Articles by Ian Gormely

Sophia Bel Joins the Pop-Punk Resurgence — Sort Of

PUBLISHED Sep 29, 2022

High school sucks, and most folks are happy to put it in the rearview. Sophia Bel was no different, until she started digging through her p...

Carly Rae Jepsen and Bleachers Transcended Their Hits in Toronto

Budweiser Stage, September 22

PUBLISHED Sep 23, 2022

On paper, Bleachers and Carly Rae Jepsen occupy different corners of the poptimist landscape. The former is essentially a vehicle for pop s...

The Beths Continue Their Humble Quest on Whip-Smart 'Expert in a Dying Field'

PUBLISHED Sep 13, 2022

New albums from the Beths are not capital "E" events. There are no new eras declared, no wiping of social media accounts, no new visual aes...

The Mars Volta Throw Away Their Own Rulebook on Self-Titled Album

PUBLISHED Sep 12, 2022

Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez have always been iconoclasts. From the antipathy that imploded At the Drive-In, to the apathy...

Luna Li Popped Even More Outside of the Bedroom in Toronto

The Axis Club, April 29

PUBLISHED Apr 30, 2022

Luna Li might be the bedroom pop torch singer no one knew we needed. Drawing a straight line between bedroom pop's pillowy intimacy and the...

Nine '00s Canadian Artists You May Have Forgotten

PUBLISHED Apr 26, 2022

Canadian music journalist, author and former Exclaim! associate editor Michael Barclay covers a lot of ground in his new book Hearts on Fir...

Rising Alt-Rockers PACKS Had a Heroic Toronto Homecoming

The Baby G, March 5

PUBLISHED Mar 6, 2022

This night was something of a homecoming for PACKS singer-guitarist Madeline Link. Pushed out of Toronto due to the rising cost of living,...

Softcult Reject a Sexist Industry and Sharpen Their Songcraft

PUBLISHED Feb 3, 2022

Courage My Love ended not with a bang but a whimper.  For over a decade, the Kitchener, ON, trio — founded by twin sisters Mercedes and Ph...