s/t

Description

The Toronto-based band Mad Iris has been touring Canada since 2023, blending noise rock, punk, shoegaze, and grunge into a sound that pays homage to pioneering groups like Sonic Youth, Swirlies, and early Jesus & Mary Chain. Their self-titled debut album, released on May 29, 2026, explores desire, obsession, jealousy, and pettiness, set in an unusual atmosphere: car backseats, night buses, gas stations, gum stuck to desks, and drinks spilled on sticky floors. Throughout the album, obsessive urges turn into emotional crises, with tracks oscillating between restraint and explosion. A Mad Iris track teeters on the edge of chaos, shifting from a gritty feedback to a controlled, chaotic haze, using distorted sounds as if recorded directly onto cassette, all within a powerful and sparkling production context. Their music is accompanied by walls of noisy visuals: videos evoking an old VHS tape, concert posters in a scrapbook style, and photos taken in alleyways. "Our visuals are an integral part of the band's style," explains bassist Ela Hintasu, who shares vocals with guitarist Kaiya Rosie, often on the same track. With a fully realized sound, style, and presence, Mad Iris transcends the simple status of a band to become a true idea. The opening track, "Daisy Don't Take My Baby," sets dreamy vocals over a crystalline guitar line, played by Rosie and Patrick Muldoon, before plunging into hoarse distortion and wild screams. The album sways between sweetness and bitterness, desire and jealousy, tenderness and chaos. "Poor Baby" is steeped in self-pity and reproach, moving from a raspy voice to two voices over warm analog sounds to a feverish climax, driven by drummer Josh Pryce. "Goldfish" explodes with catchy guitar riffs and thunderous energy, while a voice both sweet and insolent cuts through a playful indie rock. This track sheds the intensity and harshness of the other songs, placing a confused desire in a bright and chaotic context, with a voice oscillating between highs and softness, and guitars constantly intertwining with crystalline riffs. On record, Mad Iris is raw, no-frills, and intimately cool. Offstage, the band is grounded and self-aware. As Pryce puts it: "We're just four friends hanging out and making music. There's a lot of affection and chemistry." This alchemy drives their energetic debut album.