Infectious, danceable, synth/guitar rock. This Toronto/Peterborough based band mix defiant, brooding melodies with driving, sometimes funky drums and bass. Add a few absorbing synth lines for flavour. Influences include The Pretenders, The Talking Heads, The Cure and The Rolling Stones. A full length LP titled Cell Phone Camera was released in September of 2009. A follow up ep is expected in June 2012.
Reviews
NXEW/The New Spin Dec/09 by: Dashiell Brown
For an average Gen-X guy like me who grew up in the 80’s listening to The Cure, The Thompson Twins, Joy Division and New Order, Bauhaus, Gene Loves Jezebel and other MTV-like Euro New Wave/Post punk acts, Cell Phone Camera, the new album from the Canadian outfit Rep by Pop instantly grabbed my attention and gets regular play on my show The New Spin. Though the album’s punchier first half is stronger than the more U2-like rockin’ second half, Cell Phone Camera is all very fun and upbeat, fusing together everything I loved about the 80’s and then some. For you youg’uns, I’d put them in the Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Cut Copy, Of Montreal, and The Rapture family.
Timothy Kingston’s voice has an uncanny ability to drift from sounding like Robert Smith to Bono to that lead singer dude of Gene Loves Jezebel in “Spray Paint.” A few songs sound like early U2 backed by the early Cure, and “Bisbifren”, “Comfort Me and Comfort You” and “Cell Phone Camera” have immediate hooks with the latter having a wicked wah-wah/flanging guitar patch I salivate over every time I hear it. I love "Unknown" with its transcendent, uplifting quality.
This band has the potential to blow up huge and “sell out,” though that’s near-impossible to do these days, and as any new spinner might know by now, I don’t like bands that stick to formulas, but nonetheless I wish great success for this band. Though Rep by Pop is clearly inspired by the 80’s sound, thankfully they aren’t trying to copy it so much as use the sounds of the 80s like an artist does with a palette of colors. The challenge for them, for any band really, is to push their familiar sound rather than be swallowed by it. Needless to say, Cell Phone Camera stands out in all the right ways.
First Listen: Rep By Pop's Cell Phone Camera Written by Agnes Cadieux Thursday, 10 December 2009
With a sound as unique as their name, Rep by Pop's debut album Cell Phone Camera presents 11 songs that beg to differ from the rest of the mainstream.
Influenced by the Talking Heads, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a slew of bands on indie labels, the Toronto-based group has put together an original collection of tracks that can stand alone in an ocean of otherwise familiar sounds.
The album opener, "All This Noise," is one of my favourite pieces.
Their peculiar revival of synth/guitar rock is unexpectedly catchy. The album has an eighties-pop vibe to it, and yet the lyrics are filled with political innuendos that will take the listener back to the great revolutionary tracks of the 1960s.
In saying that, one doesn't feel out of breath by the end of the album, as is often the case when listening to political bands. Rep by Pop have managed to keep it light enough to maintain an easy, enjoyable sound.
Vocalist Tim Kingston's unique use of slurs and octaves is a break from the typical clarity heard from most singers these days. At first it sounds a little sloppy, but on a second listen, his voice gives the songs a personality that fits with the rest of the album and the band's style as a whole.
The opener, "All This Noise," is one of my favourite pieces on the album. It has a delicate synth intro, but shifts gears quickly to an upbeat, head-bobbing tune. The lyrics are a lot of fun to sing along to, and it doesn't drag on, ending after a very pleasant 3:26.
"Bisbrifren" (which to this day I cannot pronounce properly) has a rather unusual, almost folky sound. The slow and eerie tune is different from the rest of the album. It features primarily synth, sax and keyboard, and makes a cool addition to the otherwise bouncy collection.
The music continues on its dance-friendly path all the way through to the last song.
The music continues on its dance-friendly path all the way through to the last song "The Verdict," which bows out with a great drum beat, cool lyrics, and a satisfying ending. The first song's synth chords tie into the end of this final track, so, if you were to have the album on repeat, it would flow directly into "All That Noise" again. Very cool.
It was a simple beginning in a Peterborough studio, but Rep By Pop has proven that they have a promising future on the Canadian music scene. They've succeeded in creating a fun and unique sound that can be enjoyed by political buffs and music connoisseurs alike. Their catchy, danceable and off the wall sound is set to take off, so keep an eye out because they may be coming soon to a pub near you.