FADER PREMIERE
When I first heard Tender Opposites, the 2012 debut album from Montreal four-piece Tops, I remember low-key flipping out over their crystal-clear production style and upfront, unprocessed vocals. They sounded worlds away from the capital "W" weird, stylistically hybrid work that was coming out of the Arbutus scene at the time (think: Grimes, D'Eon, Doldrums), and also refreshingly different from the hordes of deliberately scruffy-sounding, "lo-fi" bands that were proliferating in the urban centers of North America. Now that indie rock has largely swung around the other way (for a more extreme example of this new, cleaner sound, check the material that Chris Owens has been teasing from his upcoming album), Tender Opposites sounds remarkably ahead of its time. The good news is, our ears our finally calibrated to appreciate their sophomore album, Picture You Staring—not just for its production style, but on the level of pure songcraft, which Tops have always had a lot of. It's out September 2nd via Arbutus (pre-order it here), and you can stream the warm, funk-inflected "Way to Be Loved" below.
Stream: Tops, "Way to Be Loved"
Tracklist:
1. Way to be Loved
2. Blind Faze
3. Circle the Dark
4. Outside
5. All the People Sleep
6. Sleeptalker
7. Superstition Future
8. 2 Shy
9. Change of Heart
10. Easier Said
11. Driverless Passenger
12. Destination
