Black Dresses

Last updated

Black Dresses
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada [1]
Genres
Years active
  • 2017–2020
  • 2021–2024
Past members
  • Devi McCallion
  • Ada Rook

Black Dresses was a Canadian noise pop duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, formed in 2017. [2] [3] Their debut album, Wasteisolation , was released independently in 2018. The duo released three additional albums, Thank You (2019), Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches (2019), and Peaceful as Hell (2020), before breaking up in 2020 in response to harassment received by McCallion. Despite maintaining their declaration of disbandment in 2020, Black Dresses released three additional albums, Forever in Your Heart (2021), Forget Your Own Face (2022), and Laughingfish (2024). Upon releasing Laughingfish, the band announced that it would be their final album. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

History

2018-2019: Wasteisolation, Thank You, and Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches

Black Dresses was formed in 2017 by self-taught musicians Ada Rook and Devi McCallion after Rook sent McCallion a beat on Twitter. [7] They released their first single, a cover of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes", in December 2017. [8]

The duo released their debut album, Wasteisolation , in April 2018. [9] The album was created entirely through online collaboration, with McCallion based in Toronto and Rook in Vancouver. [10] Wasteisolation received positive coverage by Noisey , [11] Stereogum [12] and The Fader who called it "a raw, abrasive, and deliriously catchy album about surviving as trans women in an antagonistic world." [10] This was followed shortly by the EP HELL IS REAL, released in October of the same year. [13] The EP featured in Stereogum's Best EPs of 2018 list, [14] with the duo also featuring in the publication's list of best new artists. [15]

In February 2019, Black Dresses released their second studio album, Thank You. [16] In May, they released Dreams Come True 2019, a remix EP consisting of new versions of several Wasteisolation tracks. [17] The band released their third studio album, Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches in August 2019. [18] The album was reviewed positively, with Pitchfork 's Colin Joyce awarding an album a rating of 7.7, [3] and Noisey including the record on its "22 Best Albums You May Have Missed in 2019" list. [19]

2020: Peaceful as Hell and initial disbandment

In March 2020, a full-length animated video for the Wasteisolation track "Nausea" was released. On 13 April 2020, the second anniversary of Wasteisolation's release, Black Dresses released their fourth LP, Peaceful as Hell . [20] The album received a rating of 7.6 from Pitchfork, with Leah Mandel stating, "Especially with the world's hellishness currently blaring at us, every social disparity spotlighted and exacerbated, loneliness and doubt deepened to an extreme degree, Peaceful as Hell is perfect medicine". [2]

The duo announced via Twitter on May 26, 2020, that Black Dresses would be disbanding, citing the harassment received by McCallion as the reason. [21] The band's music was also temporarily taken off streaming services. [22] in July 2020, after the duo disbanded, a remix of 100 gecs song, "745 Sticky", was released on the remix album 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues . On December 20, 2020, a new single titled "World Peace" featuring ESPer99 was announced on Twitter, [23] which was recorded in 2019. The single was released the next day on December 21, 2020. [24] [25] McCallion and Rook also continued to release solo music, with McCallion using the alias Girls Rituals and Rook using her real name. [10]

2021-2022: Forever in Your Heart and Forget Your Own Face

On February 14, 2021, the duo released their fifth studio album, Forever in Your Heart , announcing it 30 minutes prior to its release. Despite the release, the group stated "We're no longer a band unfortunately. Regardless, we've decided to keep putting out music." [26] Ten days later, Backxwash announced the tracklist for her album I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses, which was to feature Rook and McCallion on separate tracks, [27] although after tracklist changes McCallion did not appear on the album.

In August 2021, Black Dresses' music returned to streaming services. [28] In December 2021, Black Dresses appeared on the holiday compilation album Christmasasaurus X2 with their version of the song "We Are Children of the Light" by Eugene O'Reilley. [29] [30]

On February 14, 2022, the duo released their sixth studio album, Forget Your Own Face , exactly one year after their previous album released, to overall positive reception. [31] Hannah Jocelyn on Pitchfork stated: "For a band that often writes about internalized shame and self-loathing, the resentment at the heart of this record feels more outwardly pointed." [32] On September 30, 2022, the duo released a cover of the Scene Queen track "Pink Panther". [33] An announcement was posted on their Twitter for their cover of "Kill All Your Friends", [34] which was released the same day on October 17, 2022. [35]

2023-2024: Laughingfish and final disbandment

On May 3, 2023, Black Dresses posted an announcement for a new single titled "Gutz" featuring Rirugiliyangugili. [36] The music video for the song was released the next day on May 4, 2023. [37] That August, they collaborated with Canadian Electro-pop band Purity Ring for their single "Shines". [38] They released a remix of "Got Damn Star" by So Drove on September 29, 2023, which features Kevin Jz Prodigy, Kornbread Jeté, and Yung Onyx. [39]

The duo released their seventh studio album, Laughingfish , on May 20, 2024. Upon release, they announced that it would be their final album. [4] [5] [6]

Band members and solo work

Ada Rook

Rook releases music under her own name, as well as her side project Crisis Sigil. [40] She is also a member of the duo Rook & Nomie in addition to Black Dresses. [41] In 2022, she released an album titled Ugly Death No Redemption Angel Curse I Love You, featuring ESPer99. [42] The album includes samples of the 2007 anime Ice . [43] Rook and Ash Nerve created a duo group, Angel Electronics in 2022, releasing a nine song EP, Ultra Paradise, in 2023. [44]

Devi McCallion

McCallion has released music online since at least 2006, under her own name as well as several different aliases. She released her first album 1998 under the alias Eat Babies in 2006, and released Meow in 2011. [45] [46] [47] [48]

As Mom, she has released five studio albums, four of which are numbered self-titled releases. [49]

As Girls Rituals, she has released six projects: Reddishness (2015), New Nowhere (2016), Emergency! (2017), I'm Desperate (2018), Crap Shit (2020), [50] and Cow (2021). [51] Under Girls Rituals, she also released a single entitled "Black Cloud" in 2017, for which she later released a compilation project featuring seven remixes of the song by various other artists titled Black Cloud 2021 (2021). McCallion also has two albums under the alias Cats Millionaire: Fun Fun Fun (2013), and I'm So Sorry (2012). She also created two collaboration albums with Katie Dey: Some New Form of Life (2018), and Magic Fire Brain (2020).

She has been a member of several side projects over the years, including the Various Endeavors? [52] She co-produced most of the band's music from 2007 to 2010. She is also a member of Anarchy 99 [53] with So Drove. Anarchy 99 has released one studio album, Rockstar Super Heat (2021).

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

Related Research Articles

<i>11:11</i> (Regina Spektor album) 2001 studio album by Regina Spektor

11:11 is the debut album by singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. Initially, it was self-released on CD and sold at Spektor's early shows. Stylistically, the album differs from Spektor's later work as she was heavily influenced by jazz and blues at the time of its recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach House</span> American indie rock duo

Beach House is an American indie band formed in Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Their work is characterized by a hypnotic dream pop style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rostam Batmanglij</span> American musician (born 1983)

Rostam Batmanglij, known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by Stereogum as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group Discovery. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's Contra, when he was 27 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Morby</span> American musician

Kevin Robert Morby is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods and The Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: Harlem River (2013), Still Life (2014), Singing Saw (2016), City Music (2017), Oh My God (2019), Sundowner (2020), and This Is a Photograph (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sales (band)</span> American indie pop band

Sales is an American guitar-based indie pop band from Orlando, Florida. The band's members are musicians Lauren Morgan and Jordan Shih. They are joined on tour by Malcolm Martin, who serves as the live drummer and percussionist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empress Of</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1989)

Lorely Rodriguez, known professionally as Empress Of, is a Honduran-American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer based in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Eat Grandma</span> British pop group

Let's Eat Grandma are a British experimental pop duo formed in 2013 by Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth. They released their debut studio album I, Gemini in 2016 through Transgressive Records. Their second studio album, I'm All Ears, was released in 2018, followed by Two Ribbons in 2022. Let's Eat Grandma describe their music as "experimental sludge pop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudan Archives</span> American musician

Brittney Denise Parks, better known by her stage name Sudan Archives, is an American violinist, singer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Parks learned to play the violin by ear as a young child in Cincinnati, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Midi</span> English rock band

Black Midi are an English rock band from London, formed in 2017. Their most recent line-up consisted of lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Geordie Greep and Cameron Picton, along with drummer Morgan Simpson. Between 2017 and 2020, the band also included guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin. Following his departure, the trio were frequently joined by multi-instrumentalist Seth Evans and saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi, both as session musicians and during live performances. Their name is derived from the Japanese electronic music genre black MIDI, though their own music has no relation to it, instead incorporating styles such as math rock, progressive rock, post-punk, and avant-jazz.

Katie Dey is an Australian experimental pop musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">100 gecs</span> American musical duo

100 gecs is an American musical duo formed in 2015 that consists of Dylan Brady and Laura Les. They self-released their debut album, 1000 gecs, in 2019 to positive reviews, followed by a companion remix album, 1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues, in 2020. They released their second studio album, 10,000 gecs, in 2023. Their music has been noted for its often chaotic yet catchy mixture of various styles, and has been described as helping to define the 2010s genre hyperpop.

Uniform is an American industrial metal and noise rock band, formed in 2013 in New York City by vocalist Michael Berdan and guitarist Ben Greenberg. The current lineup of the band also features Mike Sharp and Michael Blume on drums, and Brad Truax on bass.

<i>Peaceful as Hell</i> 2020 studio album by Black Dresses

Peaceful as Hell is the fourth studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. It was released on April 13, 2020, the two-year anniversary of their first studio album Wasteisolation, under Blacksquares Records. It was preceded by the lead single of the album "Creep U" which was released on April 7. The album was the duo's last album before their announced disbandment in May 2020 due to harassment of the band following their unexpected success on platforms such as TikTok. Despite this, they released a follow-up record, Forever in Your Heart, the following year.

<i>1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues</i> 2020 remix album by 100 Gecs

1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues is the debut remix album by American experimental music duo 100 gecs, released on July 10, 2020, by Dog Show Records, Big Beat Records and Atlantic Records. It features remixed and reworked versions of songs from their debut studio album 1000 gecs (2019), as well as live performances and previously unreleased songs which were played at their Mine Gala 2019 set. The album features collaborations with numerous acts, such as Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito, Rico Nasty, Fall Out Boy, Tommy Cash, Hannah Diamond, Black Dresses and Dorian Electra. The album debuted at number 198 on the US Billboard 200, making it their first entry on the chart.

<i>Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches</i> 2019 studio album by Black Dresses

Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches is the third studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. Released on August 1, 2019, the album was their third in two years following Wasteisolation (2018) and Thank You (2019).

<i>Wasteisolation</i> 2018 studio album by Black Dresses

Wasteisolation is the debut studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses, released on April 13, 2018.

Glass Beach is an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, currently based in Seattle. Their music has been described as "heavy indie rock", blending influences including punk rock, math rock, and mid-century jazz. They cite some of their musical influences as Jeff Rosenstock, They Might Be Giants, and the Brave Little Abacus.

<i>Forever in Your Heart</i> 2021 studio album by Black Dresses

Forever in Your Heart is the fifth studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. Released on February 14, 2021 by Blacksquares Records, it was their first album since the band broke up in May 2020 just weeks after the release of their previous album Peaceful as Hell in April 2020. The duo cited harassment directed towards band member Devi McCallion by fans as the reason for the disbandment. The album was announced via a tweet in which the duo clarified that they were still disbanded, saying "We’re no longer a band unfortunately. Regardless, we’ve decided to keep putting out music." The album consists of songs recorded in 2020, but it was not revealed whether it was recorded before or after the breakup of the band.

<i>Forget Your Own Face</i> 2022 studio album by Black Dresses

Forget Your Own Face is the sixth studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. It was released on February 14, 2022, exactly one year after the release of their previous album Forever in Your Heart, and is the second album released by the duo since their announced disbandment in May 2020. With the release of Forever in Your Heart, the duo clarified that they had nonetheless not reunited as a band, and The Fader described Forget Your Own Face as a continuation of their "not-reunion". Released under Blacksquares Records, the album was preceded by the Patreon-only release of the song "u_u2" on February 1.

<i>The First Glass Beach Album</i> 2019 studio album by Glass Beach

The First Glass Beach Album is the debut studio album by Seattle–based indie band Glass Beach, which comprises "Classic" J McClendon on vocals, William White on drums, Jonas Newhouse on bass, and Layne Smith on lead guitar. The album was self-released by Glass Beach on 18 May 2019, and re-released on 24 January 2020 upon the band being signed with Run for Cover Records.

References

  1. ↑ Zetko, Teodor (18 March 2019). "Souls are as frigid as their music: Toronto's newest noise-pop duo Black Dresses". CFMU-FM . Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 Mandel, Leah (24 April 2020). "Black Dresses: Peaceful As Hell". Pitchfork . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  3. 1 2 Joyce, Colin (31 August 2019). "Black Dresses: Love And Affection For Stupid Little Bitches". Pitchfork . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  4. 1 2 Rettig, James (20 May 2024). "Stream Black Dresses' "Final Album" LAUGHINGFISH". Stereogum . Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Final album "LAUGHINGFISH" out now". Twitter.com . 20 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. 1 2 "this is the last one. thank you everyone for all the support you've shown this music over the years. it means more to me than i can say. take care of yourselves out there". Twitter.com . 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Mertens, Max (16 January 2019). "The sound of Toronto right now". NOW Toronto . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  8. 1 2 "LETHAL POISON FOR THE SYSTEM". 21 December 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Rettig, James (13 April 2018). "Stream Black Dresses WASTEISOLATION". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Geffen, Sasha (1 June 2018). "The addictive power of Black Dresses's dark, delirious noise pop". The Fader . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  11. ↑ Joyce, Colin (20 July 2018). "40 Essential Albums You Probably Missed So Far in 2018". Noisey . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Rettig, James (6 June 2018). "The 50 Best Albums Of 2018 So Far". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Rettig, James (15 October 2018). "Stream Black Dresses' New HELL IS REAL EP". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Rettig, James (5 December 2018). "25 Great EPs From 2018". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Tully Claymore, Gabriela (29 October 2018). "Stereogum's 40 Best New Bands Of 2018". Stereogum. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Rettig, James (5 February 2019). "Stream Black Dresses' New Album THANK YOU". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "DREAMS COME TRUE 2019". Bandcamp.
  18. ↑ Rettig, James (1 August 2019). "Stream Black Dresses' New Album LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR STUPID LITTLE BITCHES". Stereogum. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  19. ↑ Joyce, Colin (24 December 2019). "The 22 Best Albums You May Have Missed in 2019". Noisey . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  20. ↑ Rettig, James (13 April 2020). "Stream Black Dresses' New Album Peaceful As Hell". Stereogum . Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  21. ↑ @BlackDresses666 (26 May 2020). "Announcement" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ Hatfield, Amanda (26 May 2020). "Black Dresses "will no longer exist," following alleged TikTok drama; music taken off streaming services". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "We made this song in November of last year when ESPer99 was staying with us. Please enjoy". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  24. ↑ Gregory, Alice (21 December 2020). "Black Dresses Return with New Single "World Peace"". Exclaim! . Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  25. ↑ Black Dresses - WORLD PEACE ft. ESPer99 (Music Video), 20 December 2020, retrieved 12 September 2023
  26. ↑ Breihan, Tom (15 February 2021). "Black Dresses Are Still Broken Up, But They Just Released A New Album Anyway". Stereogum. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  27. ↑ Bobkin, Matt (24 February 2021). "Backxwash Gets clipping., Black Dresses, Sad13 for Upcoming Album". Exclaim! . Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  28. ↑ "music back on streaming". Twitter. 8 August 2021. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  29. ↑ Rettig, James (14 December 2021). "Black Dresses – "We Are Children Of The Light"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  30. ↑ "New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. 24 December 2021. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  31. ↑ Gregory, Allie (15 February 2022). "Black Dresses Drop New Album 'Forget Your Own Face'". Exclaim! . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  32. ↑ Jocelyn, Hannah (1 March 2022). "Black Dresses: Forget Your Own Face". Pitchfork . Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  33. ↑ "23 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  34. ↑ Black Dresses [@BlackDresses666] (17 October 2022). "We covered the My Chemical Romance @MCRofficial song "Kill All Your Friends"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ↑ Kill All Your Friends, 16 October 2022, retrieved 12 September 2023
  36. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  37. ↑ Black Dresses - gutz (feat. rirugiliyangugili) Official Video, 4 May 2023, retrieved 12 September 2023
  38. ↑ Purity Ring + Black Dresses - shines (official lyric video), August 2023, retrieved 12 September 2023
  39. ↑ "Got Damn Star (Black Dresses remix) feat. Kevin Jz Prodigy, Kornbread Jeté & Yung Onyx". Bandcamp.
  40. ↑ "crisis sigil, by crisis sigil". Ada Rook. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  41. ↑ "rook&nomie". Bandcamp . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  42. ↑ "Ugly Death No Redemption Angel Curse I Love You, by Ada Rook". Ada Rook. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  43. ↑ (Almost) all Ice samples in Ugly Death No Redemption Angel Curse I Love You (Suggestive + Violent), 25 May 2022, retrieved 4 June 2022
  44. ↑ "Angel Electronics". Spotify. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  45. ↑ "blacksquares reserve - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  46. ↑ "Magic Fire Brain, by Devi McCallion & Katie Dey". Devi McCallion. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  47. ↑ "Rockstar Super Heat, by Anarchy 99". Devi McCallion. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  48. ↑ "I'm So Sorry, by Cats Millionaire". Devi McCallion. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  49. ↑ "Devi McCallion". Devi McCallion. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  50. ↑ Rettig, James (17 May 2020). "Stream Girls Rituals' New Album Crap Shit". Stereogum . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  51. ↑ Rettig, James (16 November 2021). "Stream Girls Rituals' New Cow EP". Stereogum . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  52. ↑ "The Various Endeavors?, by the Various Endeavors?".
  53. ↑ "Anarchy 99 by Anarchy 99".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.