Limited Hangout, innerouter, Wayne Patrick Garrett, and not a band
Limited Hangout - Sight and Sound EP
A new synth-pop band is percolating on the Canadian prairies. The four song debut from Edmonton’s Limited Hangout is a great introduction to this new trio consisting of Dylan Ella, Alex Hominiuk, and Mike Wilson. The EP is like the first cup of coffee in the morning: it begins subtly with warm and rich synth textures that push away the cobwebs of a deep relaxing sleep. Then the EP kicks into gear with dance-heavy beats and a purposeful build before the final track delivers the euphoric bliss of the caffeine hitting the bloodstream and the outlook on your day brightening. It plays perfectly as a start to finish listen as the track order lends to the immersive listening experience. The vocals of Dylan Ella are superb; she has been recording folk tunes under her name since she was in high school, but with this project, she has found the right setting for her voice to truly shine. This is a great debut from a band that is sure to become a force in Canadian pop music. If quality synth-pop-bangers are up your alley, don’t sleep on Limited Hangout.
innerouter - get real
There’s a deep history behind Calgary’s innerouter that begins in Vancouver at the now-defunct venue Zoo Zhop. The songs on this debut were recorded there, sometime between 2013 and 2016 from what I can gather. At that time, the band was called Get Real and they were living at said venue. It was an incredibly turbulent time in Vancouver’s music scene, with venues closing constantly and the music scene seemingly only existing in illegal venues. Get Real ended up going separate ways before the mixing was finished and this fantastic album of dreamy grunge songs that nod to 90s shoegaze was shelved until 2021 when the band’s leader, TPRIL (Tom Prilesky of The Wind Whistles), happened to reconnect with Sunny Dhak (3 Inches of Blood, Pride Tiger, Lushings) over a guitar pedal sale. Kirsten Aubrey (Curtains4Cvertain, Suzuki Jacuzzi) and Katelyn Steinwand (Tiger Sister) joined up and the reformation was complete. The result is innerouter and the release of a debut album that takes the old band name, get real. It’s a gift that it finally was released and well worth the time, check it out!
Wayne Patrick Garrett - Marine Life
Calgary’s Wayne Patrick Garrett has crafted a debut that has firmly catapulted him up my list of artists to watch moving forward. The EP is composed of atmospheric instrumental music that is warm and inviting. Using the pedal steel as the focal point of his compositions, Garrett chooses to keep the layers subdued with only drums, bass and the occasional synth flourish. Is there a better instrument to drive home imagery of oceanic landscapes of shorelines, waves, and underwater ecosystems than the pedal steel? After listening to this release a few times, I’m confident saying no. It’s near impossible not to picture these songs as the perfect score to a rich BBC oceanic documentary, or to an epic surfing movie with the world’s best riders shredding waves in gorgeous locales. The latter is especially apt for the final track of the EP, an extremely well done cover of “Something About Us" by Daft Punk. Marine Life from Wayne Patrick Garrett is the record I never knew I needed so badly.
not a band - Secrets
Who is not a band? Are they a band? They sound like a band, albeit a very unique band. After some digging, I’ve learnt that not a band is indeed a band. A band composed of Danny A, Kalina N, Marilyn Y, Mitch L, Roya B, and Victor O. Who are these people? I dunno. If you were a band that’s not a band, what kind of music would you play? Well, I’m here to tell you that in this case, not a band plays some extremely unique music with high energy and technical instrumentation. They use the word “skronk” to define their genre but basically, when I listen to their new EP entitled Secrets, I hear a wild mash-up of jazz, funk, prog, and math-rock. Is that what skronk is? I don’t know and a quick Google search makes me think others are also unsure. What I do know is that if you like any type of upbeat, technical, rock-adjacent music… not a band is just the band for you.
- Jeff MacCallum