A “Simple Is Better” Plan: Toronto Alt.Rock Sister Act Caardia Clean Out The Clutter On New Self-Titled Album
Part of growing up is learning to disentangle yourself from people and situations that no longer serve your best interests. Singing sisters Celia and Annie Siriopoulos—collectively known as Caardia—share the wisdom of that lesson on their new single, “Simple Is Better,” which finds them leaving behind the sounds and preoccupations of their child-pop past to enter a Renaissance of indie-alternative maturity.
Both musically and philosophically, the track proves that these Markham-born, Toronto-based tunesmiths are right where they should be for 19 and 21. If anything, they’re already wise beyond their years.
“‘Simple is Better’ is about letting go of toxic relationships, friendships and any other connections that are causing more harm than good,” the duo explains. They call it a song of “overcoming and achieving”—one that talks about perseverance and “following the toxic cycle of ‘forgive and forget’ until you cannot do that any longer.”
That characterization is more than borne out by even a cursory listen to the song’s ruminative lyrics, which have a whole lot to say about the transformative moment when you realize that you’ve not only developed adult boundaries but that they’ve become a metaphorical moat:
I’ve given up on the past for the future that I know it won’t last
And it’s always the same Losing friends is a shame
But it never worked out anyways
But still I couldn’t bother, I couldn’t bother with you anymore
It’s just another, it’s just another day to ignore
If the sentiment is an adult one, the sound of the track is doubly so. Miles from kiddie fodder, it has an almost samba feel that benefits from the pivotal contributions of guitarist Alex Matthew and multi-platinum producer Roy Hamilton III (who co-wrote and -produced Joe’s #1 single “Stutter”). Most important, the Siriopoulos’ shared vocal moves from husky to soaring with a persuasiveness that’s anything but waif-like.
The song ably previews the thrust of Caardia’s forthcoming EP, which balances a host of emotionally weighty concerns. The acoustic “Take Me Back (To This Moment),” for example, has Celia questioning the wisdom of rekindling an old relationship, while “Is Till It Isn’t” bemoans unhealthy habits and associations that go unrecognized until it’s too late, a thought that weighed heavily on their minds at a time when they were listening to a lot of Nirvana.
“With this project, we wanted to put forward music that was truly us,” Celia says. “Not just our vocals, but our lyrics, our melodies and our sound. We had a lot of thoughts frozen in time, and if we couldn’t translate those into music, we couldn’t progress. We had to create this as the foundation for our future music and what we hope Caardia becomes.”
That kind of work takes time, which explains why it’s been a full six years since the pair’s debut EP, The Deep End, and five since their single “Walking Away.”
“It was truly a long process of trying to be the most raw, relatable and genuine we could be, while trying to communicate and find the authentic ‘Caardia sound’ in the process,” Celia admits.
In the interim, they certainly haven’t fallen off anyone’s radar. After becoming FACTOR Artist Development Grant Recipients in 2019, they were named one of CBC Searchlight’s Top 10 Teens to Watch in 2020. The following year, they were selected to showcase during Canadian Music Week, and they performed at the Wintersong Music Festival in 2022 and 2023. April of this year brought some of their biggest shows to date, accompanying world-renowned Greek-Canadian guitarist Pavlo as guest performers on part of the Canadian leg of his tour.
In their spare time, the sisters co-host their own radio program, The Caardia Show, on Agape Greek Radio. They’re also annual hosts and performers at the Greek International Film Festival Tour of Canada.
To circumvent the age restrictions venues place on performers, Annie and Celia co-founded Youth Jam, the annual festival of young people’s music that’s sponsored by the City of Toronto. That was in 2018 when they were mere babes themselves. It’s become an ongoing affair since then, even as the Siriopouloses have been following their own muse into a new era of adulthood. Embracing the growth process while maintaining a tradition that benefits those who’ve come after you? It’s the kind of growing up everybody should learn to do.
Hi Celia and Annie! Care to introduce yourself to the readers?
Hi everyone!! We are a sister, singer-songwriter duo that has been making music for just over six years now. From three and five years old screaming across the house to each other thinking we were ‘harmonizing,’ we always knew we wanted to be musicians. Although we do drive each other crazy a lot of the time, being in a band with your own family brings a connection like none other – our ‘sister telepathy’ and unique harmonizing adds a unique sound to our music that only family can bring. Some of our most recent career highlights include performing at Canadian Music Week, touring with world-renowned musician Pavlo, and being named CBC Searchlight’s Top 10 Teens to Watch. We are thrilled to now introduce the true ‘Caardia sound’ with this new EP, and enter into a new age of maturity and growth in our musical careers.
Can you elaborate on the process of moving from pop to a more indie-alternative sound?
When starting out in the industry as young teens, it’s easy to fall into what is expected of us – the generic pop sound. It is almost as if we were writing music tailored to what we thought people wanted to hear, rather than the kind of music we wanted to make. Growing up, we always listened to alternative, rock, and indie music (thanks dad), which is what came natural to us. Falling in love with the genre all over again with this new project, and being able to have true creative freedom to make the kind of music we want has been such a surreal and rewarding experience. We felt an emotional disconnect from the overly-popy music that we have now found again with entering into this new genre. Making music that truly represents us allows us to make the best and most authentic sound we can, and spread stories and meanings that replicate our current life experiences as young adults. We look back at our pop sound, not as an incorrect representation of us, but as a digital diary of our growth as both individuals and musicians.
What does the phrase “Simple Is Better” mean to you personally and musically?
From friendships to relationships, ‘Simple is Better’ is a reminder to take a step back and truly reflect on whether a complicated relationship is truly worth saving. From the lyrics “it’s always the same, losing friends is a shame but it never worked out anyways,” this reflects the self-awareness of knowing when a connection is too mentally taxing to sustain and gaining the maturity and strength to leave. Musically, it serves as a reminder to never overdo the production of a song and to know when to stop. As perfectionists, we tend to revisit our music over and over, always trying to get it to sound ‘just right.’ As reflected in this EP, and especially in our unplugged single “Take Me Back,” we have truly taken the “Simple is Better” approach and listened to our own advice.
How did Nirvana’s music influence the themes in your EP, particularly in “Is Till It Isn’t”?
“Is Till It Isn’t” was inspired by the common experience of having a toxic relationship — whether that is to an individual, an experience, a substance, etc. This idea came to be when we were discussing one of our favourite bands, Nirvana, and how they disbanded due to the loss of Kurt Cobain. As the title states, things can feel like the right thing to do, until they aren’t, which is when you realize you are in too deep. In the first verse, we say “stop giving second chances to yourself, cause one’s enough,” meaning we only have one life–we don’t get a do-over. Not only representing substances, this song, just like “Simple is Better,” can be personified to experiences with people as well. Where Cobain’s “thorn in his side” was his addiction, another person can be giving second chances to a relationship, which ends up wasting so much time in someone’s life that you cannot get back. As seen in the line “you’re slowly losing yourself more and more,” continuing to feed these addictions, while not seeing it in the moment, leads to an unfortunate ending that this song is trying to bring to light.
What has been the most rewarding part of your musical journey over the past six years?
The response we have received from our supporters has been incredibly rewarding, as we make music for others just as much, if not more than we do it for ourselves. Hearing the final fully mixed and mastered song from a small, poorly recorded voice recording on our phones is one of those feelings that you cannot put into words until you experience it for yourself. And being able to share that with others and truly make an impact on people, even just one person, is incredibly fulfilling. We are grateful we were able to make this music, and cannot wait for what our growth and music will look like in the future.