Double On Time

Description

For 30 years, the Toronto-based group Picastro has developed an intense and singular form of independent rock, characterized by a unique instrumentation, unsettling dissonances, and a highly personal approach to form and dynamics. The vision of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Liz Hysen has shaped the project's sound over these three decades, despite the presence of a multitude of collaborators, some who came and others who returned. Among them are Owen Pallett, Brandon Valdivia (aka Mas Aya), Stephanie Vittas, Nick Storring, Matthew Ramolo (aka Khôra), Germaine Liu, as well as members of iconic Toronto bands such as Eucalyptus and Pecola. Their upcoming EP, Double On Time, is Picastro's first release on the Toronto label We Are Bodies, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Liz Hysen has always made a habit of exploring surprising sonorities with each new recording. With her album "Become Secret" released in 2009, Hysen abandons the rich, full sound of her first three albums to create an atmosphere of strange sobriety. "Exit," released in 2019, integrates a modular synthesizer (courtesy of Matthew Ramolo) into the core lineup, and most of the vocal parts are entrusted to male guests, from Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) to Chris Cummings (Marker Starling). Despite these striking contrasts, Hysen's disarming blend of vulnerability and aggression remains intact, and this is confirmed in this new album, especially as the choice of themes addressed reinforces this characteristic combination.