Janette King Sinks Into Self-Confidence with Euphoric New Video for "Ooh Yeah" (Hot Tramp Records)

Still from “Ooh Yeah” by Janette King

With less than a week until Valentine’s Day, songstress Janette King is paying intimate tribute to the ultimate lover – herself. The slinky and self-assured “Ooh Yeah”, off Janette’s debut EP What We Lost, is reborn with a liberated new music video.

“Ooh Yeah” sees Janette re-emerge with a deep admiration for all that she is worth, wrapping the listener in waves of inspiration to follow suit. Produced by GRAY, the song documents Janette’s journey into the realm of self-pleasure, offering a masterclass in putting yourself first and chasing your wildest dreams and greatest ambitions. “Ooh Yeah” elaborates on Janette’s unique concoction of R&B and woozy electronica, showcasing her vocal agility.

"'Ooh Yeah' is about breaking trauma patterns, "killing" your old self in order to be reborn into the greatest version of yourself,” Janette reflects on the track. “This idea of walking into a new sense of self came from the forced time alone due to the pandemic, where I was left to reflect and learn what my soul truly needs in order to feel whole.”

Still from “Ooh Yeah” by Janette King

In the new DIY-style video for “Ooh Yeah”, Janette and pals soak in the pleasures of indulgence, transcending through various states of euphoria. Between cupcakes, champagne and video games, the deeper meanings of solace are explored. The video is directed, shot, and edited by Alexandra B. and Elya M.

As Janette explains:

“These visuals are a celebration of joy. It’s a music video about what it means to feel good in one's own skin and not feeling shame when one enjoys that feeling. Liberating oneself from societal pressures and expressing one’s sexuality in whatever way it feels best. It’s about self-pleasure, love, community and independence.”

Watch the video for “Ooh Yeah” below!

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Janette King

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Twitter | Facebook

Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez Looks at Longing Head-On with New Video for “40 Days”

Still of Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez in “40 Days,” directed by Sofia Geld

The opening bars of Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez’s “40 Days” invoke a familiar feeling of all-consuming loneliness. From its first moments of gentle piano and haunting vocals, you are pulled into the Brooklyn-based singer’s personal experience of deep solitude and recovery. 

Released in May 2021, “40 Days” is just one of several emotionally-resonating songs off the singer’s debut album If They’re Mine. On this track, Sokolov-Gonzalez explores themes of longing. Her lyrics “I dreamed of you for forty nights and forty days” lament not being ready, or able, to let go of a version of yourself that no longer serves you. 

Still of Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez in “40 Days,” directed by Sofia Geld

While the song alone packs a heavy emotional punch, the experience is heightened by the captivating visuals of the recently-released music video. Premiered in December and directed by Sofia Geld, the video paints a visceral picture of Sokolov-Gonzalez’s experience, as she embodies the feelings of longing that inspire this track.

As “40 Days” opens on a decidedly-desolate note, it establishes shots of an empty home that feels silent and heavy with dust, emphasizing the feeling of something missing. Shots of body parts, belonging to Sokolov-Gonzalez and her backup dancers, appear fragmented on-screen as an instrumental transition shifts upwards; this suggests that though something is over, it is now time to pick up the pieces. 

Still of Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez in “40 Days,” directed by Sofia Geld

Just as the viewer sinks into a comfortable feeling of melancholy, the arrival of layered drum, bass and keyboard, as well as the introduction of Sokolov-Gonzalez’s vocals, transform the love-sick ballad into a much needed pick-me-up. 

Sokolov-Gonzalez’s powerful voice, enriched by a layered harmony, creates a choral sound that is both invigorating and tender. That rich, soft sound is mirrored in the warm light that permeates so many moments in her video. Geld’s directional vision embodies the sound of “40 Days,” which can best be described as the euphoria of letting light into a dark room. 

Still of Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez in “40 Days,” directed by Sofia Geld

The focal point of this video is the body – namely, the physical manifestations of longing and solitude. Seemingly sequestered in a dark home that may be understood as symbolic of the singer's mind, we watch as she returns to her body and her feeling of self. It is in the repetitive movement of the hands and the erratic dancing of the backup singers that the audience is able to understand a powerful somatic experience that can’t be translated through lyrics alone. 

Everything about this project is deeply moving. The smooth R&B of “40 Days” makes for an anthem that will have you driving around the block a second time just to hear it again. Similarly, the world created in the accompanying music video will pull you into a dream-like state from which you will be reluctant to wake up. 

Watch the video for “40 Days” below!

Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez

Website | Instagram

Kate Addison

Website I Instagram

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PREMIERE: Nick Schofield Unveils Blissful Music Video for "Light and Space" (Forward Music Group)

Nick Schofield, shot by Christopher Honeywell

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of his sophomore LP Glass Gallery, Hull-based electroacoustic composer Nick Schofield aptly unveils the music video for his new track “Light and Space.” Composed entirely on a vintage Prophet-600 synthesizer, “Light and Space” is a meditative soundscape inspired by the dance between its namesake within the National Gallery of Canada, located in Ottawa.

On “Light and Space,” Schofield shares:

“This composition conveys a core sentiment that inspired the making of Glass Gallery - the sublime light that flows through the serene space of the National Gallery in Ottawa. I researched the Light and Space artistic movement and noticed that ideology of perceptual phenomena applied to the architecture of the gallery, especially how the glass structure frames the ever-changing natural light and environment. In a way, experiencing the light and space of the National Gallery showed me that the world can be framed as a work of art.”

Out today, the song’s accompanying music video captures Schofield’s notion of the everyday creative sanctuary. Shot on a ferry in British Columbia using a beloved point-and-shoot camera, the glimmering footage deconstructs Schofield’s surroundings, the ocean air, wind, waves and sparkling sunlight, into ethereal abstractions. On the video’s conceptualization, Schofield remarks: “In the song, crescendos of vintage synth chords and glistening arpeggios perfectly align with the fuzzy footage of water and waves, so it felt natural to pair them together.”

Watch the video for “Light and Space” below!

Nick Schofield
Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, radio host & DJ, and a musician.

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Taverne Tour x Also Cool Present: Into the Matrix with Andy Jon and Sheenah Ko

Hey, you on the Internet, wanna go to a show? Why not take a trip with us into the Matrix with Also Cool and Taverne Tour!

From February 4th (that's today) to 5th 2022, Taverne Tour takes on the Internet void with an interactive and free festival spanning across every genre you could ever want. 

Festival-goers will be able to explore this vintage video game-inspired 2D model of La Grande Métropole, meeting up with friends at various Plateau venues and bars while catching virtual concerts.

Also Cool is proud to virtually co-present Sheenah Ko (The Besnard Lakes, Antoine Corriveau, Le Couleur) and trip hop singer-songwriter Andy Jon, hosted on Aire Ouverte. 

Andy will be performing at Baptiste on Friday at 8 pm, followed by Sheenah who starts at 8:30 at Le Verre Bouteille. Later that night, garage rock prodigy Gus Englehorn will perform songs found on his forthcoming album via Secret City at Taverne Saint-Sacrement, followed by enigmatic artist Julia Daigle (from electro-pop outfit Paupière) who sings a selection of tracks from her recent critically-acclaimed opus at Diving Bell.

Friday will also see the queen of underground hip-hop, Emma Beko, warm up audiences everywhere with a set at La Sala Rossa. In terms of high decibels, the programming features post-rock/krautrock armada, Atsuko Chiba, accompanied by real time projections by video artist Anthony Piazza, at Le Ministère, and to conclude this first night of broadcast, Toronto-based industrial trio, Odonis Odonis, performing titles from their latest release, Spectrums, at l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle.

The first artist on Saturday night will be Hot Tramp signee, Alicia Clara, who will share with attendees her clever decoction of bedroom-pop at Diving Bell. Her concert starts at 8 pm. Fans of spitting will be able to catch rapper Skiifall, whose singular alloy of hip hop got him a record deal with prestigious label XL Recording (Radiohead, Tyler, the Creator, Kaytranada, etc.). He performs at 10pm at Belmont.

Also on Saturday, the curators offer an absolute treat for fans of heavy, experimental sounds as Montrealers thisquietarmy and Away (from Voïvod) present their new sci-fi drone metal project Thisquietarmy x Away at La Sala Rossa. The festival also presents “left field” artists N NAO (who also plays with Klô Pelgag and Laurence-Anne) and SEULEMENT (ex-Technical Kidman). The former picks from her ethereal pop repertoire, performing at Quai des Brumes, while the latter provides avant-garde electronic vibes at l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle.

Last but not least, the fourth wall shall be broken when singer-songwriter Alias dishes out his incendiary and psychedelic take on rock’n’roll at Pub West Shefford, to be followed by neo-disco/rock band BPR a.k.a. Barry Paquin Roberge, an orchestra featuring members of Les Deuxluxes and Les Breastfeeders, who are tasked with closing out this 2022 edition at Le Ministère.

The complete programming, as well as links to all free virtual events and Aire Ouverte, are available via the festival's website: https://www.tavernetour.ca

See you in the Matrix!

Andy Jon I Sheenah Ko

Taverne Tour is first and foremost the result of a collaboration and synergy between local cultural event organizers and business owners of Plateau Mont-Royal. By programming up-and-coming as well as established artists from here and abroad, in the neighbourhood’s many cultural establishments and other unusual locations, this year again, the event maintains its primary mandate: to energize the Plateau musical scene. In light of the pandemic that struck the World in the early 20s, this edition of Taverne Tour is more than ever a must for the many communities and artists who reside in the neighbourhood. So it is with great enthusiasm that we unveil, in tandem with Aire Ouverte, this unique interactive edition of the event!

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It Took Reno Cruz A Lot of Retrospection to Make "Falling In Love Is Not That Hard"

Reno Cruz. Photo courtesy of Sam Fuehring

In Reno Cruz’s debut album, Falling In Love Is Not That Hard, he draws on an essential truth that we have likely all grasped at some point during the pandemic: isolation and togetherness are not mutually exclusive, and it is easy to feel alone while in the presence of loved ones.

But unlike most, the Chicago-based folk artist didn’t learn about the fusion of these conflicting feelings in the midst of COVID-19. His upcoming project consists of countless years of retrospection, taking listeners back to the time when he first moved to Chicago in 2017.

“I ended up here in a kind of roundabout way,” Cruz tells me over Zoom. “I was acting in a film that was shooting in Wisconsin, but then staying in Chicago on my off-days.” Originally from Los Angeles, Cruz initially came to the Midwest for acting school in his late teenage years. “I was like a little nerdy 19 year-old coming into Chicago on the weekends, and trying to find any cool culture that I could,” he says.

Although Cruz felt happy with the energy that he put into the film, he had a quick change of heart and decided to brace the music industry head-on. “I suddenly realized that this was not what I cared about,” Cruz says. “I really wanted to be a songwriter, but I wasn’t writing songs. The experience of moving to Chicago—and the many things that I discovered about myself between 2017 and 2019—were what really shaped the record.”

Reno Cruz. Photo courtesy of Jacob King

Cruz wants to make it clear that while Falling In Love Is Not That Hard focuses on relationships, “...it’s really about anxiety, and the narrative that we tell ourselves in relationship to other people.” He tells me that the man pouring out his soul in many of the songs off of Falling In Love Is Not That Hard is not the same Reno Cruz that I’m interviewing through video chat, but instead represents a different version of himself. “It’s the version of me that I was in January of 2019. Fucking heartbroken, lying on the floor and thinking, ‘Oh God, what is this!?’” He mentions how contradictory his emotions were at this moment of his life; although he was depressed from trying to recover from a breakup, he was also excited to be living in a new city, taking on the music industry and making cool and talented friends with each passing day.

Cruz shares with me that the word he came across which helped him to conceptualize these feelings was ‘ambivalence’ – meaning two strong opposing emotions being felt at the same time. “That’s not my experience with any particular relationship, that’s my experience of life,” he says. 

“Life is not simple; relationships are not simple. We live in an extremely complex, ever-changing world that brings up all kinds of feelings all the time. When it comes to feeling isolation and togetherness at the same time … You can feel that way in a romantic relationship, you can feel that way when you’re out at the bar with your friends, and you can feel intensely connected to people when you’re all alone in your bedroom.”

Before leaving his home in California to pursue acting and songwriting, Cruz had already worked many odd jobs. This includes stints as a jewelry salesman, banjo boy, and even a cheesemonger (which he still does to this day). “I’ve had a weird life, and I’ve certainly sought that out,” Cruz informs me. “But when you seek something out enough, it also finds its way to you. Mostly I’ve just been saying ‘yes’ to whatever I have been offered … I’ve said yes to a lot of weird shit, and it’s definitely enriched my life.” 

Because Cruz has had to operate in a lot of different contexts, he feels conviction in his ability to relate and empathize with a broad array of humans across the world. “I’ve been in acting, but I would also consider many of my experiences in customer service as acting, as well. It’s an emotional labour, if you have to speak to someone who is being rude and unreasonable to you. And it’s a skill that I don’t believe people who haven’t worked in that field often think about.” 

Reflecting on these experiences, Cruz explains how this kind of emotional labour has impacted his life as a songwriter as well. “In the song ‘Everybody,’ I sing about how ‘everybody wants to be my baby,’ and ‘everybody needs a piece of me.’ In many ways, it’s about me feeling like I’m doing customer service in my regular life.”

Reno Cruz. Photo courtesy of Sam Fuehring

For musicians looking to release their debut works into the world, Reno Cruz offers two pieces of advice based on his own experiences: be honest with yourself, and take your time. “Moving towards music wasn’t my plan … it was just, like, ‘I need to do this,’” Cruz reflects. “But it took a long time, because I was too locked up emotionally to become a songwriter. I learned how to play guitar, and I played music with other people for years and years and years before I got to a place where I was writing songs that I felt I could actually play in front of other people … you don’t have to be honest to write a song, but you have to be honest to write a good song.”

Cruz also emphasizes that “... [i]f you haven’t lived any life, then you can’t write a song,” and I am forced to think about all his odd jobs, heartbreaks, and the adventures that came to him upon moving from place-to-place. He believes in random bursts of creativity, but he also believes in the power of sitting down to refine his musical creations.

According to Cruz, these two methods live in symbiosis – you simply cannot have one without the other. “Sometimes it comes out all at once, and you’re literally looking at where you are, and what’s going on, and trying to get it as clearly and concisely onto the paper as you can. But sometimes you need to take a long time and just let it sit. We tend to romanticize that burst of creativity, but sometimes that’s not the best way to say it. You have to go back and be honest with yourself, edit, and show people how it’s working. It’s a balance of that super potent in-the-moment feeling, and later on, that healthy detachment from that emotion in order to make it as clear as possible.”

Listeners who enjoy Falling In Love Is Not That Hard can expect more Reno Cruz projects in the future, although they might be somewhat different from his debut release. He is currently finishing off an EP which serves as a follow-up to Falling In Love Is Not That Hard. This upcoming project explores some of the same themes, but with an expanded musical palette; more complex harmonies, additional instrumentation, and even a rap feature.

“I don’t know if I’m a folk artist, even though I love acoustic guitar and folk has had a huge impact on my life. But I had to make Falling In Love Is Not That Hard because of who I was at a certain time in my life. I’m really excited to put it out and move past it, because even though I love this record, I know that there is more to the story.”

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Falling In Love Is Not That Hard

Released January 21st, 2022

1. F.I.L.I.N.T.H.

2. Wild Geese

3. Love Is A Wave

4. Around U

5. Everybody Wants

6. Your Love

7. The Problem

8. Heart Is A Window

9. Barnacles!

10. I'd Do It All Again

11. Love Is A Wave (Demo)

All tracks produced by Reno Cruz

Track 9 co-produced by Hunter Davidson

Mixed and mastered by Brok Mende at Friends of Friends Recording

Vocals on Tracks 1, 4, 5, 9, and 10 by Hannah Maverick-Cruz

Vocals on Tracks 6 and 10 by Danielle Strautmanis

Vocals on Tracks 9 and 10 by Wyatt Waddell

Vocals on Track 9 by Ariella Granados & Izzy Ortiz

Drums on Tracks 1, 7 and 10 by Sam Subar

Bass clarinet on Track 1 by Jacob Slocum

Bass on Tracks 4, 6, 7 and ambience on Track 2 by Jake Hawrlyak

Violin on Track 5 by Noelle Viard

Tenor saxophone on Track 7 by Eric Novak

Tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute on Track 6 by Kenneth Leftridge

Drums on Track 6 by David Blair Jr.

Trombone and trumpet on Track 6 by Chris Misch

Flutes on Track 10 by José Guadalupe Flores

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Reno Cruz

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

YouTube | Apple Music | Twitter | Website

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.

Instagram

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Ura Star and Fireball Kid Release Sparkly Pop Album "Emotional Bros Hotline"

If we're being real, who hasn't been in their feelings lately? With their latest album, Emotional Bros Hotline, Ura Star and Fireball aren't afraid to be vulnerable. 

The sparkling pop rhythms, tender lyrics, and upbeat vocals with just a touch of hyper pop give us the rush of serotonin we need. The album dances through different genres of pop, drawing on emo, electronic, and mainstream influences.

Over the past decade, Ura Star & Fireball Kid have grown alongside each other as artists. This comes after their previous indie-rock ventures as Polaris long-listed band Stegosaurus and other East Coast Canadian rock outfits.

Now working in Montreal, the duo uses starry-eyed dance music to spotlight vulnerability between friends, kindred maritime party values, frantic emotional dispatches via voicemail, and how weekend night celebrations tie it all together.

Listen to Emotional Bros Hotline below

Executive produced, mixed and mastered by @_xomargoxo_

All art by @pup.py

Production and mixing by @_sidechick_ on Come Thru and Be There For You

Piano by @brimacombeben on Be There For You & vocals/writing on Come Thru

Vocals by @pretemccoy on Working It Out and Be There For You

Guitar by @karl.heck on Kissin N Makin Love

Hotline operator @realvoid on Kissin N Makin Love

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Scarlet Rae Shares Dreamy Music Video for "Seems Like Forever"

Scarlet by Jason Renaud

Waking up from a mid-day nap in the winter, getting lost on your way home from the metro, working too much and forgetting to make plans with your friends... The icy vulnerability of January requires a soundtrack that's just as emotionally heavy. Scarlet Rae's latest single, "Seems Like Forever," is the perfect addition to your hibernation playlists.

Scarlet is an independent artist originally from Los Angeles and now based in New York City. She was previously in a band called Rose Dorn (Bar/None Records) and has since launched her solo career with previous singles "Parachute" and "Going Through." Her tender approach to the singer-songwriter style will find fans among those of Cryogeyser, Momma, and waveform*.

Scarlet by Jason Renaud

"Seems Like Forever" is a preview of her upcoming album (set to be released later this year) and draws on inspiration from Elliot Smith, Bright Eyes, and Sparklehorse. 

The track is accompanied by a music video directed by @surfgang1 @harrrrisonnnn @isawdottie, and was mixed by @aron.kr and mastered by @timothystollenwerk.

Watch "Seems Like Forever" below

Scarlet Rae

Spotify I Instagram I YouTube

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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Milk Jennings Shares Debut Single "Head Talk" (Prod. Sam Cohen) via Telefono & ORG Music

Walking the line between dreamy ambiguity and the harsh complexity of untangling a friendship, Milk Jennings shares his debut single "Head Talk." Milk Jennings, who is one half of Chinese American Bear. Accompanied by a surrealistic music video released via Telefono and ORG Music, the single gives us a taste of his upcoming album to be released this spring.

"Head Talk" was created in collaboration with Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Alexandra Savior, Cass McCombs), with the music video produced by Milk Jennings. The mellow tune teeters between love and resentment in a friendship with non-linear, hazy lyrics imitating the complex, often chaotic inner monologue.

The "Head Talk" music video was shot, animated & directed by Milk Jennings. The process consisted of taking 3D photogrammetry scans of himself and importing them into Cinema 4D, where he then manipulated and edited them, adding in lights and cameras. The overall direction takes inspiration from 15th/16th-century renaissance portrait paintings, adapting them to the strange digital world. The literal exploding heads are an ode to the song's lyrics, partly to offset the seriousness of the song's message with a bit of humour. 

Watch the video below

Milk Jennings

Instagram I Spotify I Apple Music I Bandcamp

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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Dutch Indie Quintet The Klittens Tackle Coming of Age on New Track "Herkenbosch"

The Klittens by Megan Bruinen

On their latest offering “Herkenbosch,” Dutch five-piece The Klittens tour a small town just south of Holland. With a population of about 4,200 people, a single church and a skatepark, the modest Herkenbosch is the hometown of guitarist Winne Conradi’s parents, and where she spent her teenage years.

“Herkenbosch” still by Megan Bruinen

Following the release of their single “Canned Air” —premiered on October 15th via So Young Magazine— “Herkenbosch” is the band’s take on a theme as old as time: coming of age. Unlike its lamenting predecessors, such as “Old World” by The Modern Lovers, “Herkenbosch” finds lightness in reminiscing, and outgrowing, a past version of oneself: “You can’t live in a hamster ball/I miss the ruins of my childhood/What else can we do about the modern way of death?” sings The Klittens’ Yaël Dekker.

“Herkenbosch” still by Megan Bruinen

Fittingly, “Herkenbosch” supports The Klittens starting a new chapter as a band. Since the release of their 2020 maxi-single Pigeonhole, the group opened the 2020 Amsterdam Fashion Week in Paradiso, played the Left Of The Dial Festival at Maassilo in Rotterdam, and caught the attention of Beats Per Minute and Matthew Wilkinson of Apple Music’s The Matt Wilkinson Show. 

“Herkenbosch” still by Megan Bruinen

Along with “Canned Air,” “Herkenbosch” is The Klittens’ second hint at what we hope is a full-release to come.

Watch the music video for “Herkenbosch” below! 

The Klittens

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Sounds Cool 2021 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

Illustration by Malaika Astorga

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

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

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

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

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Sounds Cool 2021 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bnny - Everything (Fire Talk)

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

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

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Clairo - Sling (FADER)

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

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Das Beat - Identität (Arbutus Records)

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

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

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Dish Pit - DIPSHIT (Self-Released)

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

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

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

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

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Ducks Ltd. - Modern Fiction (Royal Mountain)

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

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

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Hildegard - Hildegard (Chivi Chivi / Section1)

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

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

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Jane Inc. - Number One (Telephone Explosion)

Interview with Jane Inc. by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter 

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

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

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

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kolenżanka - Place Is (Bar/None)

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

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

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L’Impératrice - Tako Tsubo (microqlima)

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

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

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Magi Merlin - Drug Music (Self-Released)

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

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

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

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

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May Rio - Easy Bammer (Dots Per Inch)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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PinkPantheress - to hell with it (Parlophone) 

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

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Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World (Warp Records) 

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

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Listen to our year in review below!

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Beatrice Deer Extends Multidimensional Motivation on Sixth Album "SHIFTING"

Beatrice Deer. Photo courtesy of Alexi Hobbs

With this time of year comes the inevitable flow of introspective reflections. Accomplishments, setbacks, and moments in between shape our stories all the same, informing who we are and granting the strength needed for what’s ahead. Determined to encapsulate this process of forward motion, Montreal-based “Inuindie” artist Beatrice Deer has released her sixth studio album SHIFTING, out now.

Deer has garnered acclaim for her innovative approach to indie rock. Her award-winning catalogue has been recognized for its fusion of traditional Inuit tales and throat singing with contemporary folk and pensive originality. SHIFTING continues in that vein, documenting the singer-songwriter’s road towards self-actualization. “Emotionally, spiritually, and physically, the transition towards our authentic selves continues,” says Deer of her latest project. “As I shift into the position where I’m meant to be, I want to keep using what I’ve learned to help others.”

Beatrice Deer. Photo courtesy of Alexi Hobbs

Across the album, Deer orients her unique experience in the universally-binding challenge that is seeking light through the darkness. As she expresses her captivating story across three languages (Inuktitut, English and French) and numerous sub-genres, her latest release maintains a steady focus on illustrating the path towards continual transformation.

Certain tracks off of SHIFTING explicitly allude to the woman-in-progress. On recent single “THE STORM,” Deer wields post-punk sensibilities to heighten the metaphor of a northern snowstorm representing the flurries of life itself. “SUNAUVVA” grounds Deer in a shoegaze-y smog, with her euphoric voice eventually breaking from the percussive and throat-sung fury, determined to heal. “MOTHER” coddles the listener in its sonic warmth, as Deer pays a touching tribute to the woman whose journey has inspired her own.

Beatrice Deer. Photo courtesy of the artist

Elsewhere in the album, Deer turns that meditative gaze outwards. With “UQAUTINNGA,” Deer passionately implores the children of tomorrow to believe in their own futures. “HISTORY” sees Deer’s airy vocals cut deep with poignant lyricism; she shakes the listener by the shoulders over a determined indie beat. “Get out of your history and into your destiny,” she cries – these adamant reflections aim to stoke change in others and, at once, serve as reminders for the self.

Altogether, the sonic and lyrical elements to SHIFTING traverse the same meandering and enlightening road. Its dips and forks tell stories of versatility and resilience, grounded in Beatrice Deer’s distinctive blend of tradition and experimentation.

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SHIFTING

Released December 10th, 2021

1. FREE

2. UQAUTINNGA

3. AANNGIQ

4. ILINNUT - a prayer

5. THE STORM

6. SUNAUVVA

7. CANNIBAL

8. HISTORY

9. MOTHER (version francaise)

10. CHRISTMAS

Vocals, Inuit throat singing, and ukele by Beatrice Deer

Acoustic/electric guitars, keyboards, and bass by Chris McCarron

Drums and keyboards by Mark Wheaton

Drone synthesizer and bass by Michael Felber

Lap steel and acoustic/electric guitars by Jordey Tucker

French horn, piano, and keyboards by Pietro Amato

Harp by Sarah Pagé

Flute and saxophones by Erik Hove

Accordion by Eva Deer

Backing vocals by Elliott Wheaton


All lyrics written by Beatrice Deer except for AANGIQ (traditional)

All songs written by Beatrice Deer and arranged by Mark Wheaton & Chris McCarron

Recorded, engineered and produced by Mark Wheaton & Chris McCarron at BSE Studios and Skybarn in Montreal

Lyrics for MOTHER (version française) adapted by Kathia Rock

Mixed by Jace Lasek {tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11}

Mixed by Pietro Amato {tracks 3, 4, 9}

Mastered by Philip Gosselin

Album cover art by Niap, design & layout by Heath Cairns

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Beatrice Deer

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Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Take A Sip of Calm Lake's Sparkling Anti-Jingle "Le Seltzer"

Single art by Jess

With yet another series of doom-and-gloom announcements under our belts, it’s easy to get caught up in the one-two punch otherwise known as the past couple of years. Now more than ever is the time to practice gratitude and reflect on the little things that bring us joy: aimless strolls, loved ones, and — of course — a crisp can of seltzer. Montreal’s Calm Lake has freshly released “Le Seltzer”, a gleaming bedroom-pop track that does just that.

Calm Lake is a project by Filipino-Canadian songwriter Nikki Celis (known as one-half of shoegaze duo cmfrtble.), who is currently based in Montreal. Calm Lake is a collaborative effort featuring friends from around Canada, including Andrew Joshua, Shane Spencer, Alex Lavoie and Jessica Segura. The project finds their inspiration from 90s emo and dream-pop, citing influences like Pedro the Lion, The Radio Dept., and Bilinda May.

Nikki Celis of Calm Lake. Photo courtesy of Nikki Celis

“Le Seltzer” marks the project’s second single, following the angsty “Toothache” released in August of this year. “Le Seltzer” was written as an earnest tribute to the locally-owned seltzer water brand that started during the pandemic. The track is described as an “anti-jingle”, inspired by the fluorescent catchiness of ‘90s product commercials. On the story of “Le Seltzer”, Celis remarks:

"In Montreal, people have been finding ways to express their creativity, whether that's making new musical projects like Calm Lake, making their 'quarantine songs' or even starting new businesses. This is my take on a quarantine song."

From start to finish, “Le Seltzer” paints a sanguine picture with dream-pop production that’s as effervescent as the beverage itself. This track leaves you with no choice but to smile, evoking memories of sunset-tinted park hangs and breezy balconies through its jangly fog. As major fans of this delicious drink, we here at Also Cool are pleased to report that Calm Lake’s latest single is just as satisfying. Kick back with a can of yuzu blossom and pomelo and don’t lose sight of the escapades that await you.

Stream “Le Seltzer” below!

Calm Lake

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Rebecca Judd is the features editor of Also Cool Mag.

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Oxford Drama Tackle the Never-Ending Spiral of Being "Too Busy" in New Music Video

Too busy to see friends regularly, too busy for work-life balance, too busy for the gig tonight, too busy to buy groceries... it's all a little bit too much, all the time. If this sounds like you, you're not alone. It seems that we're all struggling to keep up with life now that the world has (sort of) opened up again. 

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

They offer the important reminder with their lyrics, "The world only stops when you tell it to" – something that all of us need to take to heart more often. Setting boundaries, being firm in self-care routines, and prioritizing physical and mental health are all things that can get pushed to the side with the easy excuse of being "too busy."

According to the band, “Too Busy” is an honest confession about an unhealthy start to the day when you compare to everyone and everything around you. It's also a fierce statement about getting your own life back after quitting an addictive spiral of who's got it better. And despite the appeal of all those apps, sometimes you're just too busy for more punches from the modern world. 

Watch “Too Busy” below & read our last interview with Oxford Drama here.

Oxford Drama

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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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GG Love Release Montreal-Core Music Video for "Telephone"

GG Love has joined the pantheon of musicians with iconic telephone-themed tunes. Although far from the art-pop sound of Lady Gaga's popular communications-themed track, GG Love's Telephone is a softer, heartfelt melody. 

Despite the track's tenderness, the lyrics are firm in setting boundaries with a person from GG's past, who seems to have lost their number to the void and yet continues to try and reach out. It's one of many love-themed tunes from their latest album, "How Do You Define Love?" Check out our interview for their last release, It Could Still Be A Win here.

Telephone is accompanied by a very Montreal-core music video featuring the infamous train tracks, Jarry Park, and our unofficial workout group Pump Pump. Not only that, but there's also a whole choreographed dance routine featuring some very cool cowboy hats, a samurai, disco ball weights, and a banana phone. What more could you ask for?

Watch Telephone below

GG Love

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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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Mue Releases Abstract IDM Track "Andand" (Halocline Trance)

Single artwork for “Andand”. Artwork courtesy of Mue

While I can’t speak to other’s experiences of the genre, this reviewer has gravitated towards instrumental and ambient electronic music for its ability to produce spaces and energies few other genres can accomplish. The ability to blend composition with refined style and improvisation leads to pretty unique and inexplicable headspaces while listening, it seems to make me feel all the more aware of our world continuing and ever changing around myself, that I’m dwarfed by it all. 

So, it’s always intriguing to know of talented Canadian producers continuing this tradition, inventing their own spaces and compositions made impossible to replicate. Montreal's IDM duo Mue have released their next single "Andand" in anticipation of their full-length LP Les vasières.

Catherine Debard and Léon Lo of Mue. Photo courtesy of Vincent Castonguay

Comprised of Léon Lo and Catherine Debard (YlangYlang), Mue’s production blends elements of minimalism, ambient electronica, and, in their own words, the “natural phenomena” of their real-time hardware improvisations to intertwine patterns, textures, and produce a sense of space and scale.

“Andand” continues a precedent from Mue’s previous singles, evoking that cerebral in-between feeling before you’re swept off to sleep. Warped piano chimes and fractured vocal samples cut through echoed clicks and bass kicks like heartbeat arrhythmia. It evokes the feeling of remaining fixed in place within a cycling void. Imagine hearing howls of a grand piano from the innards of a derelict underground tunnel system. 

Lo describes “Andand” as a composition with, “no binaries [and] no simple opposition”. “Either/or is subsumed by infinite relations and dizzying possibilities, by the perpetual crest of and/and.”

“Andand” is accessible for streaming on Bandcamp and Soundcloud as well as all other major streaming platforms. Mue’s full-length LP Les vasières is planned to release by next spring via Toronto label Halocline Trance on digital platforms and vinyl press. 

Stream “Andand” below!

Mue

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Tune in to Debard and Lo’s monthly radio show on N10.AS, Heavy Metal Parking Lot – streaming every 4th Saturday of the month at 5pm EST!

Gabriel Lunn is a writer, multimedia journalist, and pop music enthusiast based out of Victoria BC. When he isn’t trying to decipher the human condition he can usually be found going for long runs or collecting vinyl records he really doesn’t need.

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FHANG Shares Surrealist Video for FLEUR DU MAL (via Hidden Ship)

A white horse dances in place, a shadow crawls across the ceiling, a man on fire emerges from a lake. Welcome back to the world of FHANG, the up-and-coming duo from Montreal. 

Through ritual and visuals straight out of Twin Peaks, FHANG offers us another portal to enter their universe with their latest music video, FLEUR DU MAL. Gentle vocals guide us through surging crescendos, evoking the sensation that maybe we've been in this dream before. 

FLEUR DU MAL acts as a gateway to FHANG's self-titled album, released earlier this year. It forces us to confront how we can refresh our capacity for wonder while the supersaturation of endless change dulls our senses.

We were able to catch the duo live at this year's FME, and we were just as much enchanted by their live performance as their recorded work. You can read our interview with FHANG here.

Watch FLEUR DU MAL

FHANG

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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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Julia Daigle Shares Glittering New Album "Un singe sur l'épaule" (via Lisbon Lux Records)

Julia Daigle (member of the duo Paupière) has released her album "Un singe sur l'épaule" via Lisbon Lux Records. The album is a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Dominic Vanchesteing. Drawing on Kate Bush, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and even some krautrock, glittering psychedelic melodies carry Julia's latest body of work. 

The song Nanette was inspired by the biography of Nanette Workman and the energy of New York City. Julia whispers, "Fifth Avenue dans l'infini Sous les néons, les dieux sourient." It's the perfect soundtrack for your weekend adventures and your "I'm The Main Character" playlists. 

The video for Nanette is inspired by The Star, Arcanum XVII of the Tarot de Marseille and the work of Henry Corbin. It's an excursion into a haunted landscape, an emotional labyrinth that has become physical, where a figure retraces, in an infinite ring, the path of her inner wanderings. In this liminal space between night and dawn, she wanders through strange - and unexpectedly familiar - places in search of a sign, a key. Territory without landmarks of the exile of the heart. 

For fans of Melody's Echo Chamber, Wild Nothing, and TOPS, Julia's Daigle's "Un singe sur l'épaule" is for you.

Julia Daigle by David Cannon

Julia Daigle

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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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"Carved Into Stone" and The Enchanting Artistry of Isaac Symonds (Crystal Math)

Isaac Symonds and Loryn Taggart. Photo courtesy of Samuel Woywitka

For multi-instrumentalist Isaac Symonds, the past year has brought ample opportunities to redefine his creative vision and create his very own orchestral paradise. “Since my departure from Half Moon Run in early 2020,” he says, “I’ve spent most of my time honing in on songwriting, producing and recording.”

Symonds is not lying; on October 14th, the psychedelic, cinematic music video of “Carved Into Stone” (in collaboration with Loryn Taggart) was released on YouTube. The video features musicians from acts such as Barr Brothers, the Franklin Electric and Teke Teke––among others––doing what they know and love best during a recording session at Montreal’s Mixart Studios. Viewers are immersed in Loryn Taggart’s heartfelt voice as it coats the 50s-inspired instrumentation like warm honey, and Symonds diligently orchestrates a variety of instruments.

I was delighted to catch up with Symonds over Zoom, where he guided me through the world of "Carved Into Stone" and left some breadcrumbs of the magic he’s preparing.

Cover image for “Carved Into Stone” by Isaac Symonds & Loryn Taggart. Photo courtesy of Samuel Woywitka

Symonds explains that after he and Taggart wrote “Carved Into Stone,” they decided that it only felt right to fully fund the orchestral arrangement themselves. “It costs some money hiring all the musicians, but we just felt that we needed to do justice to this song.” 

He elaborates by saying that upon finishing the lyric writing, he and Taggart tried executing a multitude of versions of the song. “It’s kinda like covering yourself,” Symonds explains. “You have this song, and you want to stay true to the lyrics and the song form. In my eyes, it’s the hardest part… and the most important.”

After finally landing on the orchestral version and seeing their project take form, Symonds reflects on the experience, saying that it has renewed his belief in studio magic. “Once I realized that kind of sound was possible, it really opened up my mind for other possibilities in the future… It makes me think to myself, ‘holy shit, I’m capable of doing that!’ It’s crazy.” The fact that this was Symonds’ first musical creation with barely any effects involved, aside from a bit of reverb on a select few instruments, makes the experience all-the-more remarkable to him. “It’s unbelievable how everything glued together so easily,” he says.

When asked about the meaning behind the lyrics in “Carved Into Stone,” Symonds notes how Taggart brought up the word “sondering” in a brainstorming session. “I really liked the sound and the vibe of that word, but I didn’t know what it meant at the time.” After finding out that ‘sondering’ is a term used to describe feeling one has when they realize that the lives of those around them are equally as vivid as their own, Symonds and Taggart agreed that this should serve as the basis of their song. “We wanted to combine a classic love song with this idea of sondering,” Symonds explains. “When we were songwriting we were imagining the idea of being on a metro, or a bus, and catching eyes with a beautiful person and having a slip[ping] moment of connection. It’s about really wanting to say hello, when all of the sudden the doors close, and you’re left wondering about all the things that could have happened.”

As he looks towards the future, the conversation veers in the direction of Symonds’ upcoming project, which he is very excited to talk about. “I’m not sure whether it’s going to be an album or an EP, but I’ve booked all the same musicians [that appear in ‘Carved Into Stone’] and I’ve basically written all the songs and lyrics.” 

The multi-instrumentalist has now booked a chalet Airbnb just an hour north of Montreal, and is looking forward to having no distractions. “I live on Saint-Denis in Montreal, and the ongoing sound of traffic is very unforgiving.” In terms of the process, Symonds aims to bring his musical ensemble to his Airbnb retreat, flesh out the skeleton of his music, and then conjure some more studio magic back in Montreal’s Mixart Studios. This, according to Symonds, will be a process which revolves around trimming and perfecting more than anything else. “I probably have twenty songs right now, but only seven of them will push through… or maybe more, or maybe less. I’ve been writing this for two years, so I need to think to myself, ‘is this gonna live on my hard drive, or is this gonna live on Spotify?’ I’m giving it my best to one day let it live out in the open, but music is like a fruit, and I wouldn’t want to release anything that isn’t ripe.”

Reflecting on his career up until this point, Symonds has two useful pieces of advice to give to musicians who want to take their personal practices further: to experiment with many instruments, and to hold back from publishing music until you’ve perfected it. “Being a multi-instrumentalist is always an asset,” Symonds emphasizes. “If your band can ‘switch roles,’ it’s always interesting, both for the listener and for your own experience as well.”

Speaking to his second point, Symonds urges musicians to “...just focus on the song. Maybe people will say I’m wrong, but I don’t think you should promote stuff on social media unless it’s your best material… Write tunes that you’re proud of and know are good, and then move onto promoting it.” Too often, Symonds says, musical artists try to ‘luck out’ and generate a huge buzz by marketing their personalities online rather than their actual content. But people enjoy listening to good music, Symonds says, and talented artists can always rely on letting the music speak for itself. “If you let the music do the work, everything else will become easier.”

I left my conversation with Symonds feeling inspired and revitalized; even through our respective computer screens, his sense of excitement and creativity was palpable. After creating the beautiful arrangement of “Carved Into Stone,” he seems to think that anything is possible, and quite frankly, I believe him. I’m really looking forward to the new music he and Taggart put out, both together and as solo artists. Regardless of whether their future projects manifest as albums or EPs, these musicians are destined to continue the spark behind this latest magical release.

Stream “Carved Into Stone”, the enchanting instrumental version, and the psychedelic remix “Searching in Sonder” below!

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Isaac Symonds

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

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Dayton Swim Club’s Debut "Hangman" Invites You to Rage With Them (Perpetual Doom)

Nick Flessa and Dominique Matelson of Dayton Swim Club. Photo courtesy of Mario Luna

A rager takes place in some unspecified, sprawling Southwestern desert. Visualize Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas’ opening scene, except noir. Dayton Swim Club are playing for the party-goers when a mob of zombies overwhelm the space. These zombies look familiar; they are not corporeal revenants, but instead a tyrannized social cult. 

Fresh from American indie label Perpetual Doom, Dayton Swim Club’s debut Hangman offers a soundscape for pensive days. Its seven hypnotic tracks will rouse thoughts about sinister social norms as the sequel of a tormented history. Nick Flessa’s droned lead vocals are reminiscent of a late-70s shoegaze mood; together with Dominique Matelson’s ethereal voice and Mario Luna’s fuzzy, reverb-soaked guitar riffs, Dayton Swim Club’s concoction of space and distorted atmosphere(s) are magnified.

Melodic, lo-fi guitar riffs hint towards 60s psychedelia, setting the stage in “Pillow Talk.” As these riffs darken into an ambient sparseness, a collection of Me Too realities and other familiar authoritative perversions are confronted. Flessa and Matelson spiral between direct address, first, second and third person POV, alluding to the twisted yet very real nature of the track’s themes. “Night Breed” is a “Pillow Talk” season 2 of sorts: here, the sun sets and the mood dampens. Backing vocals evocative of female screams haunt an arid town where street lamps flicker. A rhythmically dark guitar persists, reminding us that here, days are as sunless as the nights.  

An eerie mélange of strings pierces the hovering gloomy clouds in "Landers”. The remote, Californian desert community that the track was named after renders a multifarious conceit for issues related to individualism and destruction. The track’s motif “Be your own man / Be your own hang / Be your own hang, man”  is chanted by Flessa and, paralleled with Matelson’s operatic vocals, induces an artful abstraction of social terrors. Dayton Swim Club have wrapped resentments of the ruinous Manifest Destiny and other deteriorating effects of political ideologies in shoegazed, Western-noir packaging.   

We caught up with Flessa just after the release of “Landers” to chat about the (pandemic-induced) means of recording and mixing the album, tonal and lyrical inspirations, and the bar featured in the “Landers” video.

Dayton Swim Club. Photo courtesy of the band

CJ Sommerfeld for Also Cool Mag: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with Also Cool today, and cheers on the new album!  What forces were responsible for Nick Flessa Band’s conceptual and sonic transition into Dayton Swim Club? 

Nick Flessa for Dayton Swim Club: Thank you! I guess the main force behind the transition is my collaboration with guitarist Mario Luna, who took over composition and production duties. Mario has a strong and focused vision for the project. He’s also responsible for a lot of our visual presentation – flyers, band photos, etc. So far in Dayton Swim Club I’ve mostly been a lyricist and frontman, as well as the de facto manager.  

Nick Flessa Band hit a stride in 2019 with a lineup including Dominique Matelson, Jessica Perelman and Kirsten Bladh. At the beginning we were playing songs from my previous solo releases. Once this band became a regular unit, and we started writing new material together, it began evolving into its current form. Without having released anything, we played three shows as Dayton Swim Club in late 2019/early 2020 shortly before the shutdown. 

Also Cool: Dayton Swim Club is a collaborative ensemble between numerous L.A.-based musicians. Were you acquainted with these artists prior to creating music together, or did you get together for this project? 

Nick Flessa: We mostly knew each other in some capacity. It’s funny because Mario and I went to CalArts at the exact same time but didn’t cross paths until later, through music. Then we kept running into each other at Kaldi Coffee in Atwater Village and became friends. A few years later I also met Dominique at Kaldi, where she was working at the time. Greg Marino, who plays sax on the record, works there too. Mario, Jessica and I have all played in another project called Fragile Gang. Kirsten is an old friend from Cincinnati, where I’m from originally. J.D. Carrera (pedal steel on “Predatory Drift”) and I have collaborated a bunch and were roommates for a long time, and Pauline Lay (strings on DSC) is another art/music friend. 

Most of the players we’ve worked with are people I've been familiar with already – knowing so many excellent musicians is a huge perk of living in Los Angeles. The current iteration of the band includes our friends Daniel and Scarlett (on bass and synth, respectively), whom I met for the first time at a practice a few months ago. Mario brought them in and they’ve been doing great work – our live show feels stronger and more cohesive than ever.  

AC: Hangman was written during the pandemic – what was it about that time that encouraged the creation of this project? 

NF: Like many, I needed a project to hold me together during that time. At first it was a challenge to try to coordinate everything remotely, but Mario and I developed a workflow where he would send me song ideas and I would write lyrics in response, then record vocals and send them to him for mixing – Postal Service style. We found ways for our other collaborators to contribute parts remotely, and developed some pre-pandemic demos into full-fledged songs. 

Working on the record helped create structure to combat the general isolation of that period. The stakes of life itself felt raised, and since I had the freedom to focus solely on writing lyrics, I tried to take the day-to-day as a prompt to explore my thoughts and feelings about the past few years as we collectively bore the bizarre brunt of American history – a nightmare from which I'm still trying to awaken. I took a break from drinking, sharpened the focus of my reading and writing, and went on long walks. Making this record was part of surviving and processing that time and the years that led up to it, fueled by some distant hope that we’d eventually be able to finish, share and perform the project.  

AC: The locations where [the video for your track] “Landers” was filmed —Landers and Palm Springs—reflect the death cult that the United States has become. Can you tell me a little more regarding what it is about these communities that represents both a history and present state of self-destruction? Can you elaborate on the track’s lyrical motif “Be your own man, be your own hang-man"? 

NF: I spent much of 2020 in Palm Springs at my partner Chloe’s dad’s house, right next to a public golf course. It was a huge luxury to be in a relaxed environment with a swimming pool and plenty of space to walk around. It felt like I was hiding out on a permanent vacation during the apocalypse. I walked around the golf course frequently, and thought a lot about how many resources went into maintaining it. 

Those thoughts led to more thoughts about Western expansion, “Manifest destiny”, and the US as a colonial superpower; how the pandemic laid bare so many structural failures, but how control is always prioritized here. American individualism came full circle in 2020, a sort of ouroboros where the self-made head eats the tail of its own self-destruction — the anti-mask movement and nationally sanctioned super-spreader events being examples. “Be your own man, be your own hang-man” refers to this, and also to the isolation of having to be one’s own “hang” during the pandemic.  

Landers is a remote community in the high desert near Joshua Tree. It’s beautiful, isolated, and the site of a lot of extraterrestrial and UFO sightings. We performed there one night in 2019 a few days after the death of the late, great David Berman. It was a heavy and heady trip. Jessica’s drum kit got run over by a drunk driver in the parking lot of the venue. There had just been a rainstorm, which caused our ill-equipped cars to get stuck in the sandy dirt roads on the way in and out. The night had an enchanted and cursed quality to it. This experience was also a tonal and lyrical inspiration for the song. The venue we played at was called Landers Brew, it’s also featured in the video. Just a few weeks after we filmed there, it was bought by a developer and shut down. I learned this via Instagram when I announced the video premiere.

AC: The remainder of the album carries strong socio-political concerns. Much has changed between when you wrote this album to now. In what ways do you think your next album will reflect this social change? 

NF: One concrete change is that we’ve all been able to gather together and perform live shows, now that there’s a vaccine. That’s been very new and exciting, but also a big moment of adaptation.  As a group we are hoping to have the opportunity to record in a studio together. We are gunning to make a very deliberate record that is conceptually thought through with an arc from start to finish. There's a sense in which Hangman is a cut-up record in terms of its structure, and I think that’s a strength, but I also think a more focused follow-up is in order.  

As much as the 2020 election was a pivotal moment, things aren’t great here. There’s a point, politically, where you can never go home again. As much as the attempt at a sanitized return to the Obama era has been a reprieve for some, I think there is much worse to come unless the Left can consolidate in a meaningful way.  

Our music speaks to a popular resentment. It’s valid to feel resentment at the way things work in the US, and that feeling is potent; ideally this is a power that can be harnessed to fight injustice rather than enforce it. While there are plenty of things to be optimistic about, even the most seemingly progressive of our elected politicians are doing more to appease Republicans than represent their own constituents. Corrupt city councilmen abuse the unhoused with impunity. Military budgets continue to inflate. The charade can’t be kept up forever, though. People are savvy. We can all see it happening in real time. Climate change, too, promises big catastrophes soon. This will continue to change the world we live in, and by necessity my writing will reflect that change.  

AC: Thank you again for your time, I’m loving this album and am looking forward to your future projects. What can we expect to see next from Dayton Swim Club? 

NF: Thank you so much! We have a few new things coming up, including a video by our brilliant friend Will Wiesenfeld (Baths) for our track “Predatory Drift”. We’re also doing a TV theme song cover for Perpetual Doom’s Stay Tuned compilation.  

Several DSC members have solo projects with upcoming shows and releases. Mario, Scarlett and Daniel are all playing in Daniel’s project Dearly Departure at Substance Festival in November. Dominique has a solo record she’s been working on concurrently with this one, coming soon. I'm working on a cover of a song by our friend and labelmate Austin Leonard Jones, also coming soon.  

We’re DJing labelmate Grady Strange’s residency at the Echo on November 1st, ahead of a short hiatus before one final 2021 show in December. Once we wrap these, then it’s back to the drawing board. 

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HANGMAN

Released September 17th, 2021 via Perpetual Doom

1. Darker Moves

2. Pillow Talk

3. Night Breed

4. Landers

5. Predatory Drift

6. Rage All Night

7. DSC

Produced and mixed by Mario Luna

Contributors include Jessica Perelman, Kirsten Bladh, Pauline Lay, Greg Marino, and J.D. Carrera

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Dayton Swim Club

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CJ Sommerfeld (she/her) is a Vancouver-based freelance writer with a particular interest in the convergence of language, art and society. When she is not writing, you can find her experimenting with harmonic minor progressions on her keyboard.

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Album art by Jem Woolidge

There's this feeling I get when I enter a new era of my life when I realize that the last chapter is slowly slipping away but not quite gone yet. I feel the change around me but can't see it yet other than the faintest signs that things won't be how they are for much longer. 

This moment usually comes during mundane moments, walking home from the grocery store, waiting for the light to change at Parc and Fairmount. Never Better's (AKA Rhys Climenhage) latest tracks Downtown (feat. Mitch Davis) and Silver Lining encapsulate this feeling. 

Lowkey vocals and gentle guitar take you by the hand, guiding you through an existential crisis that you're pushing out of your mind, walking you home through the rain. Light drums and the occasional instrumental interlude break up the vocals just long enough to gather your thoughts before you get home. You're left feeling comforted yet aware that you'll have to process these emotions sometime soon.

Rhys Climenhage is a multi-instrumentalist originally from Peterborough, Ontario, currently living in Montreal, Quebec, where he performs as Never Better. Prior to his solo endeavours, Rhys was active playing in bands Stacey Green Jumps, Texas Wayne, Frank Mothman, and Sasha Cay.

He draws inspiration from his father, a painter and career musician who taught him his first few chords on guitar. After a few years of fiddling on all of the instruments available around the house, Rhys picked up more technical training in his high school jazz band. Today, he plays every instrument on his recordings in his apartment studio built over the years while working in kitchens around the city.

Never Better

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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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