Rating: NNN
Montreal DIY pop is currently experiencing a particularly fertile moment, and TOPS seem poised to be the latest breakout. Like Arbutus labelmates Grimes, Blue Hawaii and Sean Nicholas Savage, the band makes strange, beguiling pop music that sounds simultaneously inviting, off-kilter and familiar.
Made up of members of Pat Jordache and the Silly Kissers, TOPS mine a strand of late 70s/early 80s soft rock that’s both hooky and atmospheric. The album risks sliding into empty revivalism, but the band’s impressive musicianship, songcraft and straight-faced commitment to the style often make up for that.
Jane Penny’s versatile voice alternates between the distant floatiness of Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier and Stevie Nicks’s rich croon, gracefully combining with slow-burning keys and nimble guitar work that never wastes a note. Taking cues from disco and synth-pop, TOPS are better suited to drifting and daydreaming than dancing.
Top track: Evening
TOPS play the Silver Dollar tonight (Thursday, April 12).
