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Music

Wolfcow

WOLFCOW with ALPHA STRATEGY, NEW HORIZZZONS and ALPHA COUPLE at Handlebar (159 Augusta), Sunday (December 22), 9 pm. Pwyc. thehandlebar.ca.


At the centre of Toronto’s indie music Venn diagram, somewhere between pop and noise, is Wolfcow.

The brainchild of Greydyn Gatti, Wolfcow makes lo-fi recordings layered with fuzzy synth lines and drum machine thumps, otherworldly sound effects and sardonic vocals. But if you dig deep enough, beneath all the abrasive clatter are jingle-worthy pop melodies.

“I never really felt like Wolfcow fit into any particular scene,” says Gatti over the phone during this winter’s first snowstorm.

“I was always too normal for the experimental scene but too weird for the rock band people.”

Which probably explains why Gatti’s flown under the radar for so long despite a prolific career that’s seen him release about 30 albums in 20 years.

(Fans who threw out their tape players back in the late 90s can listen to all his recordings on his rammed Bandcamp page.)

But his lone-wolf stature is suddenly more susceptible to change. The musical landscape has never been better suited (or perhaps better prepared) for Gatti’s brand of weird pop than in 2013 – a year that inaugurated the first-ever Cassette Store Day and embraced spirit brother Ariel Pink’s re-released early recordings.

Satanic Vacation, Wolfcow’s upcoming tape scheduled for a January release, marks the end of an era of sorts.

After two decades as a solo artist (and many years performing with backing musicians), Gatti is ready to record with his own band.

Exciting stuff, but the affable artist is far more interested in talking about his new love for drag queen Divine (of John Waters films), the small-town record store he visited as a high schooler and how he survived the wolf band craze of the 2000s. (Think Wolf Parade, Wolfmother, AIDS Wolf.)

When pressed, however, it’s clear that Gatti is ready for his moment.

“I feel like I’ve been doing this lo-fi home recording for so long,” Gatti says. “I have a band now, I have access to all the gear and pretty much everything I need.”

If feels like Toronto is ready, too.

music@nowtoronto.com

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