STREAM PUFF LP : IN THE AIR WITHOUT A SHAPE HERE VIA CBC MUSIC
PUFF LP : IN THE AIR WITHOUT A SHAPE OUT MAY 25 VIA ARTS & CRAFTS
PRE-ORDER PUFF LP HERE VIA ARTS & CRAFTS
"...spellbindingly good. It’s like watching an abstract painting form in front of you." - CBC Music
"a monument to ephemerality" - Jon Pareles, New York Times
“deeply textured, largely experimental songs filled with wondrous and mysterious sounds” - Bob Boilen, NPR's All Songs Considered
“intricate, dream-like music from deeply emotional lyrics and woozy electronic beats.”
- Pitchfork
“gorgeous, surprising” - Stereogum (Best Songs of The Week, “Glue”)
“[Bernice] create a mesmerizing sound... so much so that it is easy to hit repeat on the track and you only realize a handful of hours later that's all you've been listening to.” - Noisey
PHOTO CREDIT : Claire Harvie // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Toronto experimental pop group Bernice will release the their album Puff LP: In the air without a shape this Friday, but first they share an early stream of the record via CBC Music. Puff LP: In the air without a shape – the minimalist follow-up to 2017’s maximalist, Grammy Award-winner Shawn Everett-produced Puff EP – has been received with critical acclaim. CBC Music calls the album "spellbindingly good. It’s like watching an abstract painting form in front of you," while the latest single “He’s The Moon”, grabbed the attention of the New York Times who proclaimed it to be “a monument to ephemerality.”
STREAM PUFF LP : IN THE AIR WITHOUT A SHAPE HERE VIA CBC MUSIC
Puff LP: In the air without a shape is Bernice tackling pop minimalism; the stripped-down album touches on jazz as much as the enigmatic mix of pop, electronic, and R&B with their unique air of playfulness. Sitting between Enya, Julia Holter, Chairlift, and Deerhoof where clear vocal melodies fly kites over spare arrangements, Bernice’s new album attempts to mimic the playful intimacy of the band’s live show.
“Our goal was to capture how we really sound,” says Robin Dann of the new album, which also features new takes on EP standouts “David” and “St Lucia”. “Some people in a room, playing music together.”
Recording the album to tape at Breakglass Studios in Montreal (with the exception of “He’s The Moon” and “Passenger Plane”), the band fell in love with the open spaciousness of the studio and how much it allowed them to connect whilst performing. “The vocal booths have sightlines to the band room through windows. We did live takes of each song to tape. We could look at each other, try different things, mostly we got each song in a few takes,” said Dann of the recording process.
PRE-ORDER PUFF LP HERE VIA ARTS & CRAFTS
MORE PRAISE FOR BERNICE
“from the realm of lowkey bedroom pop to a strobe lit dancefloor” - The FADER
“an enticing balance between playful abandon and chilly remove... its blend of physical, emotional, and cerebral is well worth your time” - Stereogum (Best EPs of 2017)
“among the most interesting and underrated bands making music right now...beautiful, and not to be overlooked” - Exclaim! (#1 EP of 2017)
“blends melodies reminiscent of artists like Sade with the playful sounds of artists like Deerhoof and Dirty Projectors ... one of the most interesting bands out of Toronto right now”
- Pigeons & Planes
PUFF LP TRACKLIST
1. Glue
2. Passenger Plane
3. David
4. One Garden
5. He's The Moon
6. St Lucia
7. Boat
PERFORMANCE DATES
Jun 6 - Toronto, ON - The Drake Underground (Tickets)
MORE ABOUT BERNICE
Born to a musical family, the daughter of a symphony harpist and the former Toronto Symphony Orchestra's principal violist, and a graduate of Goldsmiths' MA in Music, Dann's background, formal training, and experimental sensibilities developed into Bernice's sparse arrangements and pop-minded songwriting, often following curious and unexpected paths.
Bernice’s members and collaborators including longtime Owen Pallett collaborator Thom Gill (keyboard/sampler) as well as Colin Fisher (guitar), Daniel Fortin (bass), Philippe Melanson (drums), and Felicity Williams (supporting vocals). All are professional musicians from Toronto's music community and members of Owen Pallett, DIANA, John Southworth, Bahamas, Martha Wainwright, The Barr Brothers, and many others.
Bernice have been performing actively since late 2010 and have released one full-length album (what was that, 2011), an EP (when I know how to climb, 2013), and a “cassingle” in 2015, all released independently. Bernice’s 2017 breakout Puff EP on Arts & Crafts was praised by Pitchfork (“intricate, dream-like music from deeply emotional lyrics and woozy electronic beats”), NPR ("deeply textured, largely experimental songs filled with wondrous and mysterious sounds"), Stereogum (Best EPs of 2017), Exclaim (#1 EP of 2017), Pigeons and Planes (“one of the most interesting bands out of Toronto right now”), The FADER, Noisey, Zane Lowe, and more.