Well everyone, if you haven’t already noticed, summer is unofficially upon us.  Humidity is back, the smell of cut grass and suntan lotion is in the air……..but something is missing. A summer soundtrack to play loud and proud at those early evening to morning patio hangouts.  Toronto-based band Alvvays have for sure molded the ideal album for this very purpose.

The dream pop/indie rock super group, made up of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan, Alec O Hanley, Brian Murphy and Phil MacIsaac, have been playing locally for the past year and were a huge hit at SXSW most recently. After going to the Alvvays show at The Garrison in January with Toronto-based surfer rock band Elsa and British indie rock band Yuck, I picked up their debut album on a teal coloured cassette.

Due to the insane weather, I held off listening to the album until the weather matched the music encased in that bright plastic.  I popped it into my stereo and fell instantly in love all over again for Molly`s energetic yet subdued vocals and the overall harmonious sound that the band has created.

The best way to describe the sound of Alvvays would be fuzzy; there is an emphasis on the snare drum as the beat keeper in many of their songs and the guitars and bass sound like they are being played in an adjacent room to where the listener is.  There is also a build of sounds on the last song, “Red Planet”, ending with electronic beeps, that is different from some of the other songs that could be considered “cleaner”, like “Adult Diversion” and “Party Police”.

This band is definitely one to groove to when driving to the beach or the cottage this summer.

Track Listing:

A1 Adult Diversion

A2 Archie, Marry Me

A3 Ones Who Love You

A4 Next of Kin     

A5 Party Police

B1 The Agency Group

B2 Dives

B3 Atop A Cake

B4 Red Planet

The official release of the album is July 22nd, on cd, vinyl and cassette again.

Alvvays are doing two shows during NXNE:

June 20th at The Mod Club w/ Cities Aviv, Le1f and Danny Brown

June 21st at Yonge Dundas Square w/ Spoon and Mac DeMarco

As well as Hillside Fest in Guelph on July 26th and 27th