The Elwins announced that they had signed with Hidden Pony back in the fall, and the Toronto pop band haven't wasted any time in rolling out an album for the label. Play for Keeps drops on February 24, and it can be streamed right now on Exclaim.ca.
The record sports a bright, catchy pop-rock sound along the same lines as the charming 2012 debut And I Thank You. Opener "Bubble" sounds, well, bubbly with the tropical brightness of its sun-dazzled choruses.
From there, every song is an upbeat burst of hook-filled pop energy, with immaculately produced electronic textures, sugar-sweet guitar strums and danceable rock rhythms. Even when songs begin with a slightly more low-key mood — like the sparse guitar work of "Bringing Out the Shoulders," the slinky electronics of "Sexual Intellectual" or the singer-songwriter-style intro of "Away Too Long" — it's never long until the arrangements pick up.
Take a listen for yourself below.
Check out the band's tour schedule below and head here to learn all about the group's custom song project and their own Canada Post stamps.
Tour dates:
02/18 Kelowna, BC - Fernado's
02/19 Golden, BC - Rockwater Bar & Grill
02/20 Edmonton, AB - Mercury
02/21 Red Deer, AB - Bo's
02/23 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
02/24 Regina, SK - O'Hanlons
02/25 Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
02/27 Sudbury, ON - Townehouse Tavern
02/28 Newmarket, ON - Tequila 185
03/07 Guelph, ON - Van Gogh's Ear
03/08 Toronto, ON - The Hoxton
03/11 Kingston, ON - The Grad Club
03/12 Ottawa, ON - Zaphods
03/14 Montreal, QC - Quai de Brumes
The record sports a bright, catchy pop-rock sound along the same lines as the charming 2012 debut And I Thank You. Opener "Bubble" sounds, well, bubbly with the tropical brightness of its sun-dazzled choruses.
From there, every song is an upbeat burst of hook-filled pop energy, with immaculately produced electronic textures, sugar-sweet guitar strums and danceable rock rhythms. Even when songs begin with a slightly more low-key mood — like the sparse guitar work of "Bringing Out the Shoulders," the slinky electronics of "Sexual Intellectual" or the singer-songwriter-style intro of "Away Too Long" — it's never long until the arrangements pick up.
Take a listen for yourself below.
Check out the band's tour schedule below and head here to learn all about the group's custom song project and their own Canada Post stamps.
Tour dates:
02/18 Kelowna, BC - Fernado's
02/19 Golden, BC - Rockwater Bar & Grill
02/20 Edmonton, AB - Mercury
02/21 Red Deer, AB - Bo's
02/23 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
02/24 Regina, SK - O'Hanlons
02/25 Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre
02/27 Sudbury, ON - Townehouse Tavern
02/28 Newmarket, ON - Tequila 185
03/07 Guelph, ON - Van Gogh's Ear
03/08 Toronto, ON - The Hoxton
03/11 Kingston, ON - The Grad Club
03/12 Ottawa, ON - Zaphods
03/14 Montreal, QC - Quai de Brumes
