Toronto, ON-based garage rock/ synth-pop quartet, Neon Bloom has unveiled their video for the first single from their forthcoming EP, “Lighten Up”.
Jen Simpson shares,
“Lyrically, I tend to write songs that are very emotional or very sarcastic. I range anywhere from pure emotion about bad experiences in life as a kind of therapy, to bratty, punky lyrics. Lighten Up sounds like this almost silly, fun song, but it’s actually about sexual assault and unwanted advances. It’s from thinking about the women in my life and the different situations we’re in and having to be cognizant of your surroundings and what’s going on, and the things you have to deal with in interactions with men and all the creepy things guys say. And when y ou get offended or whatever you’re told to “lighten up”.”
The video for “Lighten Up” was shot during the band’s tour of Taiwan and meshes live performance clips, with shots of scenery and the band members cavorting around for the camera.
Check out the video below and find out more about Neon Bloom via our Five Questions With segment.
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! We are Neon Bloom and we are thrilled to be here at Canadian Beats! We are a band from Toronto.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
We have a garage-synth sound with a female lead vocalist. Our sound is aptly compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We write collaboratively and individually, sharing ideas with each other.
Please tell us a bit about your new single and video for “Lighten Up”?
Lighten Up is singers, Jen’s original creation. It’s punky with a solid dose of surf-rock, including Beach Boy inspired backing vocals by guitarist, Simon Chow. The video is composed of live footage and behind the scenes shenanigans, we shot while on tour in Taiwan.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
Our live show is a wild spectacle; audiences will experience much jumping, flailing, hair whipping, and likely some stage diving and rolling about in the ground. We are playing two show in Toronto in September: Sunday, September 7 at the Monarch Tavern and Saturday, September 14 at Adelaide Hall. We will be announcing Ontario tour dates soon. Keep up to date by visiting our website at www.neonbloom.band
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music. Please tell us who your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists are?
So many awesome Canadian acts to mention. Amongst contemporary big names, we share an admiration for Arcade Fire, Feist, Stars, Metric, Sloan, Alvvays, amongst many others. More locally, we’re fans of Die Mannequin, Maylee Todd, Bad Waitress, Mineta, Celebration Army, Mattie Leon, Mother Tongues, ZA, The Elwins, and so many more. So much creative talent in Canada!