In the heart of Parkdale on Thursday evening, Teen Daze, Camp Counselors, and Valerie Dour performed an intimate show for a small handful of experimental, ambient, and synth lovers in the dingy underground venue of Parts and Labour.
Toronto’s Dan Miller, known for playing in groups like Digits and No Breakup, opened the show performing as his recent solo project Valerie Dour. For those who grew up with parents listening to 80s new wave like New Order, Valerie Dour bears a high resemblance to this genre, with a hybrid of grave wave and hi-nrg. His hushed vocals and powerful synthesized beats overpowered the small space to a very small crowd. The audience could be counted on two hands, awkwardly spread out along walls and benches and seemingly less than enthused about his music.
Camp Counselors live at Parts
Kyle Reigle, of Camp Counselors, signed to Lefse Records (the same label Teen Daze is associated with), drew a slightly bigger crowd later in the evening. Drawing inspiration from 70s and 80s horror flicks, Reigle performance included a projection of a foreign horror film. His ambient beats and synths infused with breathy vocals (picture Radiohead’s Thom Yorke) were compelling and hypnotic. I began to forget he was even there as I watched the film unfold to his dark cinematic music, most notably “Charyou” off the latest LP Huntress. An eerie atmosphere developed in this small basement but was quickly contrasted with the melodic, light, lo-fi, sounds of headliner Teen Daze.
Last but not least, the long awaited Teen Daze took the small stage. Teen Daze’s music combines the creativity of developing an imaginary world and creating sounds that reflect the physical world. The man behind Teen Daze is Jamison, a good-natured and polite gentleman who likes to keep his music separate from his personal life (which is why he never reveals his last name). Joined on stage with two other performers for his live set and Kyle Reigle of Camp Counselors, Teen Daze played songs from his new album Glaciers like crowd favourites “Listen” and “Ice on the Windowsill”. Jamison didn’t speak at all throughout the set, allowing each song to fuse into one another. The energy of every musician on stage was mesmerizing. Teen Daze’s music evokes the feeling of isolation in a utopia that takes over your senses and immerses listeners in what is truly a musical escape.
