YNDI (FKA Dream Koala) Will Leave Audiences Transfixed with Debut "Noir Brésil"

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YNDI, shot by François Quillacq

What’s in a stage-name? For Paris-based singer, songwriter, composer and producer Yndi Ferreira Da Silva, retiring her former moniker Dream Koala allowed her to reconnect with her ancestry and creative intuition through realizing a new musical venture.

 

Beginning her career in 2012 as Dream Koala, the multidisciplinary artist released three electronic-pop EPs, Odyssey (2013), Earth. Home. Destroyed. (2014), and Exodus (2015), which received praise from the likes of NPR Music and Vogue. You may know Yndi from her performances on the popular music platform and Youtube channel COLORS, or her internationally renowned single “We Can’t Be Friends,” which gained over 30 million streams on Spotify alone.  

Since remerging proudly as YNDI, the singer has been co-producing her debut record Noir Brésil, which is set to release May 28th, 2021 via Paris’ Grand Musique Management.

YNDI, shot by François Quillacq

Opening my interview with Yndi, I ask her about the decision to use her first name rather than Dream Koala, to which she responds: “Everything about the process of making this album was so intimate; singing in French and Portuguese, playing Afro-Brazilian percussion, imagining the visuals… I didn’t want to hide behind an alias. I wanted to share this project under my real name, the one my family and friends call me!”

 

Through marrying the poetry of her two maternal languages (French and Portuguese) with Afro-Brazilian percussion, Noir Brésil houses a range of exquisite soundscapes celebrating Yndi’s heritage. Yndi says the album’s overall eclecticism developed from a desire for each track to be “its own little world.”

Emotionally, Yndi harnessed memories linked to her spirituality to guide her songwriting, as well as “childhood bliss, depression and pure escapism” in the conceptualization and production of Noir Brésil. The result is Yndi’s honeyed voice elegantly draped over thirteen dynamic tracks. Adorned with ambitious instrumentation, featuring electrifying percussion performed by the Brazilian band Zalindê, Noir Brésil drifts, waltzes and somersaults through a paradisal universe unique to Yndi’s remarkable artistry. Though her work’s foundation and sustenance is incredibly personal, she tells me that she wants her music to be “a place where listeners can explore their own emotions, and not necessarily feel [hers]”.

 

Yndi notes Timbaland and Clara Nunes as significant musical influences and remarks that Carlinhos Brown’s “Afagamabetizado” has shaped the way she perceives music to this day. She mentions that her craft is equally impacted by video games, anime and cinema, which is evident in her vibrant and captivating music videos. On the music video for her song “Nuit,” the singer comments:

 

“It is a love letter to the video games that affected me during my life. It was an opportunity to imagine a Zelda or Shadow of Colossus set-up in Brazilian folklore. I wanted to use these games’ aesthetics to tell a story inspired by Brazilian ‘Congado,’  a religious celebration that symbolizes the coronation of African kings and queens.”

Yndi shares that working on Noir Brésil brought along some welcomed challenges and lessons. “I learned to trust myself, to believe in my creativity and defend my ideas,” she details. “I have also learned that if you are true to yourself, you will always create something new because we’re all unique and ever-changing.”

 

Though working independently comes naturally for Yndi, she indicates that staying grounded and connected to her creative vision was facilitated by collaborating with others. “When you work alone, you overthink so much! It’s difficult to get the drive you need without collaborating with other artists. My friend Superpoze co-produced the album, and Noir Brésil wouldn’t be the same without the amazing work of Zalindê! Nothing matches the feeling of creating something new with someone else. Everyone around me has been so committed to the album — I am so lucky!”

 

Going forward, Yndi is eager to continue producing music videos for Noir Brésil, as she wants her album to be both a visual and musical experience. She plans to tour with her band, promising to present an unparalleled performance when live music becomes possible once again.

YNDI, shot by François Quillacq

NOIR BRÉSIL

Out May 28, 2021 via Grand Musique Management

YNDI-NOIR-BRÉSIL-407x407.jpeg

  1. Noir Brésil

  2. Amazona

  3. Novo Mundo

  4. Nuit

  5. Illusão

  6. Exil

  7. O Cantos Das Ondas

  8. Reliques

  9. Eternel

  10. Saudade

  11. Dia De Carnaval

  12. Eden

YNDI

Instagram | Facebook | 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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L'Impératrice Explore the Cause and Cure For Heartbreak On Dazzling Return "Tako Tsubo"

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L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

Paris’ grooviest export L’Impératrice are back in full-force with the release of their latest record, Tako Tsubo. The band has kept us (patiently!) on the edge of our seats for a full-length project since their 2019 debut Matahari; building anticipation touring around the world with their bubbling basslines, hypnotic melodies and irresistible danceability.

After three years of internal growth, the band’s return has proven to be worth the wait. Indeed, L’Impératrice’s latest venture is a shimmering think-piece on life’s ever-perplexing phenomenon of broken-heart syndrome, which derived the name Tako Tsubo (meaning “octopus trap” in Japanese).

In thirteen impeccably mastered tracks (graced with the touch of the legendary Neal Pogue, who has worked with the likes of Outkast, Stevie Wonder and Tyler the Creator), L’Impératrice tackles this affliction and it’s many symptoms, from euphoria to emotional burnout and ennui. Impressively, this album offers both a diagnosis and a cure, with full-bodied funk, twinkling vintage accents and a playfulness that dissolves the bitterness of heartbreak’s ache. Read our conversation with L’Impératrice below to get a glimpse into the world of Tako Tsubo, which the band has announced they will take on tour in 2022!

Tako Tsubo (2021) album cover by Ugo Bienvenu

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hello L'Impératrice! Thank you so much taking the time to chat with me. Congratulations on the release of Tako Tsubo! To start, let's talk about your evolution as a group since your last release, Matahari. What elements of your creative process have solidified or changed over the last three years, and how have these developments in your dynamic influenced this record? 

L’Impératrice: We’ve spent most of our time touring in France and abroad over the last three years, which has really impacted our dynamic as a band. First of all, we’ve grown closer to each other; we really grew up as a family. We also got to connect with new cultures and audiences; new waves of receiving our music, and it was very enriching. This time touring made us want to produce music in a different way, without making any compromises… Something more sincere and more close to what we feel we really are.

Also Cool: When comparing your two albums, you could say that Tako Tsubo comes across as more critical than Matahari, which emotionally taps into the lightness of a new romance. What led to the band deciding to tackle the phenomenon of heartbreak in its many forms, and was that enhanced by creating during the pandemic? 

L’Impératrice: The album was 90% recorded when the COVID-19 hit, so the pandemic didn’t influence it in a huge way. But, we did write “Submarine” from scratch during lockdown; a love breakup song. 

Nothing was really planned while we wrote the album, and we discovered after recording everything that all the songs were about marginality in various forms. The idea of being alienated from society; different from the others, and accepting it, or having a hard time accepting it, in some cases. The album’s title Tako Tsubo, or “broken heart syndrome,” represents this breach in the system, this sudden rupture in the course of things when an emotion is suddenly too intense to be handled. The album really is all about intense emotions. 

AC: At the same time, it seems as though Tako Tsubo looks at defying, and also rejecting, societal expectations. How did you incorporate this concept into the sound and feel of your album?  

L: The concept can be felt in the lyrics of the songs of course, but also in the sound and the production. Most of the songs have a lot of breaks, brutal key changes and sudden rhythm changes. We always wanted to surprise the listeners and even our own ears, but still keep a coherence in the sound. The idea was that one can never know where the song will go. We made no compromise for this record, so it might sound weird and unusual, but it’s really faithful to what we wanted to express.

L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

AC: Speaking of sound, can you tell me more about the production journey of this album and what it was like working with your right hand Renaud Létang along with the legendary Neal Pogue? 

L: Renaud really pushed us to bring the songs somewhere else and to create all these breaks within the songs. He’s always focusing on emotions and groove, which are crucial in this record. 

Neal was the key person in this new sound we wanted to create. Besides being a living legend, he’s got this very Californian vibe that we’re fascinated with. He’s got this knowledge of low-end production down to a science, which French producers just don’t have. He really brought this physical intensity to the album. You can feel the bass-lines in your belly! 

AC: Branching off of that, this album is accompanied by so many amazing visual projects. Satire has played such a big part in illustrating the messages from this album, in the videos for "Peur de filles" and "Fou" especially. How did these hilarious scenes come to life to enhance the lyrical content of their soundtracks? 

L: It’s a new field we really wanted to explore with this album, using lyrics and also imagery. We’re really inspired by Michael Franks and his ironic song lyrics. We’ve never appeared in our own videos before, so we decided that it could be funny in a “self-mocking” way to try it out. We can’t appear seriously in a clip lip-syncing and wind in our hair, in a cabriolet… It’s just not the way we are! And that’s not the image we want to show.

AC: I’m also curious to know more about the album cover! What is the story behind the artwork created by Ugo Bienvenu? 

L: Ugo is a true genius and we were so excited to have him draw the cover. It’s the first time that an artist has made us an album cover from scratch — we’re so proud! We told him everything about the Tako Tsubo concept and he went further; exploring the myth of the moires, these three divinities holding the strings of humans’ lives, and how this pair of scissors can, in one move, change the course of things... 

AC: To end things off, what are your plans for the future and how do you plan to present Tako Tsubo live once it's possible to tour once again? 

L: Now that the album is out, we’re doing everything we can to promote it. We’re doing a lot of live sessions from our studio in Paris, meeting our fans every Wednesday night on an Instagram live to talk about one song a week, where we play it and then we show old demos, talk about the writing process, and have some guests that worked on the song with us. We are of course more than ready for the next tour… One thing is for sure: 2022 will be a huge touring year full of live music and love! 

L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

L’Impératrice

Website | Instagram | 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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Toronto's PACKS Share a Slice of Upcoming Debut "Take the Cake"

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Madeline Link of PACKS, photo courtesy of the artist

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. Before the pandemic hit, they were stirring a buzz with a collection of charming lo-fi singles, of which caught the attention of hometown label Royal Mountain Records, as well as Brooklyn’s Fire Talk Records.

With the enlisted backup of close friends from the band Lovers Touch, lead songwriter Madeline Link has taken her solo songwriting project to the next level. The now four-piece have announced the release of their debut full-length, Take the Cake, out this coming Friday, May 21st, 2021.

On Take the Cake, Link comments:

“The album is a meeting of old and new. Old songs from a year ago where I'm having really horrifyingly awful days at work, getting doored while biking in Toronto and flying into the middle of the street, or going on dates with guys who I'm either instantly in love with, or who end up creeping me out a bit. Those songs are more packed with that feeling of hurtling-through-time-and-space-at-breakneck-speed, manic energy. The newer songs are infused with a foggier, slower-paced disillusionment, and deal with the strangeness of a reality morphing before my eyes every day. I still try to be optimistic obviously, but these songs are really glorified coping mechanisms.”

Read our interview with Link on how her debut was realized despite a long-distance relationship with her band, as well as her thoughts on unexpected musical comparisons and figuring out label-signing for the first time.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: So, let’s start with some bigger obvious questions: How have you been doing and what has it been like working on an album throughout the ongoing uncertainty of the last year or so? What are your thoughts on creating during such a time?

Madeline Link: Well, other than working on the album at a distance with my band by sending them demos to build on, my music writing process hasn’t been disturbed by the pandemic much. The creation of [this album] was the least hard part, honestly. It was more so the conceptualizing of it that was tough because the whole process lacked so many physical experiences. I have never released an album of this scale before, so I feel like if it wasn’t a pandemic it would be a completely different experience. I would be having in-person meetings, maybe even going to New York to meet with one of my labels, planning shows and going on tour.

 

Also Cool: Absolutely, music-making right now is definitely unconventional to say the least. What it was like realizing these songs in a band format instead of working alone? From what I know, some of the tracks on Take the Cake are older than others and come from a more personal project, so I’d love to know more about how you reworked them on this release.

Madeline Link: I’d never bounced these songs off of anyone before, so it was interesting! I felt comfortable sharing them with these guys specifically because I trusted them a lot, as we were friends before we worked together on this album. They make up the band Lovers Touch, so I really trusted their musical ability and knew how talented they were. I really like the symbiosis we have going. With every song that I bring to them, they always send something back that totally surprises me.

 

AC: What else impacted your ability to be so open-minded with making PACKS into a more collaborative project?

ML: I’ve always used my songs as a way of exploring creatively and have never held them very close. Basically, my creative process is that I’ll record myself playing the song once I’ve figured out the guitar part and vocals and send it off to the band without really thinking twice about it. Since I never hold my songs near and dear, there are a lot of tracks currently in our shared folder that are just sitting there festering… ‘Cause you know, I like to have some shit songs and some good songs (laughs).

 

AC: I think that’s really cool. I guess there’s something to be said for being purposefully un-purposeful (laughs).

ML: Yeah, that’s exactly it! If I think a song isn’t going to get better, I’ll quit toying around with it. I pretty much spend an hour to two hours recording my parts in my free time and send them off to the band.

 

AC: I know you said that you’ve never held your work close, but has working with some of these songs in a new light changed the relationship you have with them? Or maybe the way you think about your songwriting at all?

ML: I really liked taking the songs and meshing them together; both old and new. I didn’t have any huge revelations about my songwriting, but I do feel as though I’ve really landed on a sound that lines-up with my identity. At the same time, I do think I’m keeping people guessing with what exactly a PACKS song sounds like. For example, when “Hangman” came out at first, I saw it on a Spotify “Americana” playlist, and I was getting labeled as “indie-folk” (laughs). But then “Silvertongue” came out and it was on all these punk playlists online.

AC: How do you feel about being segmented into these different genres? I’ve seen your stuff coming up on different publications where people have compared you everything from Sonic Youth to Sebadoh. Are there any particular influences that you draw from that people aren’t necessarily picking up on?

ML: Well, I remember thinking that Best Coast was a strange comparison that one writer made because I personally don’t hear it at all. I remember reading that and I thinking to myself, “Are you just saying this because I’m a lady?” (laughs). No offense to Best Coast or anything, but I really don’t hear any similarities.

 ML: In terms of influences… This is going to sound so obvious, but every Radiohead album has probably weaseled its way into a PACKS song. Hmm… do you know Autolux?

AC: No. I’ve never heard of them!

ML: They’re this band from the early 2000s that I’m really into. They have this one particular album, Future Perfect, that really grabbed me. They’ve got this really hard guitar sound contrasting with the singer’s quiet falsetto voice and I love that. What else? I do find I can be influenced by country as well. I grew up in Calgary and we always had so many different genres playing in the house. I find myself always going back to the basic chord structures that make up country and blues songs when I start writing. I want to follow certain tenants of that genre, you know?

 

AC: Definitely. So, it’s safe to say that these questions of who influences you have come from you signing to two well-known labels and stirring up some excitement around Take the Cake. How are you finding this transition in your career so far?  

ML: Deciding whether or not to sign to a label was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made; not even exaggerating! On one hand, you have a lot of people encouraging you take on a new opportunity, and on the other, people warning you of what might happen if things don’t turn out like you’d expected. That being said, when I did announce that I had signed to these labels, nobody was like, “You freaking sell-out!” (laughs) To be honest, I have really enjoyed having the support from these labels and all of their great ideas. But you know, I don’t give away my power very easily (laughs). This might sound cheesy, but thankfully both the labels I’m working with have the artist as their number one priority. I still have control over everything I post online, music videos… stuff like that.

 

AC: What kind of advice would you give to young musicians to help them navigate the process of working with a label for the first time? I feel like getting this kind of insider information is really important for people just starting out, and the kind of thing that can be gatekept, you know?

ML: Yeah, definitely. Well, I don’t really like giving advice (laughs) but okay. So, the fist label I ever worked with was, and still is to this day, the number one label in the entire world. They’re called Art of the Uncarved Block. They’re based in Toronto and run by twin brothers Robin and Pete. I didn’t sign a single contract while working with them, we just met up in a coffee shop after they asked [my other band Triples] if we wanted to release a tape with them. I also released a PACKS tape with them, and it was like, the dreamiest label experience you could have.

So, I’d say if you’re just starting out and doing a DIY thing, I would suggest not running into a contract straight away and working with a smaller label. If music is something you’re doing just for fun, don’t submit your stuff to huge labels. If you’re enjoying yourself and just trying to get your music out into your local scene or whatever, [labels] will notice that, and they will approach you. Treating it like a job application and not getting responses after making a bunch of submissions makes you feel like shit! (laughs)

AC: I think that’s good advice, personally. The Canadian music world seems so untouchable on the surface, when at the end of the day it’s like the same 10 people emailing each other back and forth.

ML: Exactly. You really just have to trust the process in a way. I ran into Pete from Uncarved Block when I was trying to decide about label stuff, and he encouraged me to go for it… It was kind of like a sign from the universe.

 

AC: To end things off, what are your plans to celebrate this release?

ML: When I was going to bed the other night, I had this idea for a wild Instagram video… I’m picturing a gigantic cake in front of me that’s full of candles. Like, 200 candles or something. And yeah… I want to do something that’s kind of unreal. Maybe I’ll post it? Maybe I’ll keep it for my personal archives? You’ll just have to wait and see.

TAKE THE CAKE

Out May 21, 2021 via Royal Mountain Records and Fire Talk

art.jpeg

1. Divine Giggling
2. Clingfilm
3. Two Hands
4. New TV
5. Hangman
6. My Dream
7. Hold My Hand
8. Holy Water
9. Silvertongue
10. Blown By The Wind
11. U Can Wish All U Want

All songs by Madeline Link
Mastered by Sarah Register

PACKS

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, and a radio host & DJ.

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Out Today: Dorothea Paas Curbs Expectation with Debut LP "Anything Can’t Happen"

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Dorothea Paas, shot by Miriam Paas

To some, pursuing creativity is at best, money-making, and at worst, awkward and a best-kept secret. In either case, some kind of sacrifice is needed to “make it make sense” — you either sell out (gasp!), or give up on your dreams entirely to please others; maybe even yourself. We’ve all seen some iteration of this scenario:

 

“You’re going to be an artist? Have fun with that,” or; “You’re going to be an artist? How dare you try make a name for yourself!” (assuming your endeavors “work out” in some capacity)

 

The latter is especially rife within DIY circles, where settling for second-best has become the norm when push comes to shove, seeing as comfort is far too often associated with complacency in the art world, sigh.

 

Amidst all of this artistic turmoil, there is the “in-between” (which, by the way, isn’t any more or less secure). More often than not, this in-between looks like side-gigging your passions to make ends meet, because at the end of the day, bills have to be paid. That being said, there are some artists who navigate and wade in this liminality with grace and use it as a means of figuring out life’s many curveballs with a certain finesse; often times to their creative advantage.

Toronto singer-songwriter Dorothea Paas molds the perfect example of what achievements can come with taking things slow, especially in an industry that can wring you dry. On her new LP Anything Can’t Happen — out today via Telephone Explosion Records — 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. The result is a folk-rock chrysalis composed of nine introspections on the self that have bloomed with Paas over the years.

Charmingly, Paas labels herself as an emerging artist, even though she really is anything-but. Over the last decade, she has lent her talents as a vocalist and guitarist to notable acts like Jennifer Castle and U.S. Girls, amid refining her solo skills in songwriting, recording and performing. In my conversation with Paas, she explains that her humility towards her work has been informed by the necessary embrace of the aforementioned “in-between”:

 

“I’ve never placed severe creative expectations on myself. I’ve always worked other jobs, and I feel like I will continue to work other jobs,” shares Paas in our Zoom call.  “Even though my work now feels a bit more polished, allowing things to grow organically has taken some of the pressure off my writing and performances. Maybe it’s avoidant of me, but imagining music as my main source of income doesn’t feel sustainable. Maybe I need to think more about where I want this to go, or how to become a star? But for now, I like not being pulled by the concept of fame or being known for the sake of being known.”

 

Paas’ modest approach to musicianship has allowed her songs to take on many forms, from lo-fi cassette-deck hums to electrified folk whirlpools; filling both grapevine-invited house shows and downtown hotspots. This makes Anything Can’t Happen more mature than a classic debut, and has allowed Paas to develop a unique and intimate relationship with her craft.

 

“Not being a prolific songwriter lets me revisit old songs and slowly accumulate my repertoire. I like that I get to reevaluate their meanings as I grow; while listening to new music and getting new inspirations and thinking about how I want to channel my songwriting instincts.”

 

Being in this ongoing state of reflection and transformation has allowed Paas’ music to equally inform her personal life while processing and healing from “years of ruminating on loneliness, anxiety, sadness, love and relationships.”

 

“I don't think writing lyrics is my strong suit, but sometimes I channel literal pages of my journal to write a song. I’ve always been very intellectually in-touch with my feelings, and I feel like it isn't until I take a journal entry and turn it into a song that I realize how deeply affected I am by a situation I’m going through. Over time, I’ve gotten a better insight on my past, and I understand more how an audience or a listener might be hit by a sentiment.”

Dorothea Paas, shot by Miriam Paas

Knowing that having my journal read to an audience would be my own personal hell, I ask Paas how she incorporates this level of vulnerability into her songwriting.

 

“In a generic sense, I feel like there has been a weird double-bind when it comes to diaristic writing for women songwriters. I feel like there is both a stereotype that women are expected to ‘write this way,’ but also for us to not write about diaristic things and challenge expectations? I don't know how to explain it, really, but I’ve just felt this weird external pressure to change the way I write to be more abstract. That being said, I think there is something very powerful about writing your own experiences really plainly. I do think that it is a strength of my work in many ways.”

 

Coupled with her intention to balance improvisation and construction in her songwriting, Paas’ candid lyricism extends a level of intimacy to the listener that she says conjures “a very specific feeling.”

 

“I don't think [my lyrics] are vulnerable in the sense that I'm like, sharing my most embarrassing thoughts. That's what Twitter is for. Actually, I feel deeply humiliated by my Twitter and I'm actively trying to stop writing embarrassing things on there,” Paas laughs. “My lyrics are more like diamonds that have been forged through years of therapy and introspection and conversations with my friends… the final by-products of condensing thought. If they’re communicated clearly, they can heighten the sonic elements of what music can do, which is create a shared sense of euphoria and connection.”

Dorothea Paas, shot by Miriam Paas

Towards the end of our conversation, Paas notes that she feels honoured to write songs that can connect to audiences and actualize the viscerality of the difficult emotions we all experience. “There’s something about being the writer and the vessel for [these feelings] that inspires me. I click into another mode and it’s very uplifting.”

 - - -

Anything Can’t Happen is out on Telephone Explosion Records today, May 7th, 2021.  Paas will be performing at this year’s Megaphono festival and showcase, taking place virtually from May 25-26th, 2021. For more information, visit Megaphono’s website here.

ANYTHING CAN’T HAPPEN

Out May 7, 2021 via Telephone Explosion Records

TER079CoverHi.jpeg

1. One
2. Anything Can't Happen
3. Container
4. Closer to Mine
5. Interlude
6. Waves Rising
7. Perfect Love
8. Frozen Window
9. Running Under My Life

Mixed by Maximilian “Twig” Turnbull, Steve Chahley
Mastered by Heather Kirby, Dreamlands Mastering
All art and lettering by Vida Beyer
Design and layout by Steve Sidoli, Dorothea Paas

Dorothea Paas

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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Halifax Escape Artists Century Egg Talk Embracing Change on New EP "Little Piece of Hair"

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Halifax four-piece Century Egg are putting Atlantic Canada on the map with their beaming fusion of garage rock and mandopop. The band recently announced signing to hometown label Forward Music Group in anticipation of their EP Little Piece of Hair , out this coming Friday, May 7th, 2021. Just like their namesake, Little Piece of Hair is long-awaited, with the promise to delight and leave a lasting impression. Opening with blitzing pop-punk shaker “Do You Want To Dance?”, Little Piece of Hair reminisces shoulder-to-shoulder bopping at your favourite venue on a Saturday night.

Coming hot on the heels of their recent collaboration with Debaser's Mood Ring ("The world’s tiniest and most introspective music recommendation engine") and the We Can Play EP, Little Piece of Hair is the band’s loudest, clearest mission statement to date, marking another exciting addition to Forward Music's recent run of releases alongside Wolf Castle and Paper Beat Scissors. Boasting a new rhythm section of bassist, Matty Grace (she/they) and Meg Yoshida (she/her) on drums, Century Egg is a band reborn whilst still incorporating the dance-punk bliss of previous Egg outings, only bolder, brighter, and harder-hitting.

We got the chance to connect with Century Egg on the importance of creative outlets, managing band dynamics while writing songs over email, and their plans following the release of Little Piece of Hair. Read our full interview below!

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Century Egg! Thank you so much for chatting with Also Cool. To start, you've been described as escape artists: How do you achieve this way of being through your creative outlook and how did this come into play when producing Little Piece of Hair? 

Century Egg: We’re four individuals with full-time obligations, and the band is just one of our creative outlets. Our band gives us a chance to temporarily take a break from reality, but also reflect on it and bring something back to it. We are all artists in our own right, and the band is a way to collaborate and express our appreciation for each others’ art. 

 

Also Cool: In that vein, escaping isn't always about running away, right? It can also describe setting oneself free, or embracing change. On Little Piece of Hair, you've commented that the songs are about "finding yourself." What inspired that concept for this album, and how did it come together? 

Century Egg: When the songs arrived, they just spilled out. They can be coping mechanisms, they can be power fantasies, or else just about processing what’s going on right now.

 

AC: On that note of embracing change, you’ve introduced a new rhythm section in your latest lineup — during a pandemic no less! How have these additions impacted the project?  

CE: Different people bring different experiences to the band, and it is a much more collaborative process now. Each person brings something to the table that may not have previously been introduced due to our varied influences. Specifically our song “无路可退” (“Cornered”) was created over email. Matty (she/they) wrote the bassline first, before Megumi (she/her) added her drum parts, before Robert (he/him) and Shane (she/her) finalized the arrangement. This was done totally over email during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and brought about a newer darker sound that may not have come forth if the circumstances were different.

Century Egg, photo courtesy of the band

Century Egg, photo courtesy of the band

AC: Something I’m always curious to ask about is how artists are influenced by their physical environment and surrounding community. Has Halifax and it's music scene had any particular impressions on this album specifically? 

CE: Maybe not necessarily Halifax, but the global landscape and the state of the world have definitely had an impact on Century Egg as a band, and it has come through in our writing. Ultimately the Halifax music scene has been predominantly white, cis and straight. We are not that. We embrace our diversities and look to encourage this growth within our scene.

 

AC: To end off, how are you planning to celebrate this release, and what can we expect from Century Egg in the coming months? 

CE: For starters, we have two upcoming music videos that will be released in the coming months for “Do You Want to Dance?” and “Little Piece of Hair.” Sadly, we had planned a bit of a record release show — as we were invited to play Flourish Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick — but now will be attending remotely via a pre-recorded live set, as our corner of the world has collapsed on itself a little bit. We are looking forward to playing shows the moment we can, but for the time being, we have to embrace and navigate our restrictions and look to plan for the future. This includes trying to reach new audiences via the internet and working on a full length LP that will hopefully see the light of day in 2022. Change was going to come one way or another anyway.

LITTLE PIECE OF HAIR

Out via Forward Music Group May 7, 2021

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1. Do You Want To Dance?
2. I Will Make Up A Method
3. Ring A Bell
4. Little Piece of Hair
5. Riddle To Place
6. Cornered

Written by Century Egg:
Shane Keyu Song (she/her), Robert Drisdelle (he/him), Matty Grace (she/they) and Meg Yoshida (she/her)

Recorded by Franc Lopes at Ocean Floor
Mixed by Robert Drisdelle
Mastered by Dave Williams at Eight Floors Above

Century Egg

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

Preorder Little Piece of Hair here

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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Mitch Davis Writes Breakup Songs That Sound Happy On New EP "Bear The Cold"

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There is something to be said for the way an artist’s debut is sometimes less about finding their voice, and more about setting it free. Such is the case for Montreal-bound songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and DIY-enthusiast Mitch Davis, who shared the two first singles from his to-be-released full-length on Arbutus Records earlier this spring.

 

Davis has bounced from coast to coast across Canada throughout his musical career and has been involved with reputable acts like Faith Healer and Elle Barbara’s Black Space. While his interest in music was fostered at a young age, it has grown into way of finding community and exercising his passion for a unique craft that can be simply described as gear tinkering — but surely anyone involved in the world of sound production would tell you it is more than that. For Davis, it has been a means of bolstering his self-confidence as an artist to go solo with songs he’s kept in his back pocket since he relocated to Montreal from Edmonton a few years ago. 

 

With analog recording and production being something completely outside my comfort-zone, one of the first questions I asked Davis was about how he first picked up (what some consider to be) such a niche pastime in the age of digital mixing and mastering.

“I first got into learning about analog equipment when my own gear would break and I didn’t have the money to fix it,” Davis shares with a smile over our video call. “Getting to know my gear inside and out has been a great way of saving money, and the knowledge I have has been so important in terms of accessibility. For example, you can buy kits to make replicas of really expensive gear. I made a clone of a TR-808 for seven-hundred bucks, when it normally retails for five to six thousand.”

At the same time, Davis’ knowledge came in handy when moving to Montreal as a source of income, as someone who doesn’t speak much French.

 

When the pandemic hit, Davis found himself spending more time in his at-home recording studio — located in one of the many warehouses in Montreal’s abandoned textile district off of highway 40. Like many of us, Davis was confronted by self-reflection in isolation, which lit a creative spark in a new vein. 

 

“At one point, I had written this bassline, and I knew I wanted to make into something eventually, but it wasn’t until last March that I finally decided to figure it out and appropriate it into a song.”

 

After some one-on-one time with said bassline, Davis produced Bear the Cold, a bright EP that acts as a teaser for his debut record of exclusively “breakup songs that sound happy,” set to release later this year.

Mitch Davis shot by Kensey Crane

Seeing as Bear the Cold marks Davis’ first musical endeavour in a number of years, I wanted to hear his feelings on starting a new project based on something coming to an end (i.e. a relationship).

 

“It feels pretty strange. I guess I just hit a moment where I was ready to make music again, and that happened to be what I was feeling at the time. I think I was subconsciously cheering myself up with the music itself, as opposed to the lyrics. I felt rewarded, to a small extent, by being vulnerable. [Vulnerability] is something I appreciate in people, and I wanted to try and represent that for myself. As far as I can tell, a wide variety of people are responding well to it — which kind of surprised me!” Davis grins. “Something I personally struggle with is reading something I wrote in a very vulnerable state and then wondering if it’s too vulnerable. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between lyrics that are just like, pure, raw and emotional and lyrics that are just way too… overly simple and personal? Even though this can be a challenge, I’ve really learned to trust the past version of myself and following my instincts with this record, both in lyrics and sound.”

 

Before moving to Montreal, Davis was in Edmonton for quite some time and involved in completely different musical projects, whose influences can be picked up on Bear the Cold. As a former rapper and producer who also played “in indie rock bands forever,” Davis EP harnesses sunny rhythms and grooves with a funky punch. Reminiscing the jack of all trades’ legacy of some of his favourite artists, such as Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, Sly Stone, and Paul McCartney, Davis gives us a glimpse into the magic of being involved in every step of your record’s conception from start to finish — especially without a band to bounce ideas off-of IRL.

 

In closing our conversation, Davis branches off of this notion of solitude and remarks, “It has been so weird [being separated] from the music community. I miss the feeling of going to a show and seeing someone come off-stage completely energized, and the feeling of playing shows and being able to try-out a half-written song live. That’s why I’ve been posting clips and things online; to gauge reactions. But I do miss trying out songs live where they exist for that night, and that night only,” he laughs.

 

Though Davis remarks that he imagined himself “becoming a hermit in a loft with a studio or something” upon moving to Montreal, he’s excited to reintroduce himself to the music scene with Bear the Cold. Check out Davis’ 7”, along with a recently released music video for the title track, directed by Jordan "Dr. Cool" Minkoff.

Mitch Davis

Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp

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

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Finding Freedom Within Limitation: Chicago's Pansy Shares Self-Titled Debut

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Vivian McCall, photo courtesy of the artist

Spring has sprung, and this week we’ve got the brightest bloom in the bunch on repeat. Meet Pansy, the solo project of Chicago-based musician Vivian McCall. Today, McCall releases her self-titled debut album on Earth Libraries: a nine-track collection of impressions inspired by her experiences as a trans woman. Through Pansy, McCall shares how she reconnected with herself throughout her transition, and parses the highs and lows of embracing her vulnerability. Before creating under the name Pansy, McCall established herself in the Chicago indie scene with her band Jungle Green. As an analog admirer, McCall realized Pansy using the same lo-fi equipment that captured Jungle Green’s recordings over the years. The result is a candid, sunny debut that reminisces 90s college-rock as a backdrop for McCall’s frank lyrics. We connected with McCall leading up to her release to chat about her musical beginnings, rejecting confessional songwriting and leveraging musical imperfections and limitations to make an honest record.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Vivian! Thank you so much for chatting with Also Cool. First thing's first - congratulations on your debut record! To get things started, how does it feel to have realized such a work and to have had so much buzz and excitement surrounding its release so far?

Vivian McCall: Well, to be honest, it really caught me off guard. I always wanted people to like and connect with my music, but never expected all this interest. This is such a cliche... but I made this record for me and hoped it would resonate with other trans people, too. I thought it was so specific to my experience that people wouldn't care about it, or worse they'd tokenize it. I'm relieved that people aren't doing that or projecting weird trans stereotypes onto me. I think the specificity is exactly what people enjoy. They've been able to connect their own troubles to it — troubles that have nothing to do with being trans. That's been beautiful to hear about. I'm happy that something so me is finding an audience.

Also Cool: Knowing that you’ve been playing in your band Jungle Green over the years, when did you find yourself wanting to explore a solo musical endeavor, and where did this project find its beginnings?

VM: I've been writing songs since I was 14, but this is the first time I've wanted to put anything out. You can't really write songs you care about when you're out of touch with yourself. The point of Pansy — before it was anything or even had a name — was to write songs quickly from a really honest place. I didn't want to play a character and I didn't want to embellish any parts of myself, because that was literally my entire life up to that point.

It's hard to explain to people who aren't trans, but before I went on hormones, I could intellectualize what I felt, but I couldn't express it, couldn't talk about it. Everything felt grey, and I don't I mean nuanced, I mean indistinguishable. I used to think there was something really wrong with me, like I was missing some essential part of my soul. So, yeah, I could write songs, but they were totally meaningless! They didn't even feel like a part of me.

These songs did. That's the difference; what I'd always been waiting for. I could write honest songs because I was recognizing my needs and the actual pain I'd been experiencing. It's just trauma and learning how to process it and dig yourself out. So when you listen to the album, know that some songs came before this big tectonic shift in my life… and everything else came during the midst of it.

The whole process was like that scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy walks from the interior of her grey house to the colorful magical land of Oz, only to be ambushed by the Wicked Witch of the West. In my case, the Witch was me and everything I'd ever buried.

Vivian McCall, photo courtesy of the artist

AC: Thank you so much for sharing your experience and opening up about the evolution of your music. Staying in this vein of thought: You've spoken about realizing that you matter on your own terms, rather than from the approval of others — which I think is really powerful. How did you maintain that mindset while creating such an intimate and vulnerable work?

VM: I had to if I wanted to feel okay about what I was making; I had some concerns. For one, this record is not a diary and that's purposeful. I didn't want my songs to be read as confessionals or emotional pornography for liberals. I was really not okay for a long time and these songs were my way of finding meaning. Every song encapsulates some big emotion I'd wrestle with for months. The conclusions are ... ambiguous, because that's how I felt, and still feel, about womanhood.

I didn't stop and ask myself if the music was "good" as often as I normally do. I was really focused on asking, Okay this line... is this totally, one hundred percent, true to how I feel. Seriously, I did that like I was interrogating myself, which is so, so ridiculous.

I truly hope this doesn't sound self-serious because really, some of these songs came out fully formed and I didn't want to think that critically about them because I was afraid of altering the meaning along the way. I was so deathly afraid of using my music to manipulate my own emotions because it's such a powerful thing when you're vulnerable. At that time, that could have been really dangerous!

Vivian McCall, photo courtesy of the artist

AC: To touch on the sound of this record: You’ve spoken about your affinity for analog recording. What about analog production first moved you as a musician, and how has your relationship with it impacted your creative process?

VM: Recording music uses such a different part of my brain than writing it,and that's why I love it. Classic head and heart, right brain/left brain sort of thing. If I've laid my emotions out in a song, I can start asking how to make those feelings come across clear in a musical sense, or how to make the song catchier if that's what I'm going for.

Analog recording is so limiting, and yet those limitations are freeing. I have to get the right takes. I have to commit to the sounds I'm making. I have to live mix the stereo mixes, making the recordings you hear a kind of performance, too. It can be really frustrating, but I'm not tempted to endlessly tinker with my recordings. They are what they are and I love that.

That's a huge part of the process for me, really pushing whatever I'm doing to new places that I didn't expect. I don't like going into a song knowing what I'm going to do, because that kills the fun and keeps me from exploring. I'm not a master technician or anything, but I'm creative — partially because I don't totally know what I'm doing — but I know what I like. Sometimes that means precision (take after take), sometimes that means making it sound really fucked or sloppy; embracing whatever imperfections and limitations I have as a musician.

AC: To end thing's off, what most excites you about the future of your music career? Where do you hope to find yourself once live music is possible once again?

VM: Well, I'm excited that every song I've written since finishing this record isn’t explicitly about the transition. [My] new songs aren't about transness, but are written from that perspective I guess, just because it's me. I'm excited to be back on a stage again and start figuring out what I want to do next, musically.

Just being a trans woman puts you in some unique emotional situations — some good, some bad — and for the first time in my life, I'm present enough to actually experience my feelings. That's still really crazy to me. I feel like such an alien sometimes, being like, Wow isn't it crazy to be a person? It's so corny. But that's more or less the truth of how I feel. Out in the world, I don't feel as aggressive about my identity anymore.

I wrote a lot of aggressive rock stuff during this huge power-pop phase right before the pandemic hit. I liked the idea of writing lesbian love songs in the language of this super beta-male, cartoonishly sexist genre that I do… love. Then I got my heart really banged up and wrote a bunch of sweet acoustic music. There's a lot, a lot more than I'm used to sitting on at once.

AC: Before we let you go, how is the best way that we can support you as an artist and what are you future plans?

VM: Well, I really need a band! So I guess if you like the record, just write me on Instagram. Maybe we'll get along!

PANSY

Out via Earth Libraries on April 2, 2021

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1. Who Will Love Me Enough?

2. Anybody Help Me

3. Tomorrow, When I’m Even Better

4. Trash

5. Shoes

6. Turn Ur Back

7. Woman of Ur Dreams

8. Mommi Housi

9. Me In Mine

Pansy

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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Enter La Femme's Neo-Maximalist Nightclub "Paradigmes"

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Paradigmes album artwork by Polygon

Paris-based psyche rockers La Femme are keeping listeners on their toes in anticipation of their forthcoming record Paradigmes, out next week on April 2nd via Disque Pointu and IDOL. The LP marks a milestone for the band, being their first release after five years of touring extensively, adding several musical accolades to their trophy shelf (including the coveted Victoires de la Musique award and Gold certifications in France for their first two releases), as well as playing major international music festivals, from Austin Psych Fest to Glastonbury. Formed in 2010 by Sacha Got and Marlon Magnée, La Femme has seen a rise in success comparable to the greats, but remain humbled by the everlasting centrality of their DIY roots. 

The band has already given us a glimpse into the sultry and psychedelic smoking-lounge that is Paradigmes, through teaser tracks “Paradigme,” “Cool Colorado,” “Disconnexion,” “Foutre le bordel,” “Le Jardin,” and most recently “Le sang de mon prochain.” From what we’ve heard so far, we’re intrigued by their clever use of horn sections, DEVO-esque wind-up rhythms, and a sprinkle of cool, laissez-faire nostalgia à la Serge Gainsbourg to present a sound best described as Neo-Maximalist. 

As the title of the album implies, Paradigmes’ narrative is as complex as its grandiose musical arrangements. While the lyrics throughout unpack the many anxieties and frustrations with cultural norms and expectations within Western culture at large, it equally tackles personal afflictions within the human experience — like love and heartbreak, sexual and gendered exasperations and general feelings of depression and nihilism. The band explains that they managed to touch on both existential and intimate themes by tapping into their intuitions, noting: “Maybe it’s easier to write when you are sad or plagued with negativity? The record took on a life of its own when reflecting on our own experiences.” 

La Femme by Oriane Robaldo

Speaking on how the record fell into place, La Femme says that the development and production of Paradigmes was a culmination of experiments, rather than a deliberate realization of a heady think-piece from start to finish. “After we toured Mystère in 2017, the band took break from music. We reunited in 2019 with the hopes of finishing a record, and brought together a bunch of material collected in our hard-drives and chose 15 songs to build Paradigmes. It’s taken a lot of time for us to finish because we are picky on the details.” 

Knowing the band gained popularity by exclusively touring North America before they were picked up by European audiences, I was curious to know if their experiences of the United States informed the cultural critiques within Paradigmes. “Really, we just toured and traveled throughout the US a lot — so yes, the influences and experiences from those memories are definitely present throughout Paradigmes. We specifically commemorate places we’ve visited like Colorado, New Orleans and Los Angeles. But the album also features influences from other countries like Spain and Turkey, as well as three different languages (French, English and Spanish) — so, it’s a world music record in that way. We like the folklore of places and what comes out of them.” 

La Femme by Oriane Robaldo

The ambition of the Paradigmes project is topped with a particular aesthetic crafted by the band. Of the six singles they’ve put out so far, three are accompanied by a music video that takes place in the futuristic “Paradigmes” nightclub. Frequented by a collection of eclectic regulars, such as go-go dancers, cyborg songstresses and intellectuals with an uncanny resemblance to Michel Foucault, you get the sense that Paradigmes is a hang-out where all are welcome. The band expresses that the album’s title track and their song “Disconnexion” were the inspiration behind their fictitious venue. “The song ‘Paradigme’ sounds like a generic, 70s TV show and ‘Disconnexion’ like an intellectual radio show. Combined, these concepts created the set of a fake TV show where all the video clips are connected. At the end, when you watch them all together, it’s going to be a full-length film.” 

At the end of our interview, La Femme lets me in on how they plan to celebrate their release in the most fittingly over-the-top way possible. “We’re going to have the biggest digital party and eat popcorn in front of our computers! The best way our fans can support us is by dropping out, tuning into our record and movie and starting an orgy.” Ça marche, La Femme! 

PARADIGMES

Out via Disques Pointu and IDOL on April 2, 2021

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1. Paradigme
2. Le sang de mon prochain
3. Cool Colorado
4. Foutre le bordel
5. Nouvelle-Orléans
6. Pasadena
7. Lacher de chevaux
8. Disconnexion
9. Foreigner
10. Force & respect
11. Divine creature
12. Mon ami
13. Le jardin
14. Va
15. Tu t’en lasses

La Femme

Instagram | Facebook | Website

Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube

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

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In Conversation: Carlyn Bezic Talks Taking Up Space On and Offline with New Project Jane Inc

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Jane Inc by Andrew McGill

What role do you play in today’s social media rat-race? Are you an observer (always monitoring, never posting); a creator (sharing content related to you and your interests); a critic (engaging with and commenting on said content), or; a luddite, in the sense that you’re disenchanted altogether and logged off (and out) forever? Whatever your involvement in whichever form of feed Discourse™, one’s stance on social media translates as a fraction of the self — sometimes, in more ways than one — across online spaces. These curated extensions of the self are of particular interest to Toronto musician Carlyn Bezic, and are given centre-stage in her new solo project, Jane Inc. 

Known for her involvement in acts like Ice Cream, Darlene Shrugg and as a touring member of US Girls, Bezic realizes years worth of side-gigged musical experimentation as Jane Inc. Building off samples, break-beats and Ableton tutorials, Jane Inc’s debut Number One is out on Telephone Explosion Records March 19th, and serves as a reminder that Bezic is no one-trick-pony. 

What started as layering bass, guitar, synth, and vocals on top of drum breaks and samples has now transformed into the dance-machine that is Jane Inc, with Bezic as its ring-leader. With the help of recruited support from Toronto recording engineer and stalwart Steve Chahley (Badge Epoque Ensemble, US Girls, Ben Stevenson) to coproduce, the duo recorded live drums performed by Evan J. Cartwright (US Girls, Tasseomancy), saxophone by Nick Dourado (BUDi Band, Aquakultre, Fiver) and wurlitzer by Scott Harwood (Scott Hardware) to marry Bezic’s hypnotic, cyber reveries and glittering grooves.

Leading up to her release, I got the chance to chat with Bezic on taking the reins with her latest musical venture, and how she dissects the tensions between the self and the ills of today’s digital climate on her anticipated release Number One.

To open our conversation, Bezic tells me about the origin of Jane Inc, which she explains was inspired by stringing together a myriad of concepts. “The name was born out of a few things. My middle name is Jane, so it’s kind of about me in a way. But, I also liked Jane as in, Jane Doe… Someone who is a blank ‘woman’ figure. ‘Inc’ also plays on my approach to the writing and recording process, where I thought of [the project] as my own little company where I’m playing a bunch of different roles, you know?” 

Bezic elaborates on the shapeshifting quality of Jane Inc, asserting that it’s personified more as an artistic mindset, rather than a traditional alter-ego. “[Jane Inc] is like a mental trick. It was helpful for me to view, say, a baseline as something other than a direct reflection of me — Carlyn, as a human being — that supposedly expresses to you exactly who I am. This framework was informed by an explicit exploration of how what you do online creates a new being removed from reality — which can be both liberating and also terrifying.” 

From here, our conversation shifts onto the topic of how artists in particular struggle to exist, both in relation to survival and relevancy, without having some kind of online presence. Noticing Bezic comments on this in her songwriting, I ask her how she navigates the difficult position of wanting to be critical of this phenomenon, while also having to be complicit in it. 

Sighing in a way that feels relatable, despite the lag of our Zoom call, Bezic states: “I mean, I find it to be a real mind-fuck.” 

Jane Inc by Andrew McGill

“The way I personally engage with the Internet isn’t very healthy, I think. I’m 100% addicted to the Internet, even though I know it’s really insidious. I’ve been experimenting with posting more and showing myself, which feels strange and disingenuous because our engagement habits are so intrinsic to our perceived empowerment. When this is tied to the thing you’re creating… it becomes even more complicated. [My music] isn’t then just an extension of who I am as a person, but also a product, and I become its advertisement — even though I’m just a human being. It’s inescapable because it is so essential for my job, and I’d rather have some control over how I am perceived by handling my social media presence myself.” Continuing on this notion of how she remains purposeful in navigating the maze of social media, Bezic comments: 

“Intentionally taking up online space represents a growth for me. I’m trying to be more comfortable sharing [my music] and being myself, and it feels similar to what it would be like in real life and during a performance. That being said, when I think about it deeply, this comes at the expense of commodifying myself and the art that I’m making. So, like I said, it really is a necessary beast.” 

Through listening to her teaser tracks from Number One, I noticed Bezic’s lyrics air her frustrations with the physical world in parallel with her commentary on social media. Her single “Steel” struck me as an observation on how identity is manufactured by our physical surroundings; through mundane, daily activities. I was curious to know if the sentiment I was picking up on was informed by Bezic’s experiences with the fast-paced rhythm of Toronto.

“Toronto is a city that hates creative people. We are also seeing in a really real and horrifying way how it also hates low-income people, unhoused people and racialized people. [‘Steel’] was born out of a very complicated relationship I have with Toronto, as I grew up here and have lived here the majority of my life. Though Toronto has a very strong [arts] community and is full of creative people, its bureaucratic, big city energy doesn’t allow for any sustainability. It hates itself. Even before the pandemic, I felt like I had no energy. The city was never giving me energy. Everyone is working to live, or living to work, the places [we] love are closing down and rents are skyrocketing. You know, the same old story as everywhere else. The opportunity keeps on getting smaller and smaller,” Bezic laments. 

Bezic’s outlook took an upward turn towards the end of our interview, where she told me about looking ahead and her plans for the future. 

“Though I complain that Toronto sucks, there are a lot of musicians here who really inspire me and push me forward. I am excited, and feel lucky to have collaborated with them [on this record]. I’m looking forward to eventually having a band at some point and figuring out a nice little setup for doing livestreams or something lowkey. Other than that, I’m already writing the next album, which I’m hoping to release in the next year.” 

Jane Inc by Andrew McGill

NUMBER ONE


Out via Telephone Explosion Records on March 19, 2021

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1. Gem
2. Steel
3. Faceless, Bodiless
4. Dirt and The Earth
5. Bloom Becomes Me
6. My Oldest Friend
7. His, Mine
8. Obliterated

All songs written and performed by Carlyn Bezic


Drums and Vermona by Evan J. Cartwright
Saxophone on "Bloom Becomes Me" by Nick Dourado
Wurlitzer on "Faceless, Bodiless" by Scott Hardware
Mixed by Steve Chahley and Anthony Nemet
Produced by Steve Chahley and Carlyn Bezic
Toronto, 2020

Jane Inc

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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Yoo Doo Right Releases Title Track From Forthcoming Debut LP "Don't Think You Can Escape Your Purpose"

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Yoo Doo Right by Stacy Lee

Montreal krautrock trio Yoo Doo Right have released the title track from their first full length Don’t Think You Can Escape Your Purpose, out on hometown label Mothland May 21st, 2021. This six-minute slow-burn propels the listener through a metamorphosis of sound; tethering between a surfy trip and an atmospheric, spaced-out drone, while remaining wholly contemplative from start to finish. The single hints at a refined stride for the group, presenting a masterful cocktail of soundscapes and experimentations that make it clear their debut LP will have a strong first impression. On the release, the band comments: "It’s about a person who is losing touch with reality. Who thinks he has a higher purpose, and is supposed to be an ambassador to a higher extraterrestrial race. It’s a looming atmospheric rhythm and crawl."

Yoo Doo Right by Stacy Lee

Alongside this anticipatory single, the band have also released an accompanying music video that is just as immersive as their otherworldly sound.

"In an attempt to achieve a higher purpose in life, the subject instead witnesses their own deteriorating mental posture. As a means of overcoming assumed existential risk (the hurdles of our great filter), the subject looks above and within believing that they alone have been chosen to solve the problems that our species faces. Images of Eva Szasz' 1968 short film Cosmic Zoom, produced by the National Film Board of Canada were cast over foliage to make for fitting imagery, complimenting the narrative."

- Justin Cober from Yoo Doo Right

Watch the video for “Don’t Think You Can Escape Your Purpose” below

DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE YOUR PURPOSE


Available in digital, LP & CD formats via Mothland on May 21, 2021

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1. A Certain Sense Of Disenchantment
2. 1N914
3. Marché Des Vivants
4. The Moral Compass Of A Self-Driving Car
5. Don't Think You Can Escape Your Purpose
6. Join, Be Curst
7. Presto Presto, Bella's Dream
8. Black Moth


All songs written by Yoo Doo Right.

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8 recorded by Guillaume Chiasson at Le Pantoum, Québec City. Tracks 4, 5 and 6 recorded by Sébastien Fournier at Hotel2Tango, Montréal. Mixed By Guillaume Chiasson. Mastered by Harris Newman at Greymarket Mastering, Montréal. Artwork by Louis-Alexandre Beauregard.

Yoo Doo Right

Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (She/Her) is the Co-Founder and 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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Premiere: Magi Merlin Sets the Record Straight With New EP "Drug Music"

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Drug Music cover by Laurent E. Malo

Magi Merlin has arrived with her highly anticipated sophomore EP Drug Music. Produced by her right-hand collaborator Funkywhat, Drug Music settles the dust around Magi Merlin’s reservations on themes of racial identity, love and personal growth, to which she comments: “I wrote the Drug Music EP as a way to process and reflect on some of my heavier emotions. It is some of my favourite writing and I think that it grew into a piece of work that successfully embodies feelings of affliction and confusion but ultimately acceptance.”

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. We love nothing more than a sound that stands its ground while flirting with the listener to come a little closer; and such is the dance of Drug Music.

TDLR: This album is hot and if you don’t immediately listen to it after reading our review, it’s your loss. Thank you Magi Merlin for melting away the grey Winter slush, even just inside our shivering apartments — for this we are indebted to you.

Listen to Drug Music below

Magi Merlin

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Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (She/Her) is the Co-Founder and 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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Premiere: punctï Makes a Case For Colouring Inside the Lines With "Surprise"

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punctï is the most intriguing practice of musical constraints since Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies (or at least we think so). Turning the concept of limitation on its head, multifaceted experimental artist Laura Bardsley (and her alternating cast of one-off collaborators) strive(s) to embrace a “less is more” mindset by creating an album once a month following the same set of guidelines: composition, recording and overdubbing are done in the first, single session, and; post-production is done in another session, who’s duration is roughly the same length as the first. By cultivating a conceptual environment that aims to stretch the possibilities of performance and improvisation, Bardsley captures the “noise, meditation and inner turmoil” at the core of “Yes-Wave.” At the same time, Bardsley explains that “[the] project is all about reclaiming that childhood joy and wonder, without all the learned insecurity.”

Today, punctï premieres her 48th release, Surprise. In 15 tracks that graze the minute mark, punctï paces, yo-yos and chips away at the question she asks herself time and time again: “How do you feel today?” We had the chance to catch up with Bardsley on tinkering solo with her sampler, the restlessness of late-capitalism, and why Tiffany Haddish is “nobody’s bitch” to celebrate the four years of punctï. Check out our full interview below.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Laura! Thank you so much for chatting with Also Cool. Before we get into the specifics of your latest album Surprise, let's talk about the punctï project. What inspired you to pursue such an ambitious endeavor? In what ways has working within the punctï framework impacted your artistic process, as a musician or as a performance artist?

Laura Bardsley: punctï started 4 years ago on a rather dejected Valentine's Day evening. I had a four track app on my phone and decided to make at least four tracks with the app in one night. After releasing my first album, I realized that it would be super fun to continue making albums in very short time-frames, especially if I collaborated with other artists. [The constraints of punctï] allow my collaborators and I to flex our music muscles every month, and I’ve learned enough about producing, mixing and mastering that I’ve realized there is so much more to learn.

I learned that Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner's relationship was built on a set of rules, just like punctï. It's really illuminated the endless possibilities of what is possible under a specific framework. For performing, I channel a disillusioned office worker, and it's a blast because: a) I've never worked in an office, so it's an acting challenge, and; b) It's a meld of performance art, music, choreography and comedy; sincerely the most fun I can have in one performance.

Also Cool: On that note, you've spoken to how your work channels and critiques feelings of restlessness and inadequacy within the constraints of late-capitalism. How has your perception of, and relationship with, these concepts changed and impacted the spirit of punctï with the dawn of COVID-19 and working-from-home?

LB: My perception of these concepts has only been cemented by the onset of COVID-19, but with more hope for change and growth than ever before. We're at a point where the whole world is experiencing this restlessness and these feelings of inadequacy. Somehow in our shared anxieties, there is a general understanding that this system is worn out and in need of replacement.

I've been doing remote sessions with my collaborators for most of the pandemic, and it definitely is more of a challenge to get into a creative, open and non-insecure mindset. Thankfully, we have the internet and all its gifts… Although I do truly prefer working with people IRL, and will cherish those sessions when they come back.

AC: Something I noticed when studying the punctï project as a whole is that all your collaborative albums reflect different levels of spontaneity. Can you speak to this notion of "Yes-Wave" that you and your collaborators embrace, and how you embody its mindset throughout your production process?

LB: I attribute the spontaneity to the time constraints and spirit of the project: each album is a record of my collaborators and I are at in that moment of our lives. What is grinding our gears right now? What makes us giggle? What makes us nostalgic?

One of my rules for punctï is that if you really like what you're playing, really feeling it, then change it. Make it better, make it different and challenge yourself to explore it. I used to worship No-Wave music, but at a point the rejection of musicality got old to me — I don't want to reject it, I wanna embrace it. I wanna say Yes to The Wave washing over me.

AC: You've tapered off from partnering with another artist to create Surprise entirely solo. What caused this shift and what influences did you bring into the work?

LB: I've produced the occasional solo punctï album, and since this month marks the project’s four year anniversary, I decided to do it alone. As for constraints, I only used my Sampler PO-33 KO, voice, and bass on one track. I was inspired by Tierra Whack's Whack World, where she made 15 one minute songs. Obviously I'm no Tierra Whack, and some of my tracks are over one minute long, but I really enjoyed making Surprise. At points I wanted to make more sample-based tunes, which I pepper into the record. There's bitter stuff, like "Previous Her,” nostalgia for recess on "Snow Worlds,” sex in "Eyes,” and of course, the anxiety of the pandemic in "Like A Lazy Aristocrat.” Oh, and a song about Tiffany Haddish, cause she's the best.

AC: I feel like with any work, there is always some "lessons learned" sentiment that lingers after it's fully realized. If this idea rings true to you, what has been the main take-away from Surprise?

LB: I think because I make an album per month, it's usually not really until later, looking and listening back that I get some kind of a "lessons learned" feeling. The main takeaway from this album is one I keep having to remind myself of: Why try? Why the fuck not.

AC: To close off, do you plan to continue the punctï monthly releases? Do you have any other projects or collaborations you'd like to plug?

LB: I'm pretty sure I'm gonna keep doing punctï until I die. I did the math and at age 69, I'll be producing album #420.

I do more accessible music under Blue Odeur. My newest single "Foam Born" is out on all platforms and on YouTube with a snazzy video.

Listen to Surprise below!

punctï

Spotify | Bandcamp | Youtube

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Laura Bardsley

Website

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

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Braids Team-Up with DJ Python to Release "Young Buck" Remixed

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Montreal outfit Braids offer a midweek energy boost with the re-release of their bittersweet track “Young Buck,” remixed by NYC’s renowned DJ Python. Hailing from their anticipated comeback album Shadow Offering, “Young Buck” was originally praised for it’s fervorous danceability; enhanced by lead singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s blazing performance. In the hands of DJ Python, “Young Buck” is no less commanding and reminisces breathless dancefloors and locking eyes with a handsome stranger. For these Calgary-turned-Montreal art-rockers, we give this pulsing sonic-makeover a 10/10.

Braids by Mélissa Gamache

On the remix, Braids commented:

“Upon receiving DJ Python’s remix of our track ‘Young Buck,’ my pining for the dance floor kicked in. I pulled my car over to an empty parking lot and turned the volume up as far as it could go. Alone beside the concrete barriers of a now desolate shopping mall, I was reminded of bodies beside bodies, of a night that you never want to end, of sweat, of joy. For a moment I was transported from my new and uncomfortable reality: distanced, living through a pandemic, to memories streaming behind my closed eyes, of a life lived prior, and one that will be lived again. This track offers the fuel needed to keep going, the energy needed to stay hopeful. When I close my eyes and dance to it in my living room, I am at the club and the club is with me.”

Stream “Young Buck” remixed by DJ Python below

Braids

Instagram | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

DJ Python

Instagram | Bandcamp

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (She/Her) is the Co-Founder and 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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Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice: Vanille Serves Up Franco-Pop for Brighter Days Ahead

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Rachel Leblanc / Vanille by Dominic Berthiaume

After three years of creative introspection, pop singer Rachel Leblanc, also known as Vanille, is footing a more sincere debut en Français with the release of her LP Soleil ‘96, via Quebec label Bonbonbon. What makes this album especially validating for the 60s-inspired artist is allowing her mother tongue, and by extension her unmediated stream-of-consciousness, to bloom in her songwriting. Ditching English lyrics has brought on a new level of confidence for Leblanc; allowing her embody a performance style that nurtures her artistic pursuits, rather than projecting the image of a “cool” frontwoman for the sake of her audience. For lovers of Françoise Hardy and Mazzy Star, look no further — Vanille is reviving yéyé with a lusty 90s sensibility. Take a peek at our interview below to read more about her playful, and signature, je-m'en-fous approach to songwriting.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for collaborating with Also Cool. To start, can you tell our readers more about your act Vanille? Would you describe "Vanille" as a persona, or more so as an extension of yourself?

Rachel Leblanc: Thank you so much for having me! Vanille is really just the name of the project. I don't really like when people call me Vanille or ''the singer of Vanille,” haha! It's not a persona, nor a fraction of myself. I just wanted a name for the project that reflected the cuteness and nice vibes of my music! I started Vanille four years ago and I originally sang in English. I later realized that I was not completely honest with myself, and that [the project] was less me and more the image of what I thought was “cool.” From that realization, I began to write songs in French — more in a classic writer-composer spirit than what I did before, and I really found confidence in that.

Also Cool: You've recently released your first album Soleil '96 - congratulations! Can you share what inspired this album, both emotionally and sonically?

Rachel Leblanc: I was really inspired by the 60's British bands and the ones from the West coast of the US in the same era. I wanted to make a rock album, but also an album with catchy melodies and bittersweet lyrics. I listened a lot to Margo Guryan, The Beach Boys, The Zombies but also Sonic Youth and Belle & Sebastian. That melting pot made me write different kinds of songs over the past four years. I usually write songs when I listen to a lot of music during the day. I spin LPs everyday and the greatness of what I hear always pushes me to write, or at least to try something. That's where I get all my inspiration.

AC: Branching off of that, releasing an album is always exciting for an artist, especially when it's your first! Did anything about the experience of producing and sharing Soleil '96 impact your outlook as an artist? Were there any moments that were particularly special?

RL: Releasing an album during a pandemic is weird, but I never experienced it during ''normal times,'' so I couldn't compare, haha. I think that it was mostly good, because people were happy to hear a new album and the enthusiasm was really there for me. I enjoyed making this album with my friends and I will continue to work with the people I know and love! I understood how important it is for me. The team of people I worked with (Guillaume Mansour, Jean-Sébastien Gervais, Julien Pagé, Benoît Parent and Emmanuel Ethier) were very tight and professional. It was also a huge, fun experience because it was taped before the pandemic and we ate a lot of food during those sessions — a lot of candy… and that's something I will remember. I'm starving right now!

Rachel Leblanc / Vanille by Dominic Berthiaume

AC: You mention that you take inspiration from French yéyé singers from the 1960s; what about these artists and their music resonates with you?

RL: I just adore the simplistic melodies and the light-hearted energy from this era. There was a nice effort in making pretty music and the refinement is beyond compare! The looks were also on point, haha! There's also a kind of je-m'en-foutisme that I really love. The attitude and style of the Swinging Sixties and the psychedelia influence on the artists interests me a lot.

AC: In relation to those influences, what is your approach to making music that has a vintage appeal with a current twist? Are there any particular practices you use to achieve this sound?

RL: We used a lot of old guitars for this album. Emmanuel helped a lot to choose the right guitars and basses for each part on the album. We used a lot of different mics with various reverb effects, and kind of created with a speaker in another room where our winter boots were. We used different kinds of synths also… I'm unfortunately not a gear gal and I couldn't tell what we used, haha! I think it could have sounded more retro, but I the next [album] will fulfill this need! I want to use old instruments like the harpsichord and the mandoline. I'm looking forward to that!

AC: I know that you recently were on the cover of Le Devoir and were featured in the Journal de Montreal, which are amazing milestones! How does it feel to receive such positive reception so far, and what lasting impressions are you hoping the album will have?

RL: It's such a dream! I couldn't be happier. The fact that my music resonates with a lot of people is the best feeling in the world. I'm really grateful for what's happening to me and I'm living this precious time with a lot of tenderness for everyone. I wish I could play live in front of people and see them smiling and singing with me, but I'm sure it will happen one day! I hope that this album made people feel a little better or understood during these times (sorry I sound like an ad).

AC: Before we let you go, what is the year ahead looking like for you, and how can we best support you and your music?

RL: I hope to be able to play everywhere in Quebec this summer, but it's really too soon to tell... I will definitely work on my second LP, taping it in the woods in the Laurentides, probably in Fall. A bright year is ahead of me and of all fellow artists. People will want to date [again] and everyone knows that bringing your crush to a good show is the way to go baby!

Vanille (She/Her)

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Bio

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (She/Her) is the Co-Founder and 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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Montreal's DEMO FEST Utilizes Punk Ethos in a Call to Action

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The 2020 Winter Solstice marks the anticipated launch of DEMO FEST, a huge selection of submission-based demos created by over 350 musicians around the world during the Fall season of the pandemic, as well as a dusk ‘till dawn livestream telethon, hosted by Suoni Per Il Popolo’s Suoni TV.

What started as a songwriting challenge between DEMO FEST founder, Martin Tensions, and his bandmates has now grown into a world-wide benefit for Solidarity Across Borders, a migrant justice network based in Montreal. Since 2003, Solidarity Across Borders supports primarily non-status and refugee individuals and families in Montreal through popular education, direct mutual aid and support work, and political mobilizations, including demonstrations, pickets, delegations, and direct actions. All proceeds from the sales of the DEMO FEST release, as well as funds raised during the telethon, will be donated to Solidarity Across Borders.

We had the chance to chat with Martin Tensions and DEMO FEST team member Sasha Pozzolo about how their community mobilized to beat the woes of isolation while advocating for migrant justice, making DEMO FEST more than a compilation.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Martin and Sasha! Thank you so much for collaborating with Also Cool to chat about DEMO FEST. To start, can you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us more about who you are and what you do?

Martin: I've been in and around “DIY punk” since I was a teenager; playing in bands, booking shows, going on small tours. Playing and participating in music isn't something I want to “make a living” from, but it's always been the center of my friendships and creative endeavours. I used to organize mixtape exchange clubs for my friends every year, which I think could be described as a forerunner to DEMO FEST.

Sasha: Similarly, I’ve been in and around DIY/punk since I was a teenager and playing in bands actively more so for the last five years. I have a nerdy history of studying photography and going to library school; I’m really into meshing punk into image making, subcultural documentation, and how punk is archived. I make up ¼ of I.F.O. which is a punk and punk-adjacent collective event organizing group. We ran the festival I Can’t Believe It’s Not Paris last year. We are acting as support staff for DEMO FEST and will be running the livestream today.  

 

Also Cool: Can you tell me about how you've managed such a wide-reaching project? How was it originally conceptualized, and how has it felt to watch it expand into such a large-scale action?

Martin: When the stronger lockdown measures came into effect in Montreal in March, all live shows were indefinitely postponed. All my bands stopped jamming. A lot of my friends were talking about taking the time to try and work on solo projects, writing songs with collaborators remotely by sending tracks back and forth, or learning some new instruments and/or production/home recording methods. I had a small burst of energy, trying to demo tracks for my bands or other projects at home, but that energy tapered off. I knew that was happening for a lot of people around me. Without shows or tours, there seemed to be a lot less motivation to actually finish anything.

Originally, I thought of doing a “challenge” with three of my band mates where we each had to finish a solo isolation project by a certain date, hoping we could all motivate each other. I shortly realized I could just invite more people, make it an open invitation, make it a benefit, etc. Once I put it all together and started talking to people, I thought maybe 50 of my friends would do it. My wildest dream was getting 100 demos. I had a pretty good feeling and hope that it was going to tap into something for a lot of people, but didn't really expect it to spread too widely. Seeing that happen as more and more people registered to participate, and then finish, has been very cool and validating. Many people have expressed that it was the perfect thing to get them through an otherwise isolating and creatively stagnant Fall.

Managing the project has not been too difficult. Many people have stepped in to help: Sasha and the I.F.O. crew have been involved from day one, Will Killingsworth of Dead Air Studios has been mastering most of the demos, members of Solidarity Across Borders have been coordinating and advising the fundraising (and helping us reach out to press!), we have friends helping with the art and graphics, managing the massive amount of Bandcamp logistics, and of course spreading the word. The last few weeks have been a bit busy and stressful handling all the submissions and getting them ready, but before that it has not felt difficult to manage at all!

AC: Branching off of that, what are your thoughts on the idea that artists are often pressured, or even expected, to create works inspired by tragedy and the feelings attached to it? Was this a roadblock that many of the DEMO FEST contributors, or even yourself, encountered during lockdown?

Sasha: I think that there is a lot of voyeurship in artistic creation of all mediums. We are living in such a bizarre time, yet I don’t feel there is a particular emotional bar to meet right now. I have noticed less work being made about despair, but this could also be that there is less work in general. Perhaps it’s a collective understanding that we’re all doing poorly?

As far as DEMO FEST goes, I always felt that the project promoted the opposite intention. Although it was put forward as a “pandemic project,” there was no onus to dwell on the pandemic itself. I heard that 2020 is the year of escapism— maybe we accidentally tapped into that zone by offering a platform to distract ourselves from the pandemic. I’d like to think it’s a little more wholesome kind of escapism. This was a fun little push for people to make music that they put aside, that they never had time for, or maybe they never had conceptualized before having a little DEMO FEST pep talk. 

It’s difficult to continue to make something when a lot of joy is taken from what you are making and how it is received. DEMO FEST doesn’t create the same reciprocal energy as a live event, but regardless of working on a solo project, working remotely, or with a band, it does give a sense of collective agency. In addition, I think that the notions of productivity and spectatorship (or lack thereof) have the ability to place a looming constraint on how, what, and where people will make music. By encouraging projects to occur now and in this manner is to ultimately encourage music being made for the sake of music being made. This coupled with DEMO FEST as a benefit, which collectively and exclusively releases music, I think, makes it an anti-capitalist initiative. It’s both fun and important to analyze what makes art function, what we want from it, and what we can get from it on our own terms. 

AC: I'm curious to know more about your thoughts on demos, as they make-up the DEMO FEST corpus. What elements do demos hold that make them significant, both culturally and sonically, and what made you choose to prioritize launching a demo-exclusive release?

Martin: I realize that 'demo' means a lot of things in the "music industry.” For me, it means a punk demo tape. If you are a band in punk or a punk-adjacent genre, a cassette tape with 2-5 songs is the first thing you release, and that's called your demo. I didn't want to end up with compilation of individual songs. Instead, I wanted people to fully realize a new musical project or produce a complete release for an existing project in this new pandemic context. I wanted people to be empowered to experiment with a new instrument, new collaborators, or a new way of making music and take it to a completed state. Demos don't have to be super well-polished or produced, and they shouldn't be too long… But they should full “demonstrate” (haha) the vibe and sound of the band/project. And I just love digging through piles of new demo tapes. So, calling it DEMO FEST and asking for demos seemed like the thing to do.

AC: This project certainly speaks to the power of community across many spheres. What has surprised, or inspired, you the most about the journey of DEMO FEST and watching the level of inter-community collaboration progress throughout?

Sasha: With entire honesty, the sheer scope of the project was both shocking and heartwarming. It’s been intriguing to see some of the ways that DEMO FEST spread; through friends, through one-degree-of-separation, through both Blink 155 and Barely Human podcasts, and also through absolute mystery. There were online discussions about the best way to record something without a lot of equipment, what benefits certain free programs offered, as well as offers and requests for collaboration on tracks. In true punk solidarity, Will Killingsworth shared so much time and expertise with mastering to tie together everything. Have you ever had a hang out with someone where you both work separately on something, but you’re in the same room? I feel like that was the general community feeling, and it was really wholesome. 

AC: Before we let you go, do you have any closing thoughts that you'd like to share, and can you tell us how we can support and engage with DEMO FEST?

Martin: Well thank you for helping us spread the word! All of the info and links are collected on the website. You can also follow us on Instagram. The important date is today, the Winter Solstice. The DEMO FEST Bandcamp will go live around noon. All 200+ demos will be there to stream for free and purchase for download. All proceeds from all of the DEMO FEST efforts are going to Solidarity Across Borders, and you can also check them out and donate to them directly. They are seeking one-time donations but also people to sign up with recurring monthly donations! I’ll let Sasha explain the other stuff.

Sasha: The dusk ‘till dawn DEMO FEST livestream will start at 4PM today and run until 8AM on December 22. We will be playing at least one song from every project submitted to DEMO FEST, all of the music videos that have been submitted, and doing a very special screening of the newest edition of Will Mecca’s video-zine Paranoid Anxieties. A schedule will be posted today through DEMO FEST social media. We’ll be screening video collages made by I.F.O. Connor Crash, have a chat room open, and be giving regular updates on Solidarity Across Borders donations!

As for the USB boxsets! Orders will end on December 22. The “All Dressed” Full Team boxset has already sold out, but each of our individual boxes are still available. Each box will contain a USB key card with DEMO FEST artwork on one side, and artwork by Jane Harms on the opposite. There will be DEMO FEST pin packs and a personal mixtape/playlist from one of us. Every person will be putting in secret special other items in each box. You can read our little bios on and order boxsets from icantbelieveitsnotparis.bigcartel.com!

I’ve launched the beginning of a new project called Rock and Roll Highschool. It’s an online event that will happen every Thursday in February and March, which will host short presentations on anything punk and punk-adjacent. It’s very low pressure and meant to be a fun semi-social activity that people can engage with during the next few months. Presentations can be done orally, with a Powerpoint, on a chalkboard, etc., and can be anywhere from 5-45 minutes. There are people signing up for subgenres (like power violence, pop punk, and crust punk), regional music scenes (like UK twee pop, Japanese hardcore, and Belgian synthwave), or doing workshops (on embroidered and cross-stitching patches). Anyone is invited to present and/or participate in the online meetings. The deadline for submissions will be January 14, and the first lecture series will be on Thursday February 4, 2021. 

There is more information and a very quick submission form available here.

DEMO FEST livestream poster by Sasha

DEMO FEST

Website | Big Cartel | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Livestream

Solidarity Across Borders

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

This interview was conducted over email and has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Premiere: Misao McGregor Celebrates Self-Definition With Debut "Kid In The Corner"

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Kid In The Corner album art

If you haven’t already met her, Misao McGregor is a name you won’t forget. Based in Los Angeles, McGregor has an impressive resume. First, she is a member of PlayGround-LA’s Writers Pool Playrights Program for the 2020-2021 season and has had her works produced in major cities such as Connecticut, Seattle and her hometown of Los Angeles. Second, she is the founder of Sacrosanct, a digital community blog that aims to highlight and uplift the creative expression of queer, trans and non-binary BIPOC through community centered activism. Today, she adds to this list of achievements through the release of her debut album Kid In The Corner. Written, recorded, performed and produced by McGregor, Kid In The Corner exhibits her exceptional gift of storytelling, and in her own words: “seeks to provide a voice for those who feel marginalized and disenfranchised while also showcasing her unique and individual experience as a queer, non-binary, mixed-race human in this world.”

 

We were so excited to meet McGregor and learn about how this album, with roots in indie, pop and soul, has grown with her over the years as “an homage to the experiences that have shaped [her], both good and bad, and acts as an end to a chapter only to start anew.” Read our full interview with the 24 year old singer-songwriter below!

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Misao! Thank you so much for chatting with me. To start, congratulations on the release of Kid In The Corner! As you've said yourself, your album encapsulates all the experiences that have shaped who you are during your 24 years on this Earth. How did you conceptualize such a powerful work and see it through from start to finish? Did you have any inspirations guiding you along the way? 

Misao McGregor: Thank you so much! I guess everything sort of came together in a narrative that served to illustrate my life’s experiences, particularly in the ways that I’ve grown over the last couple of years. All of the songs on the album were written within the last five years and represent different formative experiences within my life. So in terms of any kind of inspiration, I just decided to sit back and listen to what my body and my soul needed to hear. Music has always been a therapeutic tool for me and it’s allowed me to discover new insights into my subconscious. So taking a back seat and listening to what I needed in order to heal from certain experiences allowed me to be guided by the music, and ultimately presented itself through the making of the album. 

Also Cool: Branching off of that, the album draws on your own experiences with marginalization and disenfranchisement: How have you maintained self care throughout creating such a vulnerable work?  What advice would you give to other creatives using storytelling as a form of radical healing to mitigate anxiety, stress, burnout and so on? 

MM: Oh, this is a great question! There were times when I really needed to step away from the work. There are a lot of moments in the album where I talk about my struggles with eating disorders, depression, and anxiety. At times, I didn’t want to face those things through music because I was already facing it in my everyday life. But at the same time, music has allowed me to validate my own feelings and express my struggles through a means of creation. If anything, viewing music as a tool rather than an artistic obligation allowed me to put the work down and walk away when I needed to.

I firmly believe in taking a breath of fresh air during the creative process to gain a better perspective, or just to clear your mind when you’ve been so entrenched in something artistic. I try to focus on my basic human needs in those moments, you know, making sure I’m eating, breathing, drinking water, meditating, doing yoga, etc. I often find that even taking a small break from the artistic process can actually help keep me grounded, so that when I do return to the work, I feel like I can approach it more authentically. 


AC: Along with composing this album, you are also behind it's production - which is so amazing! Tell me, what was it like occupying both roles as artist and producer when realizing Kid In The Corner? Did the scenario impact your relationship with or feelings towards any of your songs? 

MM: Woof, it was a ride! I’ve taken piano and voice lessons from a young age, but only within the last two years have I started to explore producing my own work. I actually found myself feeling like a fish out of water in that sense because I was entering new territory, but within the realm of music which has always been familiar to me.

In terms of being both the producer and the artist, those roles seemed to come fairly easily to me. I recorded this entire album in the back bedroom of my parents’ house completely on my own. While at times that felt isolating, it was also kind of my greatest fantasy to have complete creative control, but then if things went wrong, I only had myself to blame. If anything, knowing what I wanted the final sound to be like gave me a better idea of how to deliver the vocals while recording. I knew what elements I wanted to highlight, which also made mixing the record easier as well. I think with such a comprehensive understanding of each song, I actually managed to discover new themes and ideas. After listening to these songs on constant repeat for the last two years, I went through stages of feeling numb to the meaning of these songs, and then rediscovered how important they were, and are, to my personal development. As challenging as it was to wear several different hats in this process as artist, producer, mixing engineer, marketing and public relations, etc., it’s an experience I honestly wouldn’t trade for the world. 


AC: Of course, COVID-19 hinders how we all interact with art at the moment... But how are you hoping to share this album with the world in person when it becomes possible? Do you have a vision for what your ideal performance would look like? 

MM: I know, COVID has put a damper on pretty much everything in our lives. I’ve just been so lucky that my family and I have managed to stay healthy and safe throughout this entire period of time. But! I am excited to be facilitating a giveaway for two different digital booklets that I made to accompany the album: One standard edition with lyrics to each song, and another exclusive addition with accompanying personal essays and childhood photos. If I had an ideal performance in mind, I honestly think I would rely a lot on simply piano and voice. While producing my own work has been so much fun, my roots will always be just sitting at the piano and singing my heart out. I suppose my ideal performance for the album would take place in an intimate environment given the personal nature of the album, and would feature a lot of storytelling and meaningful interactions between myself and the audience. 

Misao McGregor, photo courtesy of the artist

AC: Alongside music, you are also a playwright. Though both mediums in your case tackle similar themes of identity, friendship, family, sexuality, and trauma, does your approach to storytelling change depending on the form it takes? If so, how do you manage being a multifaceted author? 

MM: Oh, absolutely! I have found that with songwriting, I write solely from my own experience and it is much more introspective and personal. But with playwriting, I’m able to take on different roles through different characters and allow the contradictory parts of myself to battle it out within a dramatic setting. I think playwriting actually forces me to place myself in others’ shoes, while songwriting lets me sink into myself and validates my own personal experiences. It’s kind of a nice balance between the two because I’m able to explore various iterations of myself while still broadening my perspective through other people’s points of view. Playwriting also involves a lot more research, whereas songwriting is much more instinctual for me. 

AC: That last question leads me to ask if you can tell me about your project Sacrosanct, and what the creatives behind it, such as yourself, are aiming to do through your own modes of self-expression? 

MM: Yeah! Sacrosanct is a community blog that provides a space for queer, trans, and non-binary BIPOC to share their art and voice their personal experiences, while simultaneously [using the] platform to heal, self-define, and self-actualize through art and wellness. I started this project in June of this year, and have managed to collaborate with and feature over 50 different artists ranging in disciplinary fields from writing, poetry, music, visual art, photography, dance, sex work, academia, wellness, fitness, fashion, food, and community activism.

I, myself, am fair-skinned and can easily [present] as a white, straight, cisgender girl, though I identify as a gay, non-binary femme of mixed-race Japanese and European descent. I take my privileges very seriously, as they have provided me an easier existence in this world, and have also allowed me to benefit from the various forms of oppression that continually marginalize and disenfranchise Black and Brown queer, trans, and non-binary folks. More than anything, I wish for Sacrosanct to be a space that can reflect the diversity of experiences within queer, trans, and non-binary BIPOC [communities], because each individual within these categories of identity brings a different perspective, background, and cultural understanding to what it means to exist in this world. 


AC: Before we let you go, are there any other projects that you're working on that we should keep a look-out for? 

MM: As of right now, Kid in the Corner and Sacrosanct are the main two projects I have been working on to keep me occupied throughout 2020! I will absolutely keep making music and continue facilitating the blog, but in terms of any organized plans, I don’t have any at the moment. Though I’m sure that won’t last for long!

AC: Finally, how are you planning to celebrate the release of Kid In The Corner? 

Since there won’t be any opportunities to gather with loved ones in person, my plan for right now is just hopping onto Instagram Live and celebrating virtually with friends! I don’t think it’s really hit me yet that this album is going to be out in the world. Being able to share it with others will definitely help me feel like I accomplished something that represents who I am right now in this moment in my life

Misao McGregor

Website | Instagram | Youtube | Facebook | Soundcloud

Listen to Kid In The Corner out now on all major streaming platforms

Listen to Kid in the Corner on Spotify. Misao McGregor · Album · 2020 · 11 songs.

This interview was conducted over email and has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Premiere: Queer Cowgirl Crooner Fliss Makes Her Debut With "Comfrey and Calendula"

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“Comfrey And Calendula” cover art by Emily McPhee

“‘Comfrey and Calendula’ is the most vulnerable song I have written to date. The process of writing it and performing it for the first time was extremely cathartic and healing for me. Now it’s time to put it out into the world.” - Fliss

Meet Fliss, a self-described queer cowgirl crooner from Ottawa, Canada. Today, Fliss makes her debut with “Comfrey and Calendula,” a song written straight from the heart, and her most vulnerable work to date. The single teases at her to-be-released EP (out sometime in the early new year), which marks an exciting new direction for the singer-songwriter as a solo artist after finding her creative footing as the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for dream-pop band Sparklesaurus. We had the chance to meet Fliss and chat about growing up in an artistic family, what influences her approach to making music, and her incredible group of friends behind her upcoming music video for “Comfrey and Calendula.” Read our full discussion below!

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Fliss! Thank you so much for chatting with us at Also Cool. To start, can you tell our readers about yourself and your artistic upbringing? 

Fliss: Thanks for having me! Well, I grew up in a pretty musical family. My grandparents on my mom’s side were folk singers in the 60s and 70s, my mom plays some piano, my dad played guitar, and I have many aunts and uncles who play music. I was always interested in music, but I really got into it when I got my first bass guitar around age 11. I fell in love with bass, but then I started writing songs and the guitar lent itself to writing more, so I picked up my dad’s guitar and started teaching myself chords. I had an uncle who gave me some pointers on bass and guitar, but my main way of learning was just getting tabs off the internet and printing out binders of covers. I pretty much always played in my room alone until I was 16 or 17, when I finally gained some confidence — with the help of my high school music teacher — to sing in front of people. I hadn’t even really sung much in front of my family before then. Only my mom, if she promised not to look at me! 

 

Also Cool: You're now branching into a solo act while also being a member of the Ottawa band Sparklesaurus: What has embarking on this project been like so far? How has your approach to songwriting changed, or perhaps adapted, now that you're working alone? 

Fliss: Sparklesaurus has sadly disbanded for the foreseeable future, so I’ve really been focusing on this new project. I had quite a few songs in the vault already that didn’t really work for the Sparklesaurus sound and style, so some of the songs on the upcoming EP are ones I wrote a couple years ago. Others are more recent. I guess my songwriting approach has changed a bit in the way that I don’t really need to think about if the song will be a good fit or not for the band’s sound or whatever. I don’t know if I did that too much anyway when writing, but a lot of the time with Sparklesaurus, I would bring a song, and together we would kind of experiment and decide on what the vibe and arrangement would sound like… If we should add a bridge here, or a solo here, or things like that. Some songs worked for the band, and others didn’t. I definitely miss the aspect of bouncing ideas off of each other and the camaraderie. On the flip side, maybe there’s a bit more freedom to just follow whatever creative direction that is inspiring me.

Fliss, photo courtesy the artist

AC: On that note, you describe your music writing style as "introspective and untethered": What inspired this approach to music-making? 

Fliss: I am a quite introspective, sensitive, and very emotional person. So I am always writing straight from the heart. It’s not really a conscious choice, it just happens that way. It’s very scary and vulnerable to share your deep thoughts and feelings in such an open way, but I also think that it is extremely rewarding and, dare I say, cathartic. I try not to overthink my music and writing too much. I hardly ever go back and rewrite or change or tweak songs over and over again. Usually if I’m doing too much of that, I end up falling out of love with it and just kind of scrap it and start a new song. Only the [songs] I love the absolute most will make it onto the EP.

 

AC: So, without further ado, congratulations on the release of "Comfrey and Calendula!" When choosing a single to debut off a to-be-released album, what made you pick this one? Can you tell me about the song's significance to you, in your own words? 

Fliss: Thank you so much! Honestly, I did think about whether “Comfrey and Calendula” was the best choice for the first single or not. Mostly because lyrically it’s pretty bold, pretty intense, and pretty personal. I wasn’t sure if maybe I should ease people into my music with something less... Like that. Maybe something a little more fun or digestible. But, I decided to go with it because at the end of the day, it is probably my favourite song I’ve written, and I think the subject matter is important. It’s very close to my heart. So I really, really hope that it resonates with people. It was written when I was doing a lot of reflection and processing family-related trauma. It really poured out of me and it’s just really special to me. It would be so amazing if it touched even one person.

Fliss, photo courtesy the artist

 AC: You also have a music video coming out soon for this track. Without giving too much away, can you tell us more about the creative process behind the video? 

Fliss: Yes! The video was written, directed, produced, and edited by Emma Lamarre, a really good friend of mine. Her and I brainstormed concepts, ideas, and shots, and she and another friend, Christine Loomans, put a storyboard together. Christine also co-directed and helped shoot, as well as helped with a bunch of logistical things. My other friend, Alazaar Dadi, also got some awesome drone shots! And my other BFF, Shamisa Schroeder, is animating the title. I won’t give too much away, but there is a group dance scene with choreography by my friend, Surraya Dawn. The credits for all the friends in the dance scene will be in the video. So, it was definitely such a collaborative effort and I feel so lucky to have so many talented, incredibly generous, and supportive friends who all contributed to making this truly amazing piece of art! 

 

AC: Before we let you go, is there anything you'd like to plug that you're working on? What can we expect to see from you in 2021, and how is the best way to support your work right now?

Fliss: The music video for “Comfrey and Calendula” will be out next week, on December 13th. The full EP will be finished and released in 2021. 

One really amazing way to support me would be listening, favouriting, adding the single to your playlists, and following me on Spotify — so that you will be notified of my future releases as well! Other than Spotify, you can follow me on Instagram. You can also buy the song on Bandcamp, if you’d like to support me that way. I am so amazingly grateful for any and all forms of support! Since everything is online these days, and especially right now, all the online support helps immensely. Drop me a message anytime. Oh and also! You can sign up for my email list at www.flissmusic.com for special exclusive releases, news, or things like that. For example, this month I am sending all my subscribers a couple of unreleased phone demos as a thank you for pre-saving the song. And thank you so much for supporting me by giving me a platform with Also Cool to talk about my music and help get the word out. I really appreciate it!

Fliss, photo courtesy the artist

Listen to “Comfrey and Calendula”

Fliss

Instagram | Facebook | Website | Twitter

This interview was conducted over email and has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Interview: Viv Imara, Hua Li, Sabrina Sabotage and SLM on the Hip Hop You Don't Stop × Loop Sessions #StayHomeEdition Digital Cypher

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Poster by Shogo Okada

Now this is an event you won’t want to miss! On Thursday November 26th, the Hip Hop You Don’t Stop festival and Loop Sessions will be collaborating to create an innovative concept: a rap cypher over freshly produced beats. A handful of beats will be selected from the previous night (the 50th Loop Session on Wednesday November 25th), and 8 MCs (including Hua Li, Basics, Kayiri, SLM and more) will spit their best bars or freestyle to each track in a set of rounds. Expect guest appearances from producers, crate providers, and a fantastic conclusion to the #DigitalPlanet edition of Hip Hop You Don’t Stop! Guess what? You can tune in and enjoy all the impromptu hip-hop right from the comfort of your own home!

We got the chance to chat with Viv Imara, Hua Li and Sabrina Sabotage, and SLM four local artists participating in this year’s collaborative event. Viv Imara and Sabrina Sabotage are regular “loop sessioners,” and Hua Li and SLM will be two of this year’s MCs! Check out our interview below to meet these artists on this year’s lineup, and hear their thoughts on the Montreal hip-hop scene going digital for festival and cypher like no other.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for chatting with Also Cool. To start, can you introduce yourselves to our readers and tell us about how you're involved with the Hip Hop You Don't Stop festival and/or the Loop Sessions beatmaking series?

Viv Imara: Thank you so much for having us! My name is Viv Imara and I am a Colombian-born producer, photographer, graphic designer and actress making beats since 2013. I began uploading instrumentals to SoundCloud in 2017 to show friends what I was up to, when a sudden influx of plays caught me by surprise. It was then that I realized strangers wanted to listen to what I was making! That motivated me to get serious about it. I started experimenting with different styles and gained more confidence in my production chops. The first time I participated in Loop Sessions was about a year and a half ago. I was unreasonably nervous and almost bailed, until Nick Wisdom motivated me to give it a shot. He connected me with Dr. Mad, who became my beat father. Magnanimous is my beat uncle. I love them both to bits. Since then, I’ve participated many times and enjoyed the challenge.

Hua Li: I’m the woman behind alternative hip hop project Hua Li, Symposium Director at POP Montreal festival and I’m one of the hosts for LANDR Audio’s music education video series. I’ll be one of the rappers at the Hip Hop You Don't Stop festival and the Loop Sessions cypher.

Sabrina Sabotage: Holà! I’m Sabrina Sabotage. I was a singer-songwriter, performer (mostly in the Franco scene) and DJ for years, but have been doing almost exclusively music production and sound design for the last 3 years in my studio. I’ve known the guys for a long time now from the DJ scene, and they asked me years ago to participate in the Loop Sessions events. While it really interested me, I guess I wasn’t feeling too comfortable going - is it the “[female artist"]” thing? I don’t know. But I never had bad experiences with this gang, I’ve always felt like we had mutual respect for one another!

SLM: Hey, it's SLM, thanks for having me. I'm about to be a performer in the upcoming Loop Sessions cypher goin' down this Thursday on @hhydsmontreal FB Live


Also Cool: How has the pandemic impacted your approach to your craft and performance style, as well as your relationship with local creative circles?


Viv Imara: I’m a homebody, so the pandemic has only given me better reasons to stay home and create. At first, I was perfectly content to have all this time to dedicate to music production. That quickly became overwhelming. I began to feel this pressure to make the best music I’ve ever put out because, hey, I had loads of time to perfect everything, right? It was hard to drown out that little voice and just take it easy. Now, I only approach my gear when I’m feeling inspired instead of grinding through long hours of forced pad smashing. It’s 2020. What is time, anyway?

Surprisingly, I feel just as connected to my creative circles as I did before. The methods of communication have changed, but the ties are still there. It's interesting to be in the same predicament as all other creatives on the planet at the same time. None of us know when it will end, and we will make attempts to return to our version of normality, but ultimately the healthiest approach is to find ways to enjoy the ride together.

Hua Li: The pandemic coincided with a lot of personal challenges as well as the death of a family member, so I’ve been away from Montreal a lot this year. In a way the shift to online helped me stay connected with my local music scene in a way that I don’t think I would have been, had this not been a pandemic year. So, it’s a blessing in disguise in that way.

Sabrina Sabotage: Well... I stopped DJing in bars and clubs 2 years ago because the lifestyle mostly was exhausting and slowly killing me. That’s when I transitioned to pursuing producing exclusively. I started working on a bunch of amazing projects: interactive games, sound design, installations, and audio for all kinds of expositions and events. It’s been crazy… [I’m] learning a lot, and feeling like I am where I should be, and that’s the best feeling ever! It is a little lonely though working alone at my studio, and the pandemic made it difficult to link with people. So I guess I needed the Loop Sessions events for the community and the exchange that I so miss with other musicians and producers. I also got more confident in my own producing [abilities], and finally decided to start participating online this year. It’s been nice exploring that side of production for me. It’s a well needed moment in the month where I can just go wild, and do anything and I seriously never know where the beat will go, it’s a vibe!

SLM: The pandemic's actually allowed me to focus more on improving myself as an artist, vocalist and musician. It's allowed me to connect with new people around the world who are in the music scene and make new connections. I've really appreciated the time to slow myself down and really hone in on things I've always been interested in, but never had the full capacity to commit to perfecting.

Hua Li by Molly Cameron

AC: What aspects of transitioning these events from IRL to online resonate with you in a positive way? Have you noticed any changes in engagement or accessibility, say?

Viv Imara: Yes! I have. People find it simpler and more convenient to attend. I’ve had non-producer friends tune in to Loop Sessions live and comment on submissions. It’s great to be able to continue to provide a much-needed creative channel for both artists and listeners, and even inspire newcomers to share their work. I’m excited by how accessible it’s become for anyone to join in.

Hua Li: I deeply miss being on the road, but at the same time I’ve enjoyed taking more time with my shows and creating special productions for the rare performance opportunities I’ve had. I’m doing a live stream performance for Suoni TV on November 28th where we will be creating a luscious garden set inside La Sala Rosa. Something like this would have been so extra pre-pandemic, but now it’s justifiable… So that’s been a fun creative outlet for me. I also feel like having stuff online has increased the reach in really interesting ways. For instance, with my work at POP Montreal, a lot of people who wouldn’t have been able to attend the festival normally have been checking it out. I got to access far-reaching speakers for POP Symposium that I couldn’t have flown in had all our events been in person. I love the energy of being in physical proximity with people but something online events have brought to the fore is how deeply connected we are across the globe.

Sabrina Sabotage: I never participated IRL, so for me online events changed everything! It made me more secure to share I think.

SLM: I honestly wish outside would just open back up so we can stop with all the virtual performances, but events like these are a real dope way to connect with new audiences, globally, and showcase one's talent. It resonates because since the pandemic's made it hard to see people in real life, online events don't completely lock you off from reaching your loved ones and people in general altogether, especially as an artist who's building their career from ground zero. So I'm just really grateful for all of the experiences and opportunities to go off!

Sabrina Sabotage by @cleobolduc, @marieme_qc, @diastronauts, @lou_belanger, @stlaurenttv, @disquesstlaurent

Sabrina Sabotage by @cleobolduc, @marieme_qc, @diastronauts, @lou_belanger, @stlaurenttv, @disquesstlaurent

AC: Of course, the overlapping of both of these events this year is super exciting! What are you looking forward to, and what can folks expect to catch this week?

Viv Imara: When I found out it was happening I was ecstatic! I think these collaborative events are just what we need right now. I’m looking forward to seeing a rise of online events that link artists of various disciplines together. I think we’re doing the best we can with the tools we have. It’s only going to get more immersive from here on out!

Hua Li: I’m most looking forward to hearing everyone else’s verses! I’m not a freestyle rapper, like stubbornly so, but I’m trying to change that about myself. I don’t believe in non-improvising jazz musicians, so why should I let myself off the hook in this other genre I care about so deeply? Folks can expect from me, hopefully vulnerability and a good shot at something out of my comfort zone!

Sabrina Sabotage: Houuuula, I am excited to participate and mostly hear what everyone comes up with beat-wise and seriously... I just hope I’ll find the right loop for me and produce something decent that day!

SLM: I'm most looking forward to pushing & testing myself to a new level through this challenge, show out and have fun! You can expect a lot of confidence and hot bars outta me - regular shit LOL. I'm really excited to see what everyone brings to the stage!


AC: Before we end off, are you working on any exciting projects that we should look out for in the near future?

Viv Imara: I just released a very informal EP on Bandcamp and SoundCloud called Unreleased Tracks + Lost Beats, featuring some roughly mixed and unfinished beats from 2017. I have a bad habit of hoarding projects, so it felt good to finally share them before releasing any current work. I’ll be releasing my first real project by the end of February of next year.

Aside from that, I recently launched my online thrift shop Junkselekta. I sell a variety of gender-inclusive vintage clothing from the late 80’s to the late 90’s. My goal is to incorporate local producers into the brand and use it as a platform to promote Canadian artists who also appreciate that 90’s flavour. Exciting things to come!

Hua Li: Please tune into my livestream concert on Suoni TV November 28th. It’s the launch event for my EP Yellow Crane, which I wrote this year dedicated to my mother’s hometown, Wuhan, China.

Sabrina Sabotage: I do have music coming out, a song I produced for singer Mia Martina, and I’ll be posting about it soon!

SLM: Yeah! I just announced a giveaway to promote my upcoming album dropping early December called The Complete Flex Season. It's a full length project, curated and sequenced to play completely from front to back. It's supaaa fire and I can't wait for y'all to see the rollout, it's really special. It was originally supposed to drop in October but... Nothing ever really goes according to plan with releases, as most artists will tell you. You can plan and plan and plan, but with the amount of shit you gon’ end up adding and subtracting to that plan. It's gon' come down to ending up doing shit two months later, sometimes more. And you just gotta let it rock and know its’ all ultimately for the best. My team and I worked really hard to make this a reality, and I can't believe it's finally 'bout to drop! You can keep up with this and other releases by following me on Instagram.

SLM

AC: And lastly, what is your favourite aspect of being a part of the Montreal hip-hop community?

Viv Imara: The way it feels like a big extended family. Had I known 5 years ago that the door was this wide open, I would have walked in sooner. The amount of genuine support I’ve received is heartwarming. No judgement whatsoever. I’m grateful for the friends I’ve made that have inspired me to keep going.

Hua Li: Sometimes I don’t at all feel a part of the hip-hop community since I operate on this weird, indie rock fringe often, but I do love calling such amazing talents such as Backxwash and Strange Froots my real friends.

Sabrina Sabotage: Right now, I feel like every event saves me from my own anxiety and just makes me feel like a human, connecting with other humans. I feel heard. and that’s the best feeling in this weird apocalyptic-type vibe we are all in. Feels like one of the very rare places in the general hip-hop community where it’s not overly toxic... Not to go into “girl-guy” dynamics, but it’s not easy being a woman that produces music. Feeling safe is one of the most important things, and Loop Sessions has always provided that for me, [and] made it easier for me to share [my work]. Seeing other women feeling the same way it’s priceless! And I just love listening to what people come up with. It just amazes me!

SLM: That there's so much talent here. Being able to put on for a city with so much talent the world has yet to get hip to and have my art be a part of that is a great feeling. It's great to be doing what I love, among such great company.

Hip Hop You Don’t Stop × Loop Sessions digital cypher event

Hip Hop You Don’t Stop

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Loop Sessions

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Viv Imara

Instagram | Music

Hua Li

Instagram | Facebook | Music

Sabrina Sabotage

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SLM
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This interview was conducted over email and has been condensed and edited for clarity

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Premiere: Cyrus Jordan Sets the Tone for the Weekend with "Not My Flavour (Anymore)"

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Cyrus Jordan, photo courtesy of the artist

Though it’s getting colder in Canada (sigh, winter is coming), Vancouver-based artist Cyrus Jordan is turning up the heat with his new single “Not My Flavour (Anymore).” Jordan is well-versed in the world of bass, playing both stand-up and electric, and his commitment to groove shows in his first formal experiment in creating house music (and thank goodness because it’s about time we get up and dance after a long week!) Reminiscent of 90s neo-soul, Jordan tackles the timeless theme of heartbreak with a gentle touch, while making “Not My Flavour (Anymore)” bouncy, vibrant and wholly his own.

Press release:

Vancouver based artist Cyrus Jordan releases his first foray into house music with the single “Not My Flavour (Anymore).” As a bassist (stand up and electric!) Jordan creates bodacious vibrations that groove with influences from D'Angelo, Channel Tres, Devonte Hynes​.

Jordan works closely with members of beloved group Schwey and has come into his sound through previous single ”Stretch” with drums by Alex Bingham of Winona Forever.

“Not My Flavour (Anymore)” offers dreamy, nostalgic energy as Jordan recognizes that he is no longer in a healthy relationship. The track is spacious but groovy, as warm synths and tasty bass lines weave around Jordan’s soft vocal. The track is inviting and an exciting glimpse into Jordan’s versatile musical vocabulary.

As Jordan says: “the track was an older song that I wrote on an old piano on Salt Spring Island while I was in a relationship I realized wasn't healthy for me anymore. It was one of the most fluid songwriting experiences I’ve ever had and it transformed really well into a produced track."

Stayed tuned for more of Cyrus Jordan’s grooves, he will be releasing many more tracks and videos in the coming months.

Cyrus Jordan

Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify

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On the Rise and Here to Stay: NOVEMBER'S "Bedroom Eyes" Defines Star-Quality

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Bedroom Eyes EP album cover, courtesy of NOVEMBER

"This EP is about evolving and coming to terms with some of the more beautiful parts of living but acknowledging what can happen during the harder ones." — NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER is the moniker of Ottawa-born, and now Montreal-bound, singer-songwriter and producer Gregory-Yves Fénélon. Today, he graces us with his dynamic EP Bedroom Eyes. Though the album is self-described as pop, Fénélon’s powerful, velvety vocals and signature dreamscape instrumentals masterfully transcend the genre’s expectations to achieve a truly romantic and innovative sound. Leading up to his release, we had the chance to chat with NOVEMBER about reaching out to his inner child while producing Bedroom Eyes, finding solace in silence, and how he excited he is about re-introducing himself to his listenership with this EP. Read our interview with NOVEMBER below!

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Congratulations on the release of Bedroom Eyes, and thank you so much for collaborating with us again, NOVEMBER! To start, how have you been leading up to the launch of your EP? 2020 has been quite busy for you: working with Japanese act Frasco; performing at POP Montreal; and collaborating on a campaign for Sapporo, to name just a few projects. What has been fuelling your drive and sustaining your creativity as of late? 

NOVEMBER: I honestly really enjoy what I do, which I think should be the case as much as possible in this life. As hard as the last few months have been, music and art have been my primary means of expression for most of my life, so going forward is very much [a] default. Also, when these opportunities pop up, they’re almost like fun little challenges to me. It’s important that I still have so much fun and get so excited. The Sapporo thing, for example, came during a really stressful point in the summer and pandemic, but getting to collaborate with foreign artists on a track (that had to make us and the-powers-that-be happy), [sounded] like a hill [I wanted to] climb! Yes please! And it gives me something to focus on. 


Also Cool: On the EP more specifically, you recorded Bedroom Eyes in your apartment and childhood bedroom. What was the decision behind designating these areas as a studio space? What effects have they had, both conceptually and sonically, on the album? 

NOVEMBER: I’ve always recorded in the bedroom I live in from the time I started making music. I think the habit started because when I was a kid just experimenting, it was a place where I felt safe to try things without fear, which I think is really important for any artist.  It can sometimes be complicated now because I live in a small studio in Montreal and the walls are thin. But hey, I’ve been here almost 6 years through many sessions and [have never gotten] a noise complaint.

Because the EP was done over the course of a year, some stuff was done before the world stopped turning. I was still going to Ottawa to see my mom and knew I’d be back in my childhood bedroom, which hadn’t changed since I left at 18, and seized the opportunity to do some of the wilder vocals whenever I was there. So it’s all come full circle, and these are still the places I feel the least seen and most free. I was belting my ass off at 9PM last summer for this solo on “Red Room,” and that feeling of freedom is really present vocally. I’ve been to studios before too, and even though I’m recording most of my stuff alone in a studio, it more so felt like the case: colder almost and more cavernous. I think the most important thing I had to learn with this EP though was really designating the space for certain things at certain times. I never wanted it all to feel like one murky room all the time. 

NOVEMBER’s home studio, photos courtesy of the artist

AC: Branching off of that, you described yourself as a child as "creative and emotional," with a significant interest in many artistic fields. How has your passion for the arts grown with you throughout the years? Do you find yourself reaching for any modes of expression in particular to connect with, or perhaps soothe, your inner child? 

NOVEMBER: I’ve always loved the richness of silence, but as I’ve aged I’ve really come to adore stillness too. Stillness has led me to find new appreciation in genres, artists and even whole mediums I couldn’t wrap my head around even 5 years ago. What I’ve also learned about myself is that my inner child is so curious and ready to observe. So throughout the years I’ve really expanded my possibilities of what I enjoy and it’s led me to a lot of different kinds of rooms. I still naturally reach for music, but I’m all the better for experiencing what others naturally reach for. 


AC: You note in your description of the album that you'd like to guide your listeners on a journey that concludes in their own "emotional catharsis." How have you maintained, and plan on persevering, self-care after creating such emotional and vulnerable work? 

NOVEMBER: This is a great question. If I’m being honest, I hadn’t really thought about it. The truth is, by the time I make the decision to include something or someone in my writing, I think it’s me acknowledging that I’m ready to talk about it and ultimately surmount it. So a lot of the emotion is still there, but not so much active for me and more so embedded in a line or instrument. This isn’t a rigid rule though. Things come up sometimes when I’ll do a song live or while I’m listening to my music, and I’ll just let them come and go and usually that means tears. In those cases, I remind myself that these songs are fragments of my experiences and feelings, and some catch the light when I look at the mosaic. 

NOVEMBER self-portrait, courtesy of the artist

AC: Now for a more light question: If you could perform Bedroom Eyes with an elaborate set design and with 100% creative direction, what would the production look like? 

NOVEMBER: I have a background in musical theatre that jumps out in the sense that I really love a spectacle. In a perfect world, the show for Bedroom Eyes would mimic the music and have this story arc with different stops for the audience. Every song is actually set in a different place. It would be cool to bring them to life, since the inside of my head isn’t exactly reality and everyone’s perception of things is their own. It would have dancers, costumes and basically be a big pop show. I’d also love for people to have enough room to dance, move or just do what they need to. 


AC: Before we end off, how do you plan on celebrating this release and what are you looking forward to as 2020 comes to a close?

NOVEMBER: Donuts, vegan food, weed and some time doing absolutely nothing. No but really, this EP has been such a long time coming and these songs have taken up so much space in my head that it almost feels like an empty nest. I am super happy it’s a tangible thing, though. I celebrated with stillness since when I’m at my busiest that can be something I only get in limited amounts. It’s only temporary though, and I’m trying my best to figure out a way to get at least one video together throughout everything. I’m really just excited for this to be out and for whomever to be able to hear it. I think it’s some of my coolest stuff and a great reintroduction to where I’m at now.  

NOVEMBER self-portrait, courtesy of the artist

Listen to Bedroom Eyes out now!

NOVEMBER

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This interview was conducted over email and has been condensed and edited for clarity

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