Breakout Toronto Bands: Some Minor Noise

Breakout Toronto Bands features local artists that we think you should give a listen to.

Who are they?

Jane Void, songwriter and singer, and beat maker/producer, Wayne Doe — two Toronto 20-somethings that came together when Void was seeking a new producer for her solo project. She thought Doe had a unique sound after they started working together, so they started to collaborate, and that's how they became Some Minor Noise.

They sound like...

There's an emerging trend that sees bands leaning towards moody, lo-fi sounds that conjure up images of cool kids wearing capes and doc martins, but nobody's dictating any fashion here. You might call them a grimey alt-rock band.

"If someone said that we're a modern version of 90s rock, then I think that my job here would be done," Void told me after a recent show at the Church of the Holy Trinity, where Some Minor Noise opened for Florida's XXYYXX. "We're modernizing the lo-fi sound by adding electronic elements to it. It's no longer shoegaze indie rock...it's electronic lo-fi fucking dance pop with a lot of moods and emotions," offers Doe.

What they think could change about Toronto's music scene...

"I think that rock music has moved into the electronic realm much more than before. Bands who are holding steadfast to the old ways of rock don't captivate young audiences...they have a really boxed in scene," Doe concludes. "There's people that dance, enthusiastic crowds...there's a shit tonne of music, but people don't want to play here because crowds just stand around," Void adds.

What kind of equipment do they use?

Their beats were written with the recording software Fruity Loops, but apparently it's a nightmare to use,so they play through Ableton Live. The original tunes were made on a beat up laptop with no plug-ins, computer speakers and one gig of RAM. Sometimes it's the limitations that squeeze the creativity out of you.

Hear them / See them / What's next?

It's been an arduous process working on their upcoming LP. They were originally going to use the songs on their self-titled EP, but Doe has been on a bit of a writing spree. "He can't stop writing awesome new tracks," Void declares. "That's right, I'm a fucking machine. If you can't tell, that was sarcasm," Doe chides. It's actually not that easy. For every decent tune he writes, he tells me there are about nine others that don't make the cut. But an album is on the way. Watch out for it. In the meantime, check out their Facebook page for upcoming live dates and Bandcamp for their current songs.