Music

12 new Canadian bands you should pay attention to

by Mark Teo

It’s impossible to keep pace with the new music coming from the far-flung corners of Canada. (Thankfully, sites like Weird Canada and Silent Shout do an excellent job showcasing our nations’s emerging artists.) Indeed, from B.C. to Newfoundland, Canada produces excellent music in both quantity and quality—and here are 11 of our favourite newcomers.

 

Young Braised

We’ve long supported Young Braised’s cloud-computing rap—in fact, we spoke to him last December on the strength of a handful of lo-fi mixtapes. A year on, Bray-Z has emerged fully-formed: After unveiling the noise-rap of the 2012 EP, he dropped lobotomized stunner of a cassette in Japanese Tendencies, which blended rhymes about fast-food culture, big-box detritus, and Blink-182. Produced by Japanese producer Terio—who’s also cut tracks for Lil B—we’re only beginning to see Young Braised hit his significant potential.

 

Weed

In 2013, ‘90s revivalism—college rock, shoegaze, and everything in between—isn’t exactly rare. But few bands do it as well as Weed: It’s easy to hear J. Mascis’s guitar work, Kevin Shields’s pedal work, or even Kurt Vile’s wandering spirit in their songs. But their standout quality? Hooks for days. Weed’s Couple Skate-released LP, Deserve, came out in early September, and it may be one of the year’s best. Don’t sleep.

 

Moon

Moon singer Andrew Neville is a long-standing institution in Halifax’s music scene, including working for the Pop Explosion, the city’s stalwart festival. But unlike the oddball power pop the city usually creates, Moon is built around woozy vocals, offbeat melodies, and art-damaged kraut rock. Their self-titled cassette, released this spring, held plenty of promise, but the next track they revealed—a demo for the track “Apollo”—was more exciting still, built around minimal guitars and ambient fuzz.

 

Travis Bretzer

Travis Bretzer’s known around Edmonton as a jingle writer, a hilarious radio personality, and a Makeout Videotape-worshipping songwriter. But while his Edmo pals—Renny Wilson, Alex Calder, and Mac DeMarco—have earned critical daps worldwide, Bretzer’s stayed out of the spotlight, even if his last EP, Making Love, was released by Brooklyn label Mexican Summer. A shame, really, as his light, fluffy guitar pop, performed on a decadent-sounding 12-string, nails the sweet spot between silly and saccharine.

 

Hunting, Point and Shoot, Winding

Close to Modern is a Calgary label who’ve been spreading some of Western Canada’s best, forward-thinking electronic fare, including Sanctums, who’ve quickly become Cowtown faves. The imprint hasn’t provided much background info on their newest act, Hunting, Point and Shoot, Winding, but we’re guessing this anonymous beatmaking trio features established members of the Close to Modern fam, considering the Mos Eisley Cantina EP contains all of the label’s hallmarks: Chilly ambient, opulent beats, and star-gazing synths.

 

Nervous Talk

Lethbridge-Toronto label Mammoth Cave has been on a roll this summer, cutting 7-inches from Calgary beach-pop outfit Feel Alright and Gold, a band that featured the guitar-playing talents of the late, legendary Chris Reimer. The most surprising of the label’s new crop, however, is Vancouver’s Nervous Talk, a band with members of Alberta garage great Moby Dicks, antisocial Van City hardcore troupe B-Lines, and others. We’re hoping this project extends beyond this 7-inch, as “Introductions,” below, is a stone-cold banger.

 

Rhythm of Cruelty

The comparison between Rhythm of Cruelty and the U.K.’s post-punk scene—see: Crass Records and their ilk—isn’t entirely apt. But this Edmonton duo, made of punk-scene vets in Ian Rowley and Brandi Strauss, share certain qualities with their British cousins: They’re dark, austere, and delectably minimal, using only bass guitars, and a drum machine. Their newest releases, In Time, has Strauss’s vocals taking on a central role and, on tracks like “Pictures,” she’s just as haunting as she is seething.

 

Big Dick

We caught Ottawa’s Big Dick when they opened recently for the excellent Tough Age—no small task. And, in a word, they were pummelling. Not crushing. Not intestine-liquefying. Pummeling. That’s because Big Dick are all rhythm section—they’re a drum and bass duo—who blend dirt-smeared dirges, scream-yelled vocals, and Lightning Bolt-esque four-string theatrics. Their Dirt Cult-released debut is an instant classic, as their videos for the amateur wrestling-themed “Colours” and the creepiness of “Witchcraft.”

 

Bizzarh

Let’s give it to Bad Actors: The upstart Toronto label, headed by scene vet Ben Cook, knows how to pick ‘em. And Bizzarh might be their most impressive find yet. (Sorry, Ell V Gore.) The east-end duo of and Charlie Champ and Dollar Paris are Bizzarh’s mouthpieces, and atop warped clubland beats, they deliver brash, smoky R&B and cocky ‘90s rap. Their June-released single, “Trans Phat,” became an instant summertime jam—and was a tantalizing taste of what’s to come.

 

MASS

Dig back far enough, and you’ll find that the Toronto-based MASS has deep connections to Ottawa’s underground—members have spent time in Van Johnson, who landed a split on Level Plane, and farmcore faves Roads to Shiloh. MASS swaps up those well-worn almanacs (we weren’t kidding about farmcore) for towering walls of distortion, and the result is no short of arresting: The new-minted No One showcases a sound built around AmRep-worshipping guitar feedback, pummeling drums, and scream-shouted vocals, landing somewhere between METZ, Nirvana’s Bleach, and The Men’s Open Your Heart. Beyond their scorcher of a cassette and dubious Capital City ties, not much is known about this grungy post-hardcore act—and we’re leaping at the first opportunity to see them live.

 

Solids

If you’re a close follower of AUX.TV., you’ll know that we adore our ‘90s Canadian indie rock. Much to our chagrin, few current bands are attempting to pull off the style—and even fewer do it well. That’s why we love Montreal’s Solids, who were weaned on Doughboys and Asexuals records. Far from being a simple throwback, though, Solids add in airtight songcraft—surely honed from their roots in punk—that nods to the greats yet sprouts in new directions. Their new LP, Blame Confusion, drops in October, and we’ve been spinning it on repeat around these parts.

First Base

Spoiler alert: I interviewed these fellas for the newest issue of AUX Magazine. That said, I can’t say enough about Toronto’s First Base: Blending Ramones-owing pop-punk with Beach Boys harmonies—all which sound like they’re sung through a payphone—First Base write pitch-perfect power pop that’s built for long strolls on the boardwalk. Personal and the Pizzas, the beloved ‘za-themed New Jersey punk act, has covered one of their songs, and the bands is prepping a full-length on Chicago’s HoZac Records. We predict greatness.

 

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