experience.

CD: What I like about working with Léon is that context also becomes a performative, playful and intrinsic aspect of creation. For example, when we started working on our radio show (Heavy Metal Parking Lot, N10as), he had this whole idea of using dice to determine the “energy curve” of each episode. That led us to make adventurous, playful choices that we wouldn't have necessarily made. We could say our live project at Mutek with Katherine Melançon was another example of a both constricting and super-stimulating context.

LM: Many visual and video art pieces, such as the album cover (created by Katherine Melançon and designed by Haley Parker, in addition to Melançon’s music video), were produced in tandem with Les vasières. How do you think the listening experience of “Télophases” changes when paired with the visual component?

LL: The visual aspect of the music video really transforms the listening experience, especially with someone as talented as Katherine. She had run the idea by us of scanning our shared compost and using the resulting images to produce the video for “Télophase”. That sounded awesome, but she mostly kept it a secret until it was done, giving us periodic progress reports along the way. We were totally confident that it would be fantastic, but we were completely unprepared by exactly how fantastic it would be.

CD: When we watched it for the first time, we kept exclaiming throughout the whole thing. We had to watch it a few times in a row to wrap our heads around it.

LL: The images in the video end up taking the lead, in my opinion. They're so strong and the narrative arc is so well-constructed that it could seem like we composed the music to go along with it. That's definitely not a bad thing, and I think it's okay if the music is not experienced the same way as if it was listened to on its own.

CD:  As for the album artwork, it offers a very earthy, physical, material palette (food, leftovers, intimate bodily relationships), but made surreal andeerie. The meticulous beauty and the strangeness perfectly set the tone for the record.

LM: To follow-up: in using compost as material for “Télophase”, the binary between decomposition and composition is blurred. Do the song titles and order convey a narrative regarding these themes?

LL: In keeping with the theme of mudflats, we didn't set out to mark any clear beginning or end for the album. We preferred the impression of catching the middle of something, that things were already constantly starting and ending.

CD: Or like if each piece is a glimpse of an ecosystem at a specific time, a fleeting impression of a landscape. As for the song titles, they emerged from an intense research session on various subjects that we felt resonated with the music.

LL: Things, beings, spaces, and the relationships between them.

CD: We followed various rhizomatic associations and jammed intellectually. We looked over the results and named the songs.

LL: Song titles for instrumental music end up acting as super-condensed lyrics, so we tried to choose the most potent words we came across. And about binaries, though they can be useful sometimes, we make it a point to avoid them. A blur is much more interesting to us. Ambiguity rules!

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Les vasi​è​res

Out November 25, 2022 via Halocline Trance Records

1. Hylozoïste

2. Ambeing

3. Balanes

4. Télophases

5. Quatre Temps

6. 433 Eros

7. Andand

8. Sumac

9. Naica

All pieces composed, produced and recorded by Catherine Debard and Léon Lo

Mastered by East End Mastering

Cover artwork by Katherine Melançon

Graphic design by Haley Parker

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Mue

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Liza is a multi/interdisciplinary artist and writer who, at all times, feels an inner pull toward the stars, towards the future. They gratefully reside in Tiohtià:ke, which is the unsurrendered territory of the Kanien'kehá ka.

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Montreal Surf-Punk Trio NO WAVES Talks All Ages Shows, Artistic Influences and New Music

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NO WAVES by Daniel Takacs

The soundtrack for most teens' early years is moaning vocals and distant pop icons from another decade, but some of us are lucky enough to have NO WAVES. The smell of sweat and Twisted Tea fills each venue; pink hair and neatly pressed dress shirts swarm together as the crowd swells. At their shows, young Montrealers experience the special feeling that comes as you start to uncover the ecosystem of music around you. Whether it be your first mosh-pit-induced black-eye, or wringing out a t-shirt soaked with sweat, NO WAVES is the breeding ground of Montreal's next-gen in music.

The band has a look you can't define… Maybe a kaleidoscope of indie sleaze, where Blink-182 and Surf Curse intersect? They all sit in the limbo zone before adulthood, with boyish smiles and CEGEP classes packed between shows. Their sets radiate a joyousness and respect that's rare in the industry. They want to be there as much as the audience does, and it shows. 

In the aftermath of the pandemic, NO WAVES is the light at the end of the tunnel for many, with their underpass show of August 2021 acting as a green light for commotion. They lit a fire, and the scene couldn't resist dancing around it. 

As someone who began the pandemic starry-eyed and unknowing of the music world,  NO WAVES has been a gateway into Montreal's music scene. NO WAVES is for the people who go to shows every night, and those who've never entered a venue before. They are an instant family of sorts; one that pulls you in for a hug and never lets go. 

I had the chance to catch up with the surf punk three-piece about their early beginnings, where they’re headed now, and everything in-between.

Uma Nardone for Also Cool Mag: Let's start off easy! Tell me about your first gig?

Sam: Our first show was at one of the Climate Demos, a protest in the middle of winter. Cy wasn't even there, so it was early early days. It was during our March Break and held outside. It was crazy! It was the coldest I've ever been.

Angel: Later on, we did shows in a dance studio. We weren't supposed to be there, and everyone had to take their shoes off. It was very hot and small, with like 50 kids crammed into a room. 

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Also Cool: You've begun your second stint of recording. What has it been like working on the first EP versus your second?

Cy: Very, very different.

Sam: The songs are more fleshed out.

Angel: During our first EP, we had this frustration: We really wanted to just release our music, have it out there, and start playing shows as soon as possible. It was done with this mentality of recording as soon as possible. Now that we're recording again, we're in no rush. We're revisiting old songs and reworking them. 

AC: How has the music you're listening to impacted your new music? Have you discovered anything recently that has completely changed your creative process?

C: It's ever-changing, and I don't think it will ever stop, or at least I hope not. 

A: I've gotten into more hardcore punk, but everything feels new. Lots of Bad Brains, TURNSTILE, Dying Fetus, and very Midwest emo shit.

S: It's all over the place for all of us, everything from breakcore and punk to pop. 

AC: Do guys consider NO WAVES as falling within a specific genre? How do you typically describe your music to others?

S: I call it pop. It's all pop, just pop.

A: I've come to terms that with everything we do, it comes out trashy or punk. I used to struggle a lot, ‘cause I would try to write stuff that was soft, but no matter what, it would end up noisy and loud.

C: Noisy pop!

AC: That's perfect, though, because I consider you guys—and I mean this in the best way—the greatest gateway band in the city. After COVID-19 lockdowns, you started that revival of live music, especially for a younger crowd. 

A: That's kind of our goal, to be accessible to everyone. There are a lot of bands that feel hard to get into because of the crowd, and places sometimes feel snobby or unsafe, and that sucks.

S: Right, that's what I love about us. If you go to one of our shows, every kind of person is in the crowd. If you go to different venues, there's all these different cliques or groups, and at our shows, they're all there together.

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Angel from NO WAVES with audience members, photo by the author

AC: That's so true. At your summer bummer show, I met these girls from the Laurentians who had taken the train in. It was their first time moshing, seeing a gig in a small venue. You guys help people feel safe enough to experience these things for the first time.

C: That feeling is something we prioritize. We want an environment where people can hang out without worrying and have good vibes. 

S: It's not that deep either. Shows should be safe for everyone. That's how it should be.

A: There's this thing I learned when I was really young, that has stuck with me. I was told at 15 or 16 that music is sharing. Ever since, that's been how I see music. You're sharing with the crowd, the staff and the musicians. We all share this common love, you know?

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Crowd at a NO WAVES show, photo by the author

AC: That's evident in the crowd, as well. You've grown up with the people who come to your shows, and they keep showing up for a reason. It's like a big family that keeps growing. 

S: I think it’s so beautiful. 

A: It's super sick because I see people who were at our shows five years ago, who went to our launch party, pull up to our shows now. They are the OGs of NO WAVES. 

S: People we've known since they were 13 and playing at school, and now they're grown up and still coming. It's amazing. 

AC: I can attest to that. I was maybe 12 or 13 when I went to my first show, and now I'm here. I consider you guys integral to my childhood, and many others feel the same way. NO WAVES is the soundtrack to teenagedom here! My first black eyes were at your show, and my friends' first kiss happened at your show. You guys are part of all that. 

A: I think it's so cool. We've been able to play our music and grow up with them. After the outdoor show, this dude slid into our DMs and told us about his first experience with LSD. It was so crazy cause what band gets to experience that so closely. 

S: Right, I was like, man, you're a stronger person than I am. 

AC: Tell me more about the underpass show. How was that experience for you all? 

S: Oh man, I loved that show. It was my favorite show we've ever played because of how close we were to the crowd. There was no stage, so people surrounded us. At one point, this dude slapped me on the back and complimented me from behind the drum kit. He was a complete stranger; it was so cool. The formality of a show was gone, and we were immersed in the crowd.

C: We go against that formality. We play better when not on a real stage. 

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NO WAVES by Daniel Takacs

AC: Do you guys channel certain people in terms of stage presence? Like when I was kid, I wanted to embody Sid Vicious or maybe even Zappa. Who is it for you? 

A: I would say Blink-182 for all of us. To me, they are the standard of what a trio band is capable of. Whenever I'm on stage and feel stuck, I have a guitar, and I can't move or whatever; I look up to them. 

S: Same; I channel my inner Travis.

A: I think at most shows, we're just daydreaming that we're Blink. That's our secret.

AC: Would it be a dream to open for them? Is there anyone else that you want to play with in the future? 

A: Surf Curse, too; we just have to do that. We've been thinking about it for so long. 

S: I just want to go on tour and go as far as possible with this.

A: We want to expand our horizons and explore new places. I really want to go to Mexico. The whole scene that inspired me to do everything I'm doing now all comes from there. Those kids inspired me. 

C: I remember hearing my first songs from Angel in Spanish, Los Blenders and Senor Kino; they influenced me so much. They taught me how to put on a show. He showed us all this world we didn't know about. 

AC: What's the songwriting process look like for NO WAVES?

S: It's really all of us. Every song is a collaborative effort.

A: I'll come in with a guitar riff or a single verse - these very unrefined songs. Then we'll all write over it and work on it over time. We all just pile on ideas until something comes out of it. Some songs take thirty minutes, and others take years.

S: We have songs we've been working on for more than four years. 

AC: Has playing in NO WAVES changed your social life at all? 

S: We all have the same mentality when it comes to playing: We don't feel better than anyone because of it. So many people have helped us come to where we are today, and we're really grateful.

A: People made fun of us in high school. We didn't feel cool then.

S: I just hate the mentality that people have. No one is better because they are on stage. It doesn't change who you are.

C: It's also not what music is supposed to be. Music is not a hierarchy. No one is better than anyone else. Our shows are for people who love music the way we do, that's all. 

NO WAVES holds a place in my heart that I can’t quite explain, I feel oddly devoted to the music, to the crowds and the all encompassing joy it brings. They are the band that sings to a choir of misfits, welcoming old punks and scene kids alike. 

They keep growing and as more and more people come to love them as I do, the excitement of experiencing a small history being made is thrilling. NO WAVES is ever-moving and might change, as young bands do, but no one will forget them. Everyone who's been in a crowded room with damp floors and broken stereos singing along with NO WAVES knows their systems have been shocked and their brain chemistry never be quite the same. The NO WAVES phenomena, explicable in their talent, is band who will forever be ingrained in my brain, and hopefully yours as well!

Don’t miss NO WAVES’ free Taverne Tour pizza party at Le Ministère on February 11th at 11:59PM!

NO WAVES

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Uma Nardone 

Instagram

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Best Fern, Debby Friday, Libianca and More: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

Rachel Chinouriri by Alice Backham

Happy Saturday, Also Cools! Another Playlist Refresh is coming in hot, and here to narrate your weekend.

There is truly a slice of everything in this weekend’s Refresh, which makes it all the more exciting to browse. From Gatineau to the English Channel, Afrobeats to indietronica, peruse some of the tracks that have topped our charts.

As always, you can listen along via our Spotify playlist.

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Best Fern by Hugo Bernier

Gatineau and NYC excellence collides on Best Fern’s “On and On”. The single is the long-distance ambient pop duo’s second offering from their to-be-released debut Earth Then Air, arriving February 3rd via Youngbloods and Backward Music. “On and On” is one of twelve tracks realized by the pair while in residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, surrounded by the awe-inspiring and all-consuming might of the Rocky Mountains.

In a delightful three-minute whimsy, Best Fern twirls through a chamber of playful stringed arrangements, between sprinklings of horns and cosmic flirtations. Picking up on its earthly inspirations, “On and On” awakens the sensation of drawing the curtains first thing in the morning, and feeling the warmth of the sun beaming in as the day begins. 

Watch the accompanying music video for “On and On”, shot by Stephanie Kuse on 8mm film, below!

Best Fern 

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

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Debby Friday Good Luck album artwork via Bandcamp

Toronto-based musician, multimedia artist and astrologer Debby Friday breaks new ground on new track “So Hard To Tell”. Along with the lead single from her forthcoming debut album Good Luck, out March 24th, Friday shared her signing to seminal Seattle label Sub Pop Records. 

On “So Hard To Tell”, Friday subdues her metallic, industrial-punk foundations to unveil raw, reflective and luminous R&B by allowing her unmodified singing voice to surface. 

In a statement on “So Hard To Tell”, Friday explains that experimenting with her voice was a leap of faith in the right direction: 

“I have a lower register and speak with vocal fry so I don’t know what came over me when I made this track. I have never in my life sung like this before, and I had no idea I could even make these kinds of sounds with my voice. There’s no pitch effects on ‘SO HARD TO TELL’, it’s all me.”

Upon first listen, the dynamism of “So Hard To Tell” made Friday’s Good Luck one of our most-anticipated albums of the year (yes, already!). While we wait for more, draw out the excitement and watch Friday’s gorgeous and futuristic video for “So Hard To Tell” below!

Debby Friday 

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Libianca via Spotify

Minnesota-based Cameroonian Afropop singer Libianca participated in NBC’s The Voice on season 21, quickly becoming a favourite with her thoughtful song choices and mesmerizing performances. Although she didn’t win the competition, she continued her passion and grew a fanbase through the release of tracks like “People” – we have been listening on repeat ever since. 

When engaging with this song for the first time, it is easy to miss the depth of the message, which poignantly enough is exactly what Libianca describes is happening to her in real life. “I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the past five days / Did you check on me?” She conveys the sadness of when the ones closest to you are the least aware. However, through the international community that she has reached with her music it seems as though some of that sadness has departed. On her YouTube channel, Libianca writes: “I wrote this song when I felt unheard... UNSEEN. To everyone who has resonated with my overflow of emotion through this song, THANK YOU!”

Libianca

Instagram | Spotify | TikTok

Rachel Chinourini by Martina Martian

With the release of “So My Darling (Acoustic)”, English indie singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri has written a tale of heartache, longing, and never-ending love. Chinouriri so poignantly describes the feeling when you realize that someone may not always be there, but your affections for them won’t ever change – a lover, or a friend. Max Pilley from DIY Magazine perfectly describes it as “a delicate, intimate and charmingly endearing paean to real love.” Rachel touches on the reason she released her acoustic version:

“I felt “So My Darling” was going to be special from the day I made it when I was 17. It’s always one which people go back to and say it always resonates with them at my shows. Despite making it 4 years ago, I’m so happy that it has connected with a new audience on TikTok and see the song being used for videos that reflect the meaning. It’s stripped back but that’s how the song began so it makes me happy that it’s perceived so much love and everyone’s spreading a lot of love with it too.”

Rachel Chinouriri

Instagram | Spotify | TikTok

Nisa by Sara Laufer

Brooklyn singer-songwriter Nisa Lumaj has begun a dazzling new chapter with the release of Exaggerate. While each track on the EP—out now via Hit The North Records—strikes a particular nerve, the title track’s skittering motifs and elevated lyricism come out on top. The single was produced with Nate Amos, who has steered the sound of artists like Water From Your Eyes and AC favourite Lily Konigsberg. 

Conceived in a period of travel and transience for Nisa, “Exaggerate” documents the intensity of emotion that came from her personal instability. Her vocoder warble blends with the muted indie production to paint a sonically-nostalgic picture. Imploring her detached lover to let her clean in solitude, Nisa rambles with an anxious confusion: “If I could delete the pain / It might take me / To your heartbeat faster / I'll miss yesterday / When you told me / You could love me harder”.

Nisa

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Our Playlist Refresh series is available in full on Spotify, refreshed on a rolling basis.

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Empty Nesters, The Lemon Twigs and Tennis: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

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Empty Nesters by Steph Dinsdale

The January air is rife with possibility, crystallizing all around us like porcupicicles from the roof, and some of our favourite musicians have started the new year by hitting their creative stride. Catch up on our recent listenings in this week’s Playlist Refresh, marking the first new music review of the year.

While the calendar flip is still fresh, we have an itch that 2023 will be defined by endless listening opportunities, from artists local to the Also Cool music scenes and beyond!

Explore the chapters of our Playlist Refresh series on Spotify.

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Empty Nesters by Steph Dinsdale

Empty Nesters, the project of Chinese-Canadian artist Eric Liao, is an Also Cool musical mainstay. Having planted seeds in the same Ottawa DIY music scene, and eventually making the move to Montreal alongside some of the magazine’s founding members, every Empty Nesters release is an emblem of peers growing alongside each other and self-actualizing in the once intangible layers of the Industry™.  

This maturation is evident in Liao’s newest single “Going Bye”, self-released on January 6th. Outfitted with a dissonant shoegaze flare and bound by signature indie know-how, “Going Bye” brings forward the inner workings of Liao’s thoughtful songwriting — once buried by the fuzz of his house-show beginnings. Now with five EPs under his belt and an ever-growing curriculum vitae of live performances, Liao’s creative prowess takes centre stage with “Going Bye” winking at an exciting new chapter.

Catch Empty Nesters at Casa Del Popolo on January 28th alongside Blooming Season, Bedridden and Plastic - presented by KickDrum! More info and tickets available here.

Empty Nesters

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

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The Lemon Twigs via Bandcamp

Long Island brother band The Lemon Twigs graced us with elegant love song “Corner Of My Eye” earlier this month. As the duo’s first offering since their acclaimed 2020 LP Songs for the General Public, “Corner Of My Eye” reminisces with the feel of 1960s soft rock pining. 

Written and produced entirely by The Lemon Twigs, the single’s uncluttered mingling of melodic guitar, muted percussion, dreamy vibraphone and winding upright bass cushions Brain D’Addario’s delicate vocals and the pair’s sparkling harmonies. 

“Corner of My Eye” is out on Brooklyn label Captured Tracks, and while no hints of a fourth album are on the way, we’re hopeful that The Lemon Twigs are brewing up big plans for 2023. 

The Lemon Twigs

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

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Tennis by Luca Venter

Inching closer to the release of their highly-anticipated sixth studio album, Tennis has released the crisp and evocative “Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight”. This track marks the second single from Pollen, out on February 10 via the duo’s own Mutually Detrimental. 

Overtop of a laidback disco sound, vocalist Alaina Moore paints pictures of impassioned escapism. Her Madonna-tinged lilt elevates the vintage decadence as her fantasies of runaway romanticism culminate in destruction.

Elaborating on the vision behind the single, Moore notes: 

"'Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight' is all hubris, attitude, and wish fulfillment. I’m turning water into wine," says Tennis. "I’m reshaping my reality through projection or denial. While tracking with Patrick [Riley] I kept envisioning the same scene: I’m in the passenger’s seat. Patrick drives with one hand on the wheel and one on my thigh. This song plays us out."

Those in and around Toronto will want to catch Tennis on April 5th at HISTORY, featuring folk musician Kate Bollinger.

Tennis

Instagram | Spotify

Our Playlist Refresh series is available in full on Spotify, refreshed on a rolling basis.

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Enter Palingenesis: A Night of Independent, Genre-Defying Creative Expression

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To start off 2023, we’re unveiling the lineup of Palingenesis: a night of independent, genre-defying musical performances and multimedia installations animating multiple levels of church-turned-event space allsaints – 330 Laurier Avenue East, on Saturday, January 21st, from 7:00PM-2:00AM in Ottawa. Presented by Congrego in collaboration with Also Cool and Debaser, Palingenesis brings together cutting-edge talent evading the cultural mainstream from the curators’ hometown scene and beyond, including musical acts Pony Girl, Fraud Perry, Treus Jones, Crasher, Lesser Evil, maxime., DJ TRINIDADDY, Dimitri Georgaras and DJ Russ Plus, accompanied by works from local artists SLVR, Cheru Pompey and Andrew Doxtater.

Advance tickets are available for purchase here. Limited quantities available at the door. 

Excited? Us too. Save the date and meet the Palingenesis musical guests below and get ready for the hottest event of the season (on the coldest day of the year)!

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Pony Girl

Pony Girl are masters of artpop, invigorating stages with a prismatic sound that’s all their own. Hailed for their “evocative soundscapes” (CBC Radio), “ability to push the boundaries that define pop-rock” (Mixtape Magazine), and “musical depth quite astonishing to experience in person” (Exclaim!), Pony Girl is a rare gem worth uncovering.

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

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Fraud Perry

“Fraud Perry is a vibe, a don't take shit type. Emerged from her chrysalis to ride a beat like a dick type...”

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | SoundCloud

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Treus Jones

Instagram | Spotify | SoundCloud

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Crasher

“Crasher is a new three-piece electronic punk band fronted by Airick Asher Woodhead (Doldrums, errhead). Crasher formed during COVID while ‘bubbling’ in a shared jam space, and recorded the tape Street Cleaning Machines of the World, which released in spring 2021. They performed it live at Montreal’s OXYGEN outdoor rave event series in summer 2021.” — Suoni Per Il Popolo

Bandcamp

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Lesser Evil

Lesser Evil is Ariane and Christophe, who grew up strangers in houses next to one another in the same small town, met years later and morphed into a haunted two-headed beast of a musical duo as if it was always in the cards. Driven by Ariane's vocals, Christophe's electronics and a shared propensity for refined-meets-broken production, they plumb the depths of sound and mind in ways equally intense, intricate and immediate.

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

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maxime.

maxime., born Maxime Trippenbach, is an alt-pop artist (self-released/AWAL) who writes, records, produces and engineers his music in his bedroom in Montreal. For his live show, he is accompanied by two friends: James Clayton on guitar and Lucas Kuhl on drums.

Instagram | Spotify | SoundCloud

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DJ TRINIDADDY

“DJ TRINIDADDY (they/he) is an Odawa based and Tkaronto-born DJ, musician, & overall multidimensional artist. As a queer & trans Coolie femme boy in the DJ & music community, they aim to make party & gathering spaces accessible & safe(r) for QTBIPOC, and hope to inspire & create community through their sounds. From soca, chutney, & dancehall to afrobeats & sick club edits, there's no way yuh cah free up & feel up yuhself when they're spinning!” — Pique

Instagram | Mixcloud

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Dimitri Georgaras

Ottawa-born composer, sound artist, and instrument builder. Dimitri's compositional voice is informed by deconstructing the fundamentals, limitations, and chaotic behaviours of analog electronics and digital signal processing, creatively exposing their musical potential through composition and performance.  

Instagram | Website | Bandcamp

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DJ Russ Plus

Instagram | SoundCloud

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Palingenesis Floor Plan

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2022 in Review (Also Cool's Top Albums)

Illustration by Malaika Astorga

Sounds Cool 2022 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

Alvvays - Blue Rev (Polyvinyl / Transgressive / Celsius Girls)

“These are 14 zippy songs that echo in your brain long after they end, largely thanks to the group's ability to repeatedly knock reliable song machinery into a woozy disequilibrium.” — Jacob Ganz, NPR

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Born At Midnite - Alternity EP (Arbutus Records)

“Born At Midnite show the range of their DIY stylings with ‘Alternity’, incorporating an invigorating drum beat alongside bouncing neon synths and slick guitar licks to create a stylish, swaggering whole. It’s the perfect setting for this tale of a high-class party, where everyone’s wearing designer clothes and bopping around in this rarified social strata.” — Rob H., Beats Per Minute

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Boyhood - My Dread

“Stroke It” on Also Cool’s Playlist Refresh (June 24th, 2022)

“Central Frontenac’s Caylie Runciman—AKA Boyhood— has recently shared ‘Stroke It’, the second single from her upcoming album My Dread. Complete with Runciman’s signature contemplative instrumentation and frank delivery, ‘Stroke It’ indicates a deepened confidence in her artistic stride.”

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Cola - Deep In View (Fire Talk)

Interview with Cola by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 17th, 2022)

“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.”

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DR. GABBA - Planet Piano

Review of DR. GABBA’S “MAGIC RIDER” by Malaika Astorga (May 5th, 2022)

We discovered DR. GABBA earlier this year when the Tiktok algorithm gods were feeling particularly generous. The anonymous space doctor pairs old-school video game graphics with bouncy, synth-heavy beats, which he used to roll out his 2022 album Planet Piano. "Plasma" and "Googoo Lagoon" were the standout tracks that took the algorithm by storm, but "Sunday 2pm" was our personal favourite. DR. GABBA has since gone on to play his first live show with non-other than Montreal electro-sweethearts Blue Hawaii in Los Angeles and will hopefully be blessing us with another synthy space journey sometime soon.

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Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork (4AD)

“It’s post-punk but also incandescent slow rock; it’s hardcore vandalized with Dadaist-diary meditations; it’s cold and moody but also lush and friendly, alternately borderline industrial noise or dream pop.” — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork

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Gloin - We Found This (Mothland)

Interview with Gloin by Holly Hilts (November 24th, 2022)

“While their 2019 album Soft Monster was loaded with head-bangers, there are some more soothing rhythms on We Found This, always with some level of distortion and dark underbelly (a Gloin signature).”

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Grim Streaker - MIND (Mothland)

Grim Streaker featured in Also Cool’s FME 20th Anniversary Top Picks (August 30th, 2022)

“Brooklyn’s Grim Streaker sport weirdo sing-talk rock that you cannot help but bop to. Their latest album MIND is described as ‘a surreal, subversive world of four songs that reflects on the current state of mental health, laughable social constructs and the inescapable working grind.’”

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Imogen Heap - Chordata Bytes I (Megaphonic Records)

“Heap helped define the popular soundtrack of the early 2000s. Her solo work and sole album as a part of the electronic duo Frou Frou have become touchstones for the millennials who grew up hearing Heap’s otherworldly, oft-modulated vocals on-screen. Now 44, the pop innovator continually resurfaces as a point of inspiration.” — Cat Zhang, Pitchfork

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Isabella Lovestory - Amor Hardcore

Isabella Lovestory is a perfect balance of sexy bitchiness and everything we love about reggaeton. Her 2022 album Amor Harcore took Montreal's perrero princess to new heights this year, with countless shows across the globe, including some memorable shows in her hometown. It's an album to pre before a night out with your besties or blast while you get over your ex.

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The Linda Lindas - Growing Up (Epitaph Records)

The Linda Lindas’ POP Montreal show review by Rebecca L. Judd (October 8th, 2022)

“The friendship between the four teens was palpable, and their appreciation for punk rock and its motifs of eccentricity lit the stage the whole night through. Between coordinated sways and jittering struts, the group carried themselves with carefree coolness that felt easy to absorb.”

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Magi Merlin - Gone Girl (Bonsound)

Magi Merlin comes into herself and her sound with her explosive 2022 album, created in collaboration with her longtime friend, Funkywhat. Using themes of rage, raving, and ultimate self-expression, Magi hit the ground running with this release, launching herself across international stages for much of the year.

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Maryze - 8

Review of “Experiments” by Malaika Astorga (March 7th, 2022)

“Inspired by her Celtic roots, years of studying jazz, and a healthy obsession with emo as a teenager, Maryze's music transcends genre while still providing one hook after the other.”

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MICHELLE - AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS (Transgressive)

“Much like its predecessor, the record sees each member narrate not only their own vulnerability, but that of their bandmates, encouraging survival and self-improvement over group harmonies and striking pop choruses. Their liberation is individual and universal at once.” — Sophie Williams, NME

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Eliza Niemi - Staying Mellow Blows (Vain Mina / Tin Angel Records)

Interview with Eliza Niemi by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (August 4th, 2022)

“Between cello musings, folk experimentations and modular synth flirtations is Niemi’s most bountiful collaboration to date—a testament to her talent and creative kinship.”

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OMBIIGIZI - Sewn Back Together (Arts & Crafts)

Interview with OMBIIGIZI by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (October 1st, 2022)

“Through its exploration of both individual and collective identity, Sewn Back Together reckons with the realities of generational trauma, guided by familial teachings and a connection between Monkman and Sturgeon that transcends their collaborative brilliance.”

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PACKS - WOAH (Fire Talk, Royal Mountain Records)

PACKS featured in Also Cool’s 2022 POP Montreal Top Picks

“Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, WOAH has Link returning to her solo, unbrushed songwriting roots with a refined lyrical palette and imaginative composition (and an ode to Ottawa commercial radio on the track ‘fm’).”

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Shallowhalo - No Fun

“Yesterday’s Toy” on Also Cool’s Playlist Refresh (June 24th, 2022)

“Shallowhalo, NYC’s resident sparkly synth royalty, recently released their no-skip album No Fun—and ‘Yesterday’s Toy’ has been on repeat since the drop. For fans of Strawberry Switchblade, Kate Bush, and Cleaners from Venus, the track is a shimmering cascade of sound perfect for your summer playlist.”

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SZA - SOS (Top Dawg / RCA)

“SZA has mastered the art of the inner monologue, transforming deeply personal observations into gilded songs that feel intimate, relatable, and untouchable, all at once.” — Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork

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Wombo - Fairy Rust

Released in the summer of 2022, Wombo's Fairy Rust has stayed on our daily playlists ever since. "Regular Demon" was an instant favourite, combining spooky sounds, slightly cryptic lyrics, and an elevated postpunk sound. Other Also Cool favourites from the album include "Sour Sun," "Below the House," and "RVW."

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Listen to our year in review below!

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In Conversation: Cosmic-Pop Enigma Elizabete Balčus on Artistic Freedom, Vegetable Synthesizers and "Hotel Universe" (Mothland)

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Elizabete Balčus by Zane Zelmene

Hailing from Rīga, Latvia, extraterrestrial-pop maestro Elizabete Balčus performed one of the most memorable sets of the year, and possibly ever, this past fall. Since making a stop in Rouyn-Noranda for the 2022 edition of FME, touring her avant-garde opus Hotel Universe, we’ve been enthralled by Balčus’ raison d'être. With an entrancing, collaged-sound that spans from a Lynchian merry-go-round to what you might hear twinkling in the alcoves of a celestial ice fortress, Balčus’ enigmatic production is a realm-bending portal that combines operatic vocals, classical flute, 80s-tinged rhythms and electronic vegetable-synth pulses.

Following the buzz of her album release, we had the chance to connect with Balčus on the importance of harnessing her independent spirit as a creative, and the inner-workings of her multifaceted artistry.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: You recently completed a touring stint in Canada promoting your new album Hotel Universe and met your Montreal-based label, Mothland. What was it like realizing this work alongside new audiences? How did the creative circles in Canada compare to that of your hometown? 

Elizabete Balčus: It was great to meet my label in person after some months spent collaborating with them remotely. They take a lot of care in curating lineups for tours, and I felt like I was sharing the stage with artists that were a good fit for me.

It’s been nice adding in new material and tapping into the mood of my new album. But, I always balance that with music made in the moment; improvisation. Meaning, the songs I have on the album can be stretched and changed a lot, compared to the originals. Each show on my tour was quite different because those improvised parts would change depending on my mood. What’s most important to me is to have a true catharsis and expressing my emotions to their fullest. If I’m showing what I’m feeling without holding anything back, that’s when I get the strongest response from a crowd.  Being in Canada and being in front of a new audience was exhilarating – it made it easy for me to relay my emotions.

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Elizabete Balčus at FME in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec - September 2022, photo by Malaika Astorga

Also Cool: You wear many hats as a musician, composer, performance artist and actor. How did you balance and tap into these intertwined passions when realizing Hotel Universe?

Elizabete Balčus: In general I am a fan of one solo artist’s perspective. I like to feel that one person is responsible for everything. When I put a release together, I like to feel like it’s all of me, and not just one part of me. And I feel that I can express myself with visual art and performance in a way that emphasizes my musicality, so it is very important in what I do. Having multiple hats is a consequence of me having a project that is homage to a lot of my inspirations: I love theatre, I love dancing—I like music that is immensely theatrical and surreal. So, it’s natural for me to apply these things to create what I consider a solo show worth attending.

AC: What pushed you to expand from your traditional artistic background to an experimental solo endeavour? Has this transition made an impression on how you approach, or feel about, your craft? 

EB: The thing that pushed me was that I wanted to do something that came naturally to me. That natural thing was, and still is, being creative with something that I can call entirely my own. It’s artistic freedom, I suppose.

There’s an axis between my classical upbringing and my solo show. All of my arrangements are quite classically-based, and this comes through in playing classical flute in my sets. I use the thing I learned in the Latvian Academy of Music, but I changed it to fit my world. 

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Elizabete Balčus performing at Club SAW in Ottawa, Ontario - September 2022, photo by the author

AC: Branching off of that, when did you start incorporating eco-synthesizers into your music? What is your favourite fruit or vegetable to play?

EB: I wanted to make the performance art aspect as important as the music. I discovered these inventions, and felt they were right. Way back in 2016, I got a device that allowed me to play real fruit and vegetables., and I incorporated it into my live show. I still sometimes play broccoli and pineapple—I guess they’re my favourites because of their psychedelic shape! I am always interested in adding different tools to my live show. Sometimes I play with a prosthetic leg, other people’s skin or my own biorhythms to create electronic sounds.

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Elizabete Balčus’ musical set-up at FME in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec - September 2022, photo by the author

AC: Alongside your sound, your live show has so many intriguing elements. Touching on your costumes and makeup: what inspires your aesthetic and where do you source your performance wardrobe? 

EB: I take a lot of influence from avant-garde fashion, Dadaism, retro-futurism, sci-fi films and Greek mythology and theatre. Sometimes a certain painting, a film character, a plant or even an animal can inspire me to make a costume. For example, once some green insect flew in my room and danced on the wall while I was listening to my demos and sketching costume ideas. It inspired me to make a hat with antennas and paint my pointed boots light green.

I place a lot of importance on wearing and making headpieces because they are, for me, a mark of spirituality. I think of it as a way of broadcasting my energy to the cosmos. It’s like how saints are pictured wearing halos. As for makeup, it usually comes after the clothes and headpieces as a final touch. Most of the time I just take a brush and experiment, see where it goes.

For clothes: I like vintage shops. I’ve picked up a lot of stuff that I remix. I reshape or cut and glue things together, to make them more my own. I also take some costumes from the theatre my family runs, and from time-to-time, I collaborate with fashion designers that lend me some of their creations. I was lucky to find the artist Anna Gulbe who lent me the hat and boots for my Canadian tour.

AC: What has been the most rewarding aspect of unveiling Hotel Universe thus far? What impact has the experience had on your artistic outlook?

EB: The rewarding thing for me about releasing music is it’s a format that I feel I can most fluently express myself. Even more than talking. So, it’s nice to have that communication with others who feel my music and respond to—what is a very accurate—portrayal of who I am, deep down.

Releasing music doesn’t directly change my artistic outlook, but it definitely spurs me on and gives me energy to move forward.

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Elizabete Balčus by Zane Zelmene

Elizabete Balčus

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | 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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PREMIERE: Montreal's Love Language Melts the Winter Blues with "Little Gardens"

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“Little Gardens” artwork by Heather Lynn

When in eastern Canada, daring to embrace the cold is part of one’s seasonal lifestyle. Here to warm us up from the inside, Montreal’s indie rock outfit Love Language premieres a double-feature single and video for “Little Gardens.”

Following the release of their lush 2021 EP Trying To Reach You, “Little Gardens” boasts a heavier and edgier sound for the band—bringing to life a jam-packed tour and bouncing from stage to stage in less than a year from their first show under an overpass in their hometown. Clad with fuzzy tones and a casual, yet spunky, delivery, “Little Gardens” aligns with Love Language being described as “the band that’s playing in the bar—that all the high school kids are somehow allowed into—in your favourite 90s teen movie.”

Recorded this past spring with Rene Wilson of Faith Healer, “Little Gardens” is one of the first songs written by the band after the release of their debut album. A charming outlier for being “peppery, alive and [not] taking itself too seriously,” the live setlist favourite teases a to-be-released EP, set to arrive in early 2023.

Love Language by Connory Ballantyne

On “Little Gardens”, Love Language shares: “It's a song about two people navigating the world at different paces, desperately wanting a connection only to realize that the other person may as well be floating somewhere out in the solar system.”

Accompanying “Little Gardens” is a rosy music video, shot by the band on Super8, charting their voyage to Sled Island and New York City this past summer.

So, consider “Little Gardens” an ear-worm for your winter funk survival. Give it a spin (over and over) and watch the video below for an endless source of sunshine!

Pre-save “Little Gardens” before its official release on December 16th here!

Love Language
Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

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Blue Hawaii Doubles Down with "I Felt Love (Salzbauer Rave Edit)" (Arbutus Records)

Blue Hawaii by Peter Zietner

Two years after the release of their electric mixtape Under 1 House, Montreal’s beloved electronic duo Blue Hawaii have revived the magic with the release of “I Felt Love (Salzbauer Rave Edit)” — out December 6th via Arbutus Records.

What was first discovered on Bandcamp as a bootleg rework of their standout track eventually became canon. With this interpretation, Berlin producer Salzbauer sends the BPM soaring and delivers an intoxicating force that’s ready for the rave. 

“I Felt Love (Salzbauer Rave Edit)” breathes life into Blue Hawaii’s already-expansive catalogue, continuing their evolution towards a commanding dance-floor sound. The buoyant vocals of singer Raphaelle “Ra” Standell-Preston and transfixing production of Agor “DJ Kirby” intensify with a flailing techno torment, reaching a thrilling climax before mutely conceding to the waves of emotion. From Durocher to the moon, no one is ready.

Listen to “I Felt Love {Salzbauer Rave Edit)” below!

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Blue Hawaii

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

Soundcloud | Apple Music

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Tiny Fest Highlights Montreal's Music Scene at Sala Rossa (Presented by Worst Dad Ever, KickDrum, & Jade Armstrong)

Are you looking for a tiny & wonderful curation of all-ages shows to attend this weekend in Montreal? Look no further than Tiny Fest (presented by Worst Dad Ever, KickDrum Promotions, & Jade Armstrong), which runs at La Sala Rossa and La Sotterenea from Dec 2nd-3rd.

Tiny Fest is a DIY music festival that began in 2019, produced by Worst Dad Ever, taking place at La Sotterenea. The first rendition of Tiny Fest brought a number of bands from across Canada and the United States together.

Bringing together a mixture of unique and talented artists and reaching Montreal's community, Tiny Fest highlights scene favourites as well as up-and-coming bands. After its initial success, a second edition was put together for 2020, but due to COVID-19, it was postponed.

2022 sees the festival's revival and has grown out of the basement, expanding to La Sala Rossa, the entire venue will be an all-ages experience of the best music Montreal, and more has to offer.

Also Cool faves like NO WAVES, Eliza Niemi, and Fanclubwallet are just some of the many bands playing at the festival.

Buy tickets here!

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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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Atta Boy Explores Living In Between Grief and Joy in New Album "Crab Park"

Atta Boy by Sarah Midkiff

Atta Boy’s album Crab Park is an October 2022 release with an autumnal feel. This album was created for two moods: the loving feeling of making dinner for your family when it’s 5 PM and already dark, or the ennui of walking on a secluded urban beach. With an overall alt-country feel—think Gillian Welch or Tonk—the songs are welcoming and homey, but lyrically they interweave themes of conflict and teen angst.

The opening title track “Crab Park” is one of longing, with many seemingly unresolved thoughts and wishes poured into this track. “Well, I never thought it over / And I think that you should drive on over / And I never ever thought it would be / Me and you at Crab Park / With the bittersweet and final spark of Firework Friday.” I don’t know who this song is about, but from the lyrics, I really do not think they deserve a song written about them and the relationship’s ending.  

“Spring Seventeen'' is a song about growth and courage. The staccato tune that is played throughout comes across charmingly –  a little childish, a little mocking. The track feels reminiscent of the space you give people from high school when you're over 25, or of the distance that a teen puts between their parents and themselves as a way to slowly establish the slow transformation of growing into adulthood.

“Alex” was definitely my favourite song on the album. It took a couple listens to really get past the evocative lyrics to engage with the sweet melodies accompanying them. Overall the song  feels like a victim impact statement or a letter addressing traumatic events that the band could only just remember. It’s an important song that addresses consent, memory and time-driven healing. 

Closing with “Twin Flame” was an interesting choice, especially after an upbeat track like “Boys” preceding it. The contrast between the two creates a feeling of emotional dissonance that can't be shaken, leaving the listener eerily on edge. Although a lovely song, “Twin Flame” does not feel like the conclusion that was needed to bring the album back full-circle, and a sentiment of resolve is what remains.

On the whole, Crab Park feels seasonally appropriate, and Atta Boy has concocted the early, sweet onset of seasonal affect disorder before it intensifies. Perhaps, like me, you live in Vancouver, or perhaps you know of a Crab Park in your area that you hung out in as a teen. Regardless, I encourage you to listen to the album, listen to Atta Boy’s sweet tunes and seek to understand a world of new details of decay and regeneration.

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Crab Park

Out October 21, 2022

1. Crab Park

2. Spring Seventeen

3. Blue Moon

4. Steller's Jay

5. We Ran From Midnight

6. Deep Sea Ladder

7. Alex

8. It Goes Away

9. Boys

10. Twin Flame

Written and performed by Atta Boy

Engineered and mixed by Jason Hiller

Additional engineering by Freddy Reish

Produced by Jason Hiller and Atta Boy

Mastered by Lurssen Mastering

Art by Lewis Pullman

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Atta Boy

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify

Soundcloud | Apple Music

Esmée Colbourne is a researcher and writer interested in the ties between community, memory and the arts.

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Gloin Releases New Album “We Found This”

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Gloin by Sara May

This year, Also Cool had the pleasure of meeting Gloin at FME in Abitibi-Temiscamengue. To say we were compelled was an understatement – their songs “Cha Cha” and “Shoot to Kill” were on repeat both directions of the nine-hour drive to the festival.

When we got to see them in the tiny and packed Cabaret de la Dernière Chance, our faces melted off (in the most consensual way). Gloin brings so much energy to the stage and we are absolutely stoked to get the opportunity to interview them in parallel to the release of their latest album, We Found This.

Gloin are knock-out performers, and you cannot help but bop as Vic shreds onstage. While their 2019 album Soft Monster was loaded with head-bangers, there are some more soothing rhythms on We Found This, always with some level of distortion and dark underbelly (a Gloin signature).

They also recently graced Montreal with their presence at M for Montreal, playing at the M for Mothland showcase alongside other Also Cool favourites like Grim Streaker.

In our excitement about their latest release and in Also Cool façon, we had to interview them – not only about We Found This and group dynamics, but also about some of their random thoughts, small favourites surrounding Toronto, and their band as a whole.

Holly Hilts for Also Cool Mag: So, first off, how have your last few months been, between Northern Quebec festival life and your album release – how are you feeling?

Vic: FME and the surrounding shows left me on a high. Since our release, I have been insanely eager to tour and promote the album. I am an impatient person and the process is killing me.

John: FME was a lot of fun, and since then we have released our full-length album. I feel similar to Vic – excited to translate the record to a live setting. It’s always a lot of fun and the songs often sound better.

Richard: The excitement of playing FME was only succeeded by the release of our new record. It’s been exciting to see the positive feedback of something we’ve worked so hard to put out.

Simon: Feeling excited that the record is finally out, and eager to play these songs live.

Also Cool: Listening to the album, I get some really stark imagery – like on “FZero”, I really picture digitized, glitchy marching robotic humans to the beat. Do you have any really clear images that jump out at you while you are playing any of the songs?

R: Skeletons having a luau during “Dark Moto”.

J: “Winter Abroad” is an old song I wrote years ago. It was written specifically to depict looking out a window during a snowy, quiet Toronto morning.

V: “Work Patrol” is less of an image and more of a filter that distorts reality into a chaotic and extremely stressful experience during every single fucking thing you do. Also known as anxiety I guess (laughs).

S: “FZero” is named after the video game, and when we play it I just see them racing.

AC: What is your favourite intersection in Toronto?

J: I don’t have any that I like but I have a lot that I hate. Dundas and Lansdowne, Queen and Spadina, Front and Spadina, Bloor and St. Clair. These are all based on traffic and road work.

R: I don't have a favorite intersection but I have a favorite street, Palmerston between College and Bloor. Also 401 and Major Mack.

V: I’ve got a soft spot for Front and Sherbourne because I had a first kiss with someone very important at the Rabba on the corner where I lived when I first moved to Toronto.

S: Dovercourt and Mackenzie Crescent. Walk up Mackenzie ‘til you get to Lisgar.

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Gloin, by Alex Carre

AC: What have you had to learn to accept about each other over the years?

V: I’ve always found it difficult to spend a lot of time with men. So that’s been pretty much the main thing. But to be honest, these guys are pretty chill. Mostly. It does feel like family in a certain way and when one person is not there the rhythm is off.

J: When you spend such a large amount of time with one another, you realize that being friends with people that you don’t see every waking moment is extremely different than spending every waking moment with them. You gain a much deeper understanding of each individual person, you see the good and the bad and you learn to accept everyone's strengths and weaknesses. Not without its setbacks as friends, we have discovered how we all operate and have grown as friends as well as creative partners because of it. Being in a band is not as easy as everyone may think it is, and it takes a lot of work.

R: Everyone works at their own pace. It's good we find time to get shit done together.

S: Learn to call people out when they are slacking and accept it when it happens to you. We all have our own ways of dealing with issues and trusting that process no matter how long it takes.

AC: Your latest album is titled We Found This – what did you find?

Gloin: If you buy the vinyl, there is a handwritten note inside that will explain everything! 

AC: How did you figure out your overall sound and how would you describe your growth since Soft Monster?

Gloin: With Soft Monster we did not have a clear direction, and we pulled what liked and expanded on those specifics. We liked the driving energetic vibe, the aggression, and the pop element. We tried to avoid overdone repetitive droning psych elements in order to keep things exciting.

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Gloin, by Nikki Dicunto

AC: Favourite lyric on the album, please!

V: I love to yell “RUSH” in “Pitchfork”.

R: I like it when Simon says “Avec des gants de sécurité” from “Brique Chaude”.

J: “Weak mind, be kind” from “FZero”.

S: When Vic yells “HEY BUDDY” from “Work Patrol”.

AC: How do you dream your audience members feel after a show of yours?

R: Exhausted.

V: Relieved, energized, powerful!

J: That we are their new favourite band and they can’t wait to see us again.

S: Confused but happy.

AC: And any last thoughts you would like to share with Also Coolers?

Gloin: If we were cast in The Hangover, John would be Stu, Richard would be Alan, Vic would be Phil and Simon would be Doug.

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Gloin - We Found This

Gloin

Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | Bandcamp

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Late Nite Laundry Makes a Mesmerizing Return with Self-Titled EP (Acrophase Records)

Late Nite Laundry by Charlie Young

Faced with the unavoidable turmoil of cancelled gigs and changing circumstances, Late Nite Laundry had no choice but to find their footing and start anew. The Chicago psychedelic soul band—composed of guitarist Ari Lindo, bassist and designer Emily Burlew, keyboardist, engineer, and producer Brenden Cabrera, and drummer Alex Santilli—has re-entered the scene with a crisp and noteworthy EP, Late Nite Laundry, out via Acrophase Records.

Featuring Lindo and Burlew on vocals, the EP hits a breezy stride as it flirts with elements of Brazilian jazz, bedroom pop, and R&B. Encompassed with a dazed warmth, its four tracks stand apart and—at once—melt together. Let Late Nite Laundry wrap you like a cozy plush blanket and sink into the richness of its sound.

Rebecca Judd for Also Cool: Stylistically, your band takes influence from a wide variety of genres and eras, which culminates in a warm and comforting blend of psychedelic soul. Which sonic inspirations did you reflect in this EP?
Late Nite Laundry: In 2020, we recorded and released a project titled The Michigan Tapes that we believe initiated our new sound. It was our first experience self-recording and producing, which we did in March 2020 soon after the world entered lockdown. We took those same practices and applied them to a more refined recording process over the last year [when making this new EP]. Although we are heavily inspired by many genres and bands as individuals, we rarely reference specific artists between ourselves. Instead, we are inspired by individual elements within our favourite music and [find that] each member brings a different flavour to the table.

Also Cool: Your band underwent a fundamental transformation with the disruption of COVID-19 – you’ve previously mentioned that it was a time to “rediscover [your] sound and smoothen [your] process”. Can you elaborate on the ways in which this time redefined Late Nite Laundry as a band?

Late Nite Laundry: Without shows to play in 2020, [our] band regrouped with writing and recording sessions. Previously, we had only experienced recording in a traditional studio format. After the first EP, we wanted to stress experimentation and expand on the production process. Since then, all recording, production and mixing is handled within the group. This has given us the space to push our creative boundaries, while also developing our skills and relationships with each other.

Late Nite Laundry by Charlie Young

AC: Among the changes you experienced throughout the past couple of years was a change in lineup, with Late Nite Laundry’s original lead singer leaving the group. Nonetheless, you previously identified a sense of synchronism between the four remaining bandmates that led you all to push forward. Were there any defining moments where you felt this connection, or was it a gradual ease?
LNL: Naturally, we think it took time to rediscover ourselves. We spent a lot of our initial meet-ups at the practice space writing new material and reworking old songs. A clear moment in our memories was when our song, “Fantasy”, was first written. During a home recording session for the track, Ari [Lindo] began writing lyrics and sang upward of 100 recorded vocal takes. This was a defining moment for the band, because at the time we had contemplated auditioning for potential singers. Releasing that song was a symbol of what we had become and it clearly established Ari as the new lead vocalist.

AC: I’m particularly interested in the duality of “Floating”, which closes the EP. There’s a feeling of one’s resurgence and contentment that soars past memories of a fragmented relationship. I found myself swept up with its instrumental jazzy vibrance and hungry for more all too soon. Which emotions and decisions went into this track, and how are those contrasted or connected with the rest of the EP?

LNL: This was one of the first songs first ever created for Late Nite Laundry. Ari started writing it in 2016, before the band began. It talks about Ari’s first relationship with his high school sweetheart, and it’s intended to capture the euphoric highs and deep pains that he associates with this time. Ari also has a special musical ability to weave into different styles.

This song really shows our indie styles on the choruses with the layered lead synth sounds, but subdues you with witty chord writing on the verses. The outro of the song has always felt like a different planet from the rest. Everything from psychedelic harmonious textures to Alex [Santilli]’s tasty drum fills, the ending ties in the sound that Late Nite Laundry truly represents. We feel like there’s examples of this in all of our songs.

AC: With this new release, what are your plans for re-introducing Late Nite Laundry to the world? Which directions are you next hoping to explore as a band? 

LNL: Now that the EP is out, we are focusing our efforts on touring and promoting the project across North America. Outside of performing, we are a group that consistently writes and records. Naturally, there’s a lot of musical ideas flowing in our brains whether in demo form or just jammed out at the practice space. What we definitely look forward to the most is playing and making music. Sometimes, that means hanging in each other’s living room, jamming at the spot, or getting away to a cabin in the woods (like for The Michigan Tapes). We’re not sure what we will release or when, but our engines never seem to turn off.

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Late Nite Laundry

Out November 4, 2022 via Acrophase Records

1. Hold

2. Sizzle

3. Hi, Can You Hear Me?

4. Floating

Written and recorded by Late Nite Laundry

Engineered by Brenden Cabrera

Mastered by Kelly Hibbert

Photo by Charlie Young

Album design by Emily Burlew

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Late Nite Laundry

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp

Soundcloud | Apple Music | Website

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Also Cool's M For Montreal Top Picks: Round Two

Priors by Lynn Poulin

The 17th edition of M for Montreal begins tomorrow, November 16th, and the city’s music scene is positively buzzing with anticipation. With emerging and established artists from coast-to-coast (and then some!) expected to set the night on fire, it’s hard to resist a taste for what’s to come. Luckily, you don’t have to – Also Cool is here to help, with our second round of selections from this year’s M for Montreal lineup. Be sure to check out our first round, too, and then get busy with your own scheduling… accompanied by our festival playlist, of course.

Priors 

Montreal mainstay punk quintet Priors nose-dived into this past spring with their latest EP NEWNEWNEW. Complete with signature lassoed thrashing and low-fi grit, the band’s punchy ardour remains as they return to the stage from an all-too-familiar pandemic lull. We’ve been parched for a loud gig and are ready to be tossed around by Priors’ angular flirtations. Sandwiched on an absolutely stacked festival lineup—co-presented by Mothland—including Crasher, Absolutely Free, Gloin and Grim Streaker, Priors and their entourage of feather-rufflers are guaranteed to stir up an evening of danceable DIY fervor. 

Priors plays La Sala Rossa on Friday, November 18th at 10:00 PM. 

Tickets

Priors

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Emma Beko by Samuel Fournier

Emma Beko

If you’re not already familiar, the sinister stylings of Montreal-based rapper Emma Beko are bound to break your heart. Since rising in the scene as one-half of Heartstreets, Beko has refined her solo sound and tilted heads for her candid and grungy stream-of-consciousness flow. The release of Beko’s latest EP Superficial Stains fits comfortably into her catalogue, fresh off the heels of Digital Damage from earlier this year, so expect a show filled to the brim with lyrical gut-punches. Catch Emma Beko alongside SLM, Lary Kidd, and more for an unforgettably dynamic hip-hop showcase.

Emma Beko plays Club Soda on Friday, November 18th at 8:00 PM.

Tickets

Emma Beko

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NO WAVES by Malaika Astorga

NO WAVES

Our favourite Montreal Gen-Z punks will be playing the festival this year, so naturally we couldn’t help but add them to the group. From playing absolutely packed free outdoor shows where the crowd takes over the stage, to opening for NOFX and playing FME over the summer, NO WAVES continues to hold their own in the local rock scene. Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with the band by one of their peers, and in the meantime, catch them at M!

NO WAVES plays with Mobina Galore at Turbo Haüs on Saturday, November 19th at 10:00 PM.

Tickets

NO WAVES

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Grim Streaker by Kevin W Condon

GRIM STREAKER

Playing alongside many of our faves—like Gloin and Priors—in the Mothland showcase this week, Grim Streaker made an impactful first impression on Also Cool at this year’s FME Festival in northern Quebec. Singer Amelia Bushell’s stage presence is direct and haunting – a worthwhile experience to feel totally undone by her stare. The band’s song “Mind” captivated us for a month after the festival, and they’re here in Montreal for more to see! Grim Streaker specializes in the genre-bending punk tunes that seem to reach out and grab you by the collar – they would be a shame to miss.

Grim Streaker plays at La Sala Rossa on Friday, November 18th at 9:00 PM.

Tickets

Grim Streaker

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp

M For Montreal

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Also Cool's M For Montreal Top Picks: Round One

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Witch Prophet by Francesca Nocera

Bringing together emerging and established artists from across Quebec, the country and beyond, the M For Montreal music festival kicks-off next Wednesday, November 16th, and runs until Saturday, November 19th, 2022. Celebrating its 17th edition, the anticipated event offers a rich program featuring more than one hundred world-class acts. Discover Also Cool’s choice selections from this year’s M For Montreal lineup below as we gear up for the festival just one week away! Listen along with our accompanying playlist.

Witch Prophet

Witch Prophet is the moniker of Toronto-based operatic soul and alt-R&B singer-songwriter Ayo Leilani. Adorning a golden fusion of jazz, hip-hop, soul and prophetic dreaming, Witch Prophet “[creates] music as a portal for self-growth and discovery.” The queer, East-African songstress and rapper’s sophomore LP DNA Activation—a powerful ode to her Ethiopian and Eritrean ancestral roots—was shortlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize amidst widespread praise. Driven by a dedication to uplifting community in all facets of her work, Witch Prophet is also the Co-CEO of Heart Lake Records, an independent record label supporting LGBTQ+ women, non-binary, gender nonconforming BIPOC artists and allies creating hip-hop, R&B and soul music. Her next LP, Gateway Experience, is set to release in the spring of 2023; get a taste with her latest single “Back 2 You”. 

Witch Prophet plays Le Système on Thursday, November 17th, at 10:00PM.

Tickets available at the door.

Witch Prophet

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp | Spotify

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Fernie by André Rainville

Fernie

Montreal’s West Island phenom Fernie won us over during his FME performance earlier this fall. Taking influence from soloists like Frank Ocean and Daniel Caesar, the Brazilian-Canadian singer crafts silky R&B that transforms a packed auditorium into a luxuriant cabaret listening-experience. Since releasing his debut album Aurora in September, the 23-year-old has been profiled by Cult MTL and graced the stage at this year’s POP Montreal festival. Capturing what it means to “leave your past behind, [find] hope and really [highlight] the struggles of believing in one’s self,” Fernie’s Aurora presents an ambitious trajectory for the up-and-coming artist. 

Earlier this week Fernie dropped a collaboration with fellow Montreal sweetheart Magi Merlin. Listen to their smooth new track “Dolla Bill” below! 

Fernie plays Le Belmont on Wednesday, November 16th, at 8:00PM.

Tickets

Fernie

Instagram | Bandcamp | Twitter | Spotify

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L E M F R E C K

L E M F R E C K

Newport-raised, and now London-based, L E M F R E C K has been on the rise in 2022. Following the release of his album The Pursuit—which was nominated for the 2022 Welsh Music Prize—L E M F R E C K  blends hip-hop, ragga, gospel, and the stories of his community to create a bold sound that is uniquely his own. Confessional in nature, L E M F R E C K’s lyrics feel like a refined stream of consciousness, processing experiences into a smooth flow. Often compared to Sampha and Pa Lieur, L E M F R E C K combines his grime upbringing with trained musicianship, independently bringing Welsh rap to the international stage. 

Catch L E M F R E C K playing at Quai des Brumes on Saturday, November 19th, at 9:30PM. 

Tickets

L E M F R E C K

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Flara K by Philippe Thibault

Flara K

Sam and Collin, of Flara K, both born and raised on Montreal’s South Shore, have been releasing funky, introspective pieces regularly since their 2020 debut album Anxious, Irrational, Fashionable. With a vibey, indie-electronic, R&B and pop mix, they explore anxiety, dealing with personal vices, and tackling self doubt and distrust with vulnerability.  The duo is deeply rooted in Montreal’s music scene, collaborating with the likes of Mike Clay (of Clay and Friends), What if Elephants and Milo Gore. With Sam’s stellar vocals and Collin’s groovy, prominent bass (find him also playing alongside Edwin Raphael), their chemistry, on and offstage, is palpable. The duo is set to release new music with Oliver Forest on November 17th and are 1/10th of the Montreal “anti-pop supergroup” Saint Zenon.

Flara K plays Sala Rossa Wednesday, November 16th, at 11:30PM (free show).
Flara K

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M For Montreal

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Maryze Drops Sinister New Music Video for "Emo" (Hot Tramp Records)

Still from “Emo” by Maryze

Spooky season has reached its peak, and Montreal’s alt-popstar Maryze is here to celebrate with a brand-new music video for “Emo”. The single first garnered nostalgic admiration upon the release of 8 — Maryze’s debut album, out earlier this year via Hot Tramp Records — for its torment and evocation, reminiscent of artists like Green Day and Avril Lavigne. With the release of this video, Maryze sculpts a queer love story turned horrifically upside-down.

Still from “Emo” by Maryze

The self-directed video begins with a tender honeymoon phase between Maryze and model/artist Brit Carpenter. The pair is depicted lounging on the bed and laughing through skateboarding lessons, entangled in the purity of infatuation. But their spark turns into a destructive flame, with angst and toxicity steering their relationship out of control and towards a bloody end.

Detailing the theories behind their grungy and dysfunctional nightmare, Maryze shared:

I always seek out queer representation in horror, so this music video is my little contribution. I also feel like queer narratives lack the nuance that straight relationships receive in film, so I wanted to portray all the sides of the story, from beautiful tender moments to scary unhealthy fights. The horror aspect is left pretty ambiguous and moves into a more experimental art direction. We set out to use horror devices to illustrate the toxicity of relationships without having any explicit on-screen violence. I wanted the viewer to be left asking: “who killed who?”

To fully realize her cinematic vision, Maryze created the video concept with horror screenwriter Joel H. Brewster. The visuals were shot by artist Janette King and edited by Solomon Krause-Imlach, who also produced the song.

With its gory and gruesome complexity, this depiction of “Emo” fits magically within Maryze’s universe of transcendence.

Watch the video for “Emo” below, and catch Maryze DJing at the M for Montreal after-party (co-presented by Hot Tramp and Also Cool)!

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Maryze

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

YouTube | Spotify | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Lesser Evil Summon Everything That is Evoked Without Being Said on Debut LP "Subterranean"

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Lesser Evil (from left to right: Ariane M. and Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux) by Ebru Yildiz

Lesser Evil are done interpreting their own sound. After nearly four years of tireless music-making, the Montreal-based electronic duo consisting of Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux and Ariane M. are excited to promote Subterranean and hear from the listeners themselves. The reception, according to Lesser Evil, is the second-most exciting part of being an artist; apart from the production stage itself.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Lamarche-Ledoux and Ariane on a sunny Saturday morning in late-September, where we had the opportunity to chat about their artistic process, how Lesser Evil came into existence, and what it took to create Subterranean — their debut album releasing on October 14th.

When talking about the formation of Lesser Evil, Lamarche-Ledoux describes the experience as natural, yet long-overdue. “We’ve known each other for a very long time,” says Lamarche-Ledoux, “because we were actually neighbours in a small town called Sherbrooke [Quebec].” 

Despite this, Lamarche-Ledoux explains that it took around eighteen years before the duo found themselves together in a studio, and that this actually happened after they respectively decided to relocate. “We both moved to Montreal, still not being friends. [But] we met in Montreal because we have a lot of friends in common from Sherbrooke, and [we had both been] doing music for a long time.”

Lamarche-Ledoux notes that when the two creatives and hometown neighbours finally collaborated on music production, the results were like nothing they had ever heard before. “While we were working on [Ariane’s] songs, the music became something else. It didn’t entirely sound like Ariane’s work, and it didn’t exactly sound like mine either… It kind of became this whole new thing.” He says that after hearing their strange and magical concoctions resulting from shared studio time, the formation of Lesser Evil occurred naturally. “At some point I just looked over and said, ‘Ariane, we should start a band.’ And that’s when the new [project] was formed.”

The results of this formation included an initial, self-titled EP in 2018, which produced much success upon its release; songs off the EP like “V.W” and “Cobra Effect” garnered thousands of streams on Spotify, and their track “Sight Of” has accumulated nearly 60,000 streams on the platform ever since. Still reeling from the initial hype generated by their first project, Lamarche-Ledoux and Ariane decided to hunker down and focus their energy towards something more nuanced and time-consuming. Nearly four years later, Subterranean came into existence.

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Lesser Evil by Ebru Yildiz

Speaking on the creative process that went into making Subterranean, Ariane is quick to point out that the duo intended to create a piece of art that is intentionally ambiguous, allowing it to be left for interpretation by its listeners. “When it comes to the ‘bones’ of a song, it always needs to come from [us] initially,” Ariane says. “I’m an emotionally-driven person, and it dictates my life.” 

She goes on to say that the songs initially capture “a moment in time, where there’s something in me that [fixates] me.” She says that this is something that remains constant throughout the album, “As you start working on [the songs] it can pretty much go anywhere.”

Yet this incentive of having songs “go anywhere,” as Ariane puts it, is not without intention. Instead of giving clear direction, Lesser Evil instead opts to leave enough space in their songs to allow listeners to become lost in them, forcing them to find their own final destination. “I’m obsessed with everything that’s hidden; everything that’s tacit,” Ariane says. She explains that she has been doing psychoanalysis for five years now, and that this process translates directly into Lesser Evil’s music production. “When I try to write songs and capture that initial spark, I am also trying to tap into everything that’s hidden.” 

This process also inspired the album’s title, which refers to the “subterranean” elements of the human psyche. When our conversation transitions from focusing on the album’s production process to its title, Ariane describes the decision to name their project “Subterranean” as a “no-brainer.”

The controlled level of ambiguity that Lesser Evil conveys on Subterranean is clear on the singles that have been released leading up to the album. The song “Fiction” feels like an underwater voyage through subdued synths, with Ariane’s voice guiding listeners to their own conclusions as she softly sings about yearning, isolation and mystic love. Although quite different sonically, the bass-heavy dance track “Contemplate” is a surreal voyage through an underground tunnel, and Ariane’s distorted vocals equally shine on the song’s darkest and most upbeat moments. The instrumentation on these songs might change, but all have one thing in common: they are intended to resonate directly with the listener. 

Commenting on how they decide which sounds to keep while producing their music, Lamarche-Ledoux explains: “It could just be a synth sound, or the perfect amount of reverb on the [vocals]. It just has to be something that interests us, and that we can actually feel.” He elaborates by saying that while this process might “seem simple… it is actually very subtle,” and that it takes a lot of time to finalize.

Through this process, the duo aspires to create an auditory experience that listeners truly yearn for. “It has to resonate enough,” Ariane explains. “Christophe has to hear that little backbone, and be like ‘yeah, let’s spend [countless] hours on this.’” The music is intended as “a hybrid of classical songwriting” layered over “all the modern ways of treating sound,” Ariane says with a smile. The songs, as they explain, must emanate that “subterranean” reaction in thought as well as feeling. After all, nobody spends time in the studio isolating sounds and fine-tuning them if they never elicited an emotional response in the first place. 

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Lesser Evil by Ebru Yildiz

Asking the duo about their creative traditions before hitting the studio, Ariane says that their music typically forms itself through improvisation: “[B]asically, we show up and see what happens.” But at a certain point in the day, Ariane and Lamarche-Ledoux do in fact have an unspoken ritual to uplift one another’s spirits. “We’re looking for high-fives,” Ariane says. “We never know what we’re going to do when we arrive; we just show up and do a session. But then, we always say that we’re looking for that ‘high-five’ moment, when we’re so enthused by our work that we begin screaming and high-fiving.”

Ariane notes that they have an additional, unorthodox tradition while making music: belting out lyrics from 90s hits like Jock Jams’ “Are You Ready For This” during their more successful moments during production. “I’m usually in the back and Christophe is in the studio,” Ariane says, “so sometimes we don’t really see each other for hours. And then he’ll just say, ‘Are you ready for this?’ and I [start singing] in the back.”

Wrapping up our interview, I ask Ariane and Lamarche-Ledoux what Lesser Evil fans can expect in the months following the release of Subterranean. “Will you guys be touring at all?” I wonder, “or will you be looking to make some music videos? Or are you guys just going to be taking a break because your album is out and you’re tired,” I muse. Lamarche-Ledoux chimes in by saying. “Are you crazy? That’s not how it works!” We all share a good laugh.

“We’ve worked for years on this record,” Lamarche-Ledoux says. “We’re really proud of it, and we want to make it [have] a life. We’re getting into some activities — some shows here and there, including a Montreal show and a Quebec show. We’re probably going to play in New York at some point next year as well.” He elaborates by saying that because Lesser Evil is a DIY project: “It’s really insane, and we’re having trouble doing all these things at once. It’s also all out-of-pocket money, so it’s pretty fucking crazy,” he jokes. “We’re really just smashing this project into the world as hard as we can.” 

The band notes that music videos and visualizers are not something that they are willing to take-on themselves, but that they are not opposed to having creatives try to visualize their work. This has been done twice already for songs off of Subterranean, including collaborator Joël Morin-Ben Abdallah’s otherworldly visuals for “Fiction” as well as Abdallah’s recent, psychedelic visualization for the track “Haze,” which uses images from the 1981 Hungarian movie Son of the White Mare.

As a final question, I ask the duo whether there is anything else they would like to chat about. Ariane replies promptly, saying that more than anything, “...I just want people to listen to the album… for us, we worked so many years on this. I just want other people’s judgment on [Subterranean]. I’m tired of listening to my own analysis.”

Lamarche-Ledoux echoes this sentiment in his answer, but also notes that bringing the world’s artistic community together is the primary response he wants to elicit. “Now the most fun part of doing art is over, which to me is making music. We’re getting into touring, and doing promotional stuff… this is kind of less fun to do. Moving forward, I want to meet more people who are interested and genuine about art, and our music. That’s all I want: I don’t necessarily want an ‘enemy interview,’ or a TV spot. I just want it to be about the love of music, and being true. Not about success.”

Subterranean comes out on October 14th, but in the meantime you can listen to Lesser Evil’s ethereal new singles on their Spotify or other streaming platforms. They also have two upcoming shows you’ll want to check out – catch them on November 4th in Quebec City at Le Pantoum, or November 5th in Montreal at La Sotterranea.

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Lesser Evil in Montreal post-interview; photo by the author

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SUBTERRANEAN

Out October 14, 2022

1. New/Same

2. Fiction

3. Subterranean

4. Heights

5. Wandering

6. Contemplate

7. Haze

8. Heavenly

9. Hot-Blooded

10. Reincarnation

Engineered, composed and produced by Lesser Evil

Mixed by Mark Lawson

Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering

Artwork by Caroline Robert

Source photo of the diver by Odile Gamache

Logo by Florian Petigny

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Lesser Evil

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

Facebook | Spotify | Apple Music

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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La Sécurité and Hot Garbage Talk Influences, Experimentation, and DISTORSION PSYCH FEST (Mothland)

DISTORSION PSYCH FEST poster by Tiny Little Hammers

Before plugging in the synths and warming up the fog machines, we were able to chat with two bands on the bill at this year’s DISTORSION PSYCH FEST leading up to their rollicking sets in July.

La Sécurité by Marc-Antoine Barbier

The first group we had our eyes on was La Sécurité, a newly formed art-punk supergroup featuring members from iconic Montreal bands such as Choses Sauvages and Jesuslesfilles. In the spring, they treated audiences to a delightfully frantic and groovy dual single release – “Suspens/Try Again” via Mothland. DISTORSION was the band’s first live show together, and it was a gig for the books. 

Sofie Milito of Also Cool: I'd love to hear a bit about your group's beginnings. How did La Sécurité come together?

Éliane Viens-Synnott of La Sécurité: The band initially started with Félix [Bélisle] and I noodling around during the pandemic to pass the time. We had fun mixing up all our influences — him having more of an electro/disco background, whereas I'm more into punk and new wave myself. We then invited three friends to join. I met Melissa [Di Menna] in Vanille, this other band we played in together. We realized quite quickly that we were very compatible creatively. Laurence-Anne [last name unknown] is a good friend and has collaborated with Félix a couple times on other projects, so it kind of seemed like a no-brainer. We met Kenny [Smith] in the past couple years in and around the music scene, and we clicked really quickly as well. He has lots of natural taste and talent. Long story short, we all came together in a pretty organic way. 

Also Cool: With members from a multitude of different bands and musical projects, is there anything you were (or still are) curious about experimenting with as a group?

Éliane: It's fun to switch up who is composing which part and to take in everyone's ideas. The first few songs were mostly written by Félix and I, but the more we go along, it's more of a collaborative effort. I guess that's the direction we are interested in experimenting with. It's kind of fun to be kept on our toes and it's a good project for that purpose.

AC: What was inspiring the band in the making of your first pair of singles (“Suspens / Try Again”)?

Éliane: I wrote those singles during the pandemic, so there are allusions to that for sure. We found our groove arranging the musical aspects of the songs together and they helped us to figure out our work dynamic.

AC: There's a voltaic energy to those songs that seems like great fun for a live setting. What's most exciting to you about playing this first live show at Distortion?

Éliane: I'm excited to break in our live performance in general, and to present news songs that were composed in a more collaborative way. You can't really know what it's going tobe like until you do it!

AC: If La Sécurité were stranded on a desert island, what would be your top media picks?

Éliane: See The Whirl by Delta 5, [Miyazaki's] Howl's Moving Castle, and Please Kill Me [by Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil].

AC: On the heels of your first studio recording, is there anything on the horizon for the band that you can tell us about?

Éliane: We’ve got a couple more shows planned before the end of the year. An album is in the works as well…

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Hot Garbage by Alex Carre

Combining krautrock and psychedelia, Hot Garbage has been releasing spell-binding tunes since 2017, coming out with their first full-length album RIDE via Mothland in 2021. Hailing from Toronto, they trekked over to play DISTORSION amid a series of US gigs. Catch them on their fall tour this November!

Sofie Milito of Also Cool: How did Hot Garbage come to be?

Julianna Carkevaris of Hot Garbage: Alex [Carlevaris] and Mark [Henein] had been playing in bands together since their early high school days. I joined in on bass when this project was getting going—around 2014—then Dylan [Gamble] joined on keys shortly after. 

Also Cool: What are you experimenting with these days?

Julianna: We're currently working on a new record, and for the past couple of years we've been exploring new approaches to the songwriting process. The pandemic forced us to work on things while being apart from each other, which had advantages and disadvantages. I think now, we're finding a new balance between that and the synergy and spontaneity of getting ideas out by playing together in an improvised way.

AC: RIDE takes us on a scorching, swirling journey from minute one to its trippy finish. Can you tell us a little about the album’s world and what was inspiring you in the making-of?

Julianna: I think the inspiration is quite varied throughout the record, but generally, we draw a lot of ideas and moods from imagery and photos, cinema, books, mysterious phenomena — both worldly and otherworldly ["RIDE is all at once dread, beauty, wonder, horror and mystery"]. 

AC: As a band, what’s your favourite part about a live gig?

Julianna: The give and take, and the exchanging of energy.

AC: If Hot Garbage were stranded on a desert island, what would be your top media picks? 

Julianna: [The film] Goodfellas. It is a marvel of cinema with a great soundtrack. RIP, Ray Liotta.

AC: What’s the hottest garbage you’ve come across?

Julianna: It's pretty hot right now actually, so I probably walked by some today… and it will probably just keep getting hotter. Enjoy it while you can.

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La Sécurité

Bandcamp | Instagram 

Hot Garbage

Bandcamp | Instagram

Sofie Milito

Bandcamp

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