Wolf Parade | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Genres | Indie rock, post-punk revival |
Years active | 2003–2011, 2016–present |
Labels | Sub Pop |
Members | Spencer Krug Dan Boeckner Arlen Thompson Hadji Bakara |
Past members | Dante DeCaro |
Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and a fourth studio album, Cry Cry Cry , in October 2017. Their fifth studio album, Thin Mind , was released on January 24, 2020.
Wolf Parade began in April 2003, when former Frog Eyes member Spencer Krug was offered a gig by Grenadine Records' Alex Megelas. With only a three-week deadline to form a band, Krug contacted a fellow Canadian guitarist Dan Boeckner (formerly of British Columbia band Atlas Strategic) and began writing songs in Krug's apartment. [1] Initially using a drum machine for their rhythm section played through computer speakers, Krug later invited Arlen Thompson to the lineup as the drummer; [2] however, the newly formed trio rehearsed as a full band only the day before their first show. [2] During the tour, Wolf Parade recorded and released their self-titled debut EP (also known as their 4 Song EP ).
In September 2003, [3] Hadji Bakara joined Wolf Parade, contributing his synthesizer and sound manipulation skills to the lineup. [1] By the summer of 2004 the band released its second independent, self-titled EP, commonly referred to as the 6 Song EP .
In September 2004, the band traveled to Portland, Oregon to record with Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock. Brock had recently signed the band to Sub Pop when he was an A&R man for the label at the time. He had known Dan Boeckner from his days in Atlas Strategic, who had toured with Modest Mouse and were offered a Sub Pop signing just before the band split up. Wolf Parade spent two and a half weeks working 14-hour days in Portland. After some remixing, the band returned to Montreal to finish recording. The album was scheduled for a May release, but then pushed back. [3] On its new record label, the band released its first widely distributed EP, Wolf Parade , in July 2005.
In September 2005, the band's debut album Apologies to the Queen Mary was released on Sub Pop Records to critical acclaim, [4] earning a 2006 Polaris Music Prize nomination. [5] [6]
Dante DeCaro (formerly of Hot Hot Heat) joined sometime in 2005 as a second guitarist and percussionist. [1] In 2008, an arrangement by Kenji Fusé of the Wolf Parade song "I'll Believe in Anything" for full symphony orchestra received a reading by the Victoria Symphony. [7]
The band's second album, At Mount Zoomer , followed in June 2008. [8] An on-stage announcement [9] in November 2008 that Dante DeCaro would no longer be playing with the band was later revealed to have been a joke. [10] Hadji Bakara left the band in 2008 to pursue an academic career in literature. [11]
Wolf Parade reconvened in November 2009 to begin work on their third album, Expo 86 . In an interview with Exclaim! magazine, Dan Boeckner stated that the album may be released as a double album or as an LP and an EP, given the sheer number of quality songs to come out of the sessions. The five members realized they had all been at Vancouver's World Fair in the same week when they were kids, which is how the album got its name. [12] The album was produced by Howard Bilerman and was released in the United States on June 29, 2010. [13]
In 2010, the song "Shine a Light" from Apologies to the Queen Mary appeared in the "Criminal Minds" episode "The Fight".
Wolf Parade kicked off their 2010 North American tour in Montreal. [14] Following the tour, the band announced it would go on indefinite hiatus after playing a small number of shows in 2011, including the Sasquatch! Music Festival. [15]
On January 14, 2016, Wolf Parade updated their website adding "2016" and launched new Twitter and Instagram pages, indicating the band's return from hiatus. [16] The following day, they announced a series of concert dates for later that year, and that they had been working on new music. [17] On October 6, 2017 the band released their fourth album titled Cry Cry Cry. [18]
On February 4, 2019, Wolf Parade announced that Dante DeCaro had decided to leave the band and that they would carry on touring and composing as a trio. [19]
Wolf Parade released their fifth studio album, Thin Mind , on January 24, 2020. [20]
In April 2022, the band announced a series of shows where they would perform Apologies to the Queen Mary in its entirety. The band also confirmed that Bakara would return for the tour, marking his first shows with Wolf Parade in 14 years. [21]
Current members
Former members
Wolf Parade has been referred to as a "supergroup in reverse", as the members have achieved success with numerous projects formed after Wolf Parade. [22] Additionally, Dante DeCaro's previous band Hot Hot Heat had received acclaim for their first album, Make Up the Breakdown , prior to his departure. Below is a partial list of the members' other projects:
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [29] | US [30] | US Indie [31] | ||
Apologies to the Queen Mary |
| — | 158 | 12 |
At Mount Zoomer |
| 16 | 45 | 4 |
Expo 86 |
| 24 | 48 | 6 |
Cry Cry Cry |
| 82 | — [upper-alpha 1] | 12 |
Thin Mind |
| — | — [upper-alpha 2] | — |
Hot Hot Heat was a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed to Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and Warner Records throughout the majority of their career.
Dante DeCaro of Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, was the guitarist/songwriter of the Canadian band Hot Hot Heat.
Islands is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The group was founded in 2005 by Nicholas Thorburn and Jamie Thompson, shortly after the breakup of The Unicorns, of which both were members. Their current lineup includes Thorburn, often known by his stage name Nick Diamonds, along with brothers Evan Gordon and Geordie Gordon, and Adam Halferty. The band has released 9 studio albums, with their 9th album, And That's Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs, released on August 25, 2023.
Apologies to the Queen Mary is the 2005 first full-length album by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade.
Wolf Parade is an EP by the Canadian indie band Wolf Parade. It was released on July 12, 2005, on Sub Pop. "Shine a Light" and an extended version of "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son" appear on the band's Apologies to the Queen Mary.
Sunset Rubdown is a Canadian art rock music group from Montreal. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, Snake's Got a Leg, in early 2005. By the next year the project expanded to become a full band which included Camilla Wynne, Jordan Robson-Cramer, and Michael Doerksen.
Spencer Krug is a Canadian musician. He is the singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the indie rock band Wolf Parade and has recorded solo under both his own name and the name Moonface. He has also performed with other Canadian bands including Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes, Fifths of Seven, and ska band the Two Tonne Bowlers, playing various instruments. His involvement in many musical acts has garnered him a noticeably high output of work, being credited on several releases a year. He is known for his distinctive voice and songwriting abilities.
Wolf Parade is the second EP by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade. The EP is a collaborative effort by the band members. Song writing and vocals are split between members Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug.
Wolf Parade is the first EP by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade.
Dan Boeckner is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist and podcaster. He is best known as one of the frontmen of Wolf Parade, which he helped found in 2003. Since 2013, he has also been a member of the Montreal-based band Operators. Boeckner began his career in the Victoria, Canada music scene, playing in multiple bands including Atlas Strategic. Since that time, he has been part of projects including Handsome Furs and Divine Fits with Spoon frontman Britt Daniel.
Johnny and the Moon is a Canadian indie rock band based in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia. The band is fronted by Dante DeCaro of Hot Hot Heat and Wolf Parade and also includes Lindy Gerrard, Mark Devoe, and Jeff "Big Juicy Papa" Phillips.
Atlas Strategic was an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Handsome Furs was a Montreal-based indie rock duo which consisted of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry, who were married at the time. Boeckner is best known for his time in the bands Wolf Parade and Atlas Strategic. The band announced its breakup on May 17, 2012 via Facebook.
At Mount Zoomer, the second full length LP from the Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade, was released on June 17, 2008.
Face Control is Handsome Furs' second full-length album, which was released through Sub Pop Records. The album was recorded and mixed by Wolf Parade's Arlen Thompson at Mount Zoomer, and it was mastered by Harris Newman at Hotel2Tango.
Expo 86 is the third full-length album by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade. It was released on 29 June 2010.
Must Come Down is a 2012 independent feature film written and directed by Kenny Riches, starring David Fetzer and Ashly Burch and Dominic Fratto. Must Come Down is Riches' first feature film, and after premiering at the Cinequest Film Festival in March 2012, the film went on to play the Phoenix Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival.
Preoccupations is a Canadian post-punk band from Calgary, Alberta, formed in 2012 under the name Viet Cong. The band consists of Matt Flegel, Scott Munro, Daniel Christiansen (guitar) and Mike Wallace (drums). Flegel and Wallace had previously been members of the band Women, which broke up in 2010. The group's musical style has been described as "labyrinthine post-punk".
Cry Cry Cry is the fourth studio album by the Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade, released on October 6, 2017.
Thin Mind is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade. It was released on January 24, 2020 through Sub Pop.