5 breakout bands from Toronto in 2012: #2 Odonis Odonis
Over the last few weeks we've been taking a look at local bands that are on verge of breaking out in 2012. We have two more to go. Up today is Odonis Odonis.
Who are Odonis Odonis?
Odonis Odonis is Dean Tzenos (vocals/guitar), Denholm Whale (bass/vocals) and Jarod Gibson (drums/vocals) — a local three-piece band who fuse surf-rock and shoegaze to bring you something front-man Tzenos calls "industrial shoegaze." The band's 2011 album Hollandaze — full of smoke-ring beats, descending bass and heavy-charged riffs — turned them into an act to keep an eye on.
They sound like...
Odonis Odonis definitely reference 80s noise-rock and post-punk: A kind of a modern reincarnation of The Jesus and Mary Chain mixed with a bit of Liars, with a splatter of My Bloody Valentine thrown into the mix.
Tzenos — a former filmmaker — and his band-mates create cinematic songs that border somehow blend discord and metallic melodies. Just take a listen to their debut album, which leads you through trenches of hazy, disorienting and sometimes gorgeous expanses of ecstatic sing-alongs.
"Busted Lip" steamrolls with reverb, while the more experimental "Handle Bars" (the album's standout track) illuminates the band's addictive layering of effects and barbed-wire fuzz.
The band is worth keeping an eye on because...
"Mr. Smith," a new song off the band's highly-anticipated sophomore album Soft Boiled, Hard Boiled (due later this year) runs steady and frantic. "It's way more of a slow burn than Hollandaze. Half the album is hard-hitting, the other half is warm and hazy. I want to show more of what OO has to offer sonically," says Tzenos.
Odonis Odonis' new track leaves a lasting first impression, but here's betting that's the tip of the proverbial iceberg — expect more buzz and plenty of distortion from the band in 2012.
Previously in the series:
A big thanks to the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic for sponsoring the long hours of listening to music, attending gigs and chatting up groupies that went into writing this post.
